Big Trees Research Articles

Influence of soil microorganisms and physicochemical properties on plant diversity in an arid desert of Western China

Soil microorganisms and physicochemical properties are considered the two most influencing factors for maintaining plant diversity. However, the operational mechanisms and which factor is the most influential manipulator remain poorly understood. In this study, we examine the collaborative influences of soil physicochemical properties (i.e., soil water, soil organic matter (SOM), salinity, total phosphorus and nitrogen, pH, soil bulk density and fine root biomass) and soil microorganisms (fungi and bacteria) on plant diversity across two types of tree patches dominated by big and small trees (big trees: height ≥ 7 m and DBH ≥ 60 cm; small trees: height ≤ 4.5 m and DBH ≤ 20 cm) in an arid desert region. Tree patch is consists of a single tree or group of trees and their accompanying shrubs and herbs. It was hypothesized that soil physicochemical properties and microorganisms affect plant diversity but their influence differ. The results show that plant and soil microbial diversity increased with increasing distances from big trees. SOM, salinity, fine root biomass, soil water, total phosphorus and total nitrogen contents decreased with increasing distance from big trees, while pH and soil bulk density did not change. Plant and soil microbial diversity were higher in areas close to big trees compared with small trees, whereas soil physicochemical properties were opposite. The average contribution of soil physicochemical properties (12.2%–13.5%) to plant diversity was higher than microbial diversity (4.8%– 6.7%). Salinity had the largest negative affect on plant diversity (24.7%–27.4%). This study suggests that soil fungi constrain plant diversity while bacteria improve it in tree patches. Soil physicochemical properties are the most important factor modulating plant diversity in arid desert tree patches.

A Higher Calling: Toward a More Spacious Role for Academic Advisors

A Higher Calling: Toward a More Spacious Role for Academic Advisors

An effective data reduction model for machine emergency state detection from big data tree topology structures

An effective data reduction model for machine emergency state detection from big data tree topology structures

The Death of Captain Big Tree: Suicide and the Perils of US–Iroquois Diplomacy in the Early 1790s

The Death of Captain Big Tree: Suicide and the Perils of US–Iroquois Diplomacy in the Early 1790s

Small Axes Felling Big Trees: Footprints of Emerging Global NGOs in Ghana

Small Axes Felling Big Trees: Footprints of Emerging Global NGOs in Ghana

Amongst Children and: Food That Was Cheap and: To My Daughter at 23 Months and: Two & He

Amongst Children and: Food That Was Cheap and: To My Daughter at 23 Months and: Two & He Schyler Butler (bio) Amongst Children I chase after. Squeal in delight because they run.They're laughing so I laugh. The playgroundis a wonder. I watch one after the other slide downthe yellow tube. The girl lets me play with her duckling.I turn to mama standing beneath the big tree. She nods.The boy calls me to watch him climb wooden piecesin the ground. Their parents yell be careful.Every now and then their mama stares at me.Ice cubes rattle in my tummy. Mama once told meto trust my gut. The other mama stares at my mama, too.They stare at each other until someone looks away.The little girl asks why my hair stands like treebranches instead of pointing down like hers. I shrug. Food That Was Cheap We get it. Hundreds of years later,you struggle still. We act like we can'tcomprehend ancestral savageness,the epigenetics of it all, so tell usmore stories of neighbors selling crackin front of elementary schools;of a mother's stress-laced beatings;of a brother's rape, a father's absence,a sister's overdose, the specifics icingbetween layers we know we baked.We beg you paint, write, sing, dance,act out the misery without so muchas a dagger our way. We'll throwyou all the change your cupped palmscan hold. We'll let you sweat on our goodsheets. We'll even tell you how greatour sacrifice must be, to hunger for you. To My Daughter at 23 Months Within porcelain, you splash awaythe summer eve's cantaloupe juiceand dirt, me and daddy beaming overyou like eclipsed sun. We soakup one another's sweat. Synergeticcords holding together our limbs,our cells shiver, enticed by bountifuljoy circling this matchbox space. [End Page 251] When your father sits, I yankout those cords battered by my posttraumaticbaby's breath goading himwith passive curses and he rubsmy legs with mercy, us clairvoyantlysharing the brunt of my shame.Olive water drips from your sparsecoiled hair. You stand surefooted andpour this same ale out an apple-adornedbucket, soaking our feet to bone. Two & He In all his pale splendor, he yelpslike a sweet-eyed margay as onegirl splashes water from her canteenat him. The other girl laughs,her white teeth glistening agate againstraven skin, internally raging like Wilmabefore the harbor. She thinks howadvantageous the other's red oak fleshbefore smiling, confident that at least sheis the skinniest, at least her hair is long. Across Maxdale bridge they walk,in awe of veiny trees stitched withinthe sunset's sinister aura, and the boyponders aloud the fate of the soulsstuck there, and both girls glimpsehis flickering wet eyes twinkle,and each grab hold of one of hisarms, beguiled by the clawsthey eagerly mistake as empathy. [End Page 252] Schyler Butler Schyler Butler received her BA in English from the University of North Texas. A recipient of an Ohio Arts Council Individual Excellence Award for FY 2020, her work appears in and is forthcoming from Hobart, Obsidian, Transition, Cordella, Mom Egg Review, and elsewhere. Currently, she lives in Columbus, OH. Copyright © 2021 Schyler Butler

Impact of Climate Change on Walnut Production in Biara Sub-District

In this research is conducted about the impact of climate change on walnut production in Biara Sub-district. Descriptive – analytical method was utilized to obtain the proposed objectives by using SPSS – 16. The predominant objective of this analysis is to illustrate the inevitable impact of climate change on the walnut production in 1973-2017. The results on which the study was based on are Pearson Correlation which demonstrates that there is an indirect correlation between temperature and walnut production, and an equivalent relation with precipitation. For instance, in Multiple Regression Analysis, the impact of temperature and precipitation on small walnut trees is 4%, and on medium walnut trees is 25.8%, whereas on big walnut trees it is 24.8%. Moreover, in Coefficient of Determination, the effect of temperature on small walnut trees is 3.4%, on medium and large walnut trees increase to 18.6% and 24.7% respectively. However, precipitation impact is less than 1%, except medium walnut trees is less than 6%. The apparent wide gaps between temperature and precipitation which affects production is due to low topographic elevation and the presence of 82 springs in the study area.
 Additionally, an increase in temperature, a decrease in precipitation and subfreezing temperatures, in other words, chill dates, in spring time, ultimately leads to an increase in hazardous insects such as stem worms and beetle. These issues could be solved through selecting different varieties of walnuts and planting at higher elevation, construct more irrigation projects and regular irrigation, in particular during drought seasons, improving agricultural facilities and importing sufficient pesticides to tackle walnut trees diseases, is also among the precautionary methods.

DecisionTree for Classification and Regression: A State-of-the Art Review

Classification and regression are defined under the umbrella of the prediction task of data mining. Discrete values are predicted using classification techniques whereas regression techniques are most suitable for predicting continuous data. Analysts from different research areas like data mining, statistics, machine learning, pattern recognition, and big data analytics preferred decision trees over other classifiers as it is simple, effective, efficient, and its performance is competitive with others. In this paper, we review extensively many popularly used state-of-the-art decision tree-based techniques for classification and regression. We present a survey of more than forty years of research that has been emphasized on the application of decision trees in both classification and regression. This survey could be the potential source for all the researchers who are keenly interested to apply the decision tree classifier/regressor for their research work.

The Way to the Two-dimensional - 순수예술 향수자를 위한 노트 -

The earth and sky, mountains and sands along the beach and rivers, and trails in the forest, which were the most common visual objects for people, the big and small trees standing here and there along the road, the gentle sound of water flowing in the stream, and sometimes the sounds of bumping into large and small pebbles. It gave us a clear breath and a little power. The difference between winter mountains and summer mountains is something we often feel. Mountains in the sea look small, and mountains in the river look large. It may be because of the distance people can stand and see, but the emotions they give us are also different. In particular, I thought it was a way to fully experience a part of nature by watching from the light purple sunset at sunset in the summer until it turns dark brown. However, now that it is surrounded by apartments, those memories have become distant memories that can only be seen in a two-dimensional space. 2D space? Because we are living in three dimensions, two-dimensional space is unfamiliar. However, in reality, we are using a lot of two-dimensional space in our lives. Books, photos, documents, walls, etc. However, what I want to say now is that, although that is important, we living in a three-dimensional world can also do things outside of our lives. It can be the cradle of imagination, fantasies, fantasies, delusions, and creative ideas. Different ways of expressing it can be different. For example, writing with letters, drawing with lines, painting with colors, etc. We know and can see the things that the first primitive people and modern humans living in the era of mechanical civilization have left as “human heritage” that are difficult to do. Petroglyphs, murals, bone carvings, etc. What was the reason for drawing such pictures in a dark cave, on a huge rock, what tools were used, and who were they screaming at? The more I think about it, the more I can't help but wonder the more I think about it. However, it's okay to think that I'm telling this story because I'm old and have nothing to do. This is because most people in our country often dismiss such a historical or philosophical story as saying that it sounds tasteless. It seems that it is because we eat well and live well even if we do not know ourselves well, we do not know our history well, and we do not know the history of mankind well. If there is a physical substance in philosophy, it will probably be expressed as art. Whatever shape, color, or idea, it is the artist himself who expresses it. If the viewer simply glances at the work, the work shows only the same location and the same scene. Regardless of the visitor's social position or gaze, he encounters the person with the emotions of the day. Then, the viewer peels off the selfishness in the picture one by one with their own mind, and then the last one usually talks like this. “What is this? I can do it too!” Then he often walks away from the work. We know that the rhythm of life is the same even though the scenery inside the room to come at the same time and the scenery along the river outside the door are different. The black dragonfly or the red red dragonfly sitting in the water pool for a while may do the same thing. So, all life on Earth may live well within the category of ‘order’.

Nexus Between Urban Green Streets and the Sustainability: Case on Khulna City Corporation (KCC) Area, Bangladesh

Rapid Urbanization in Bangladesh has created a negative impact on the ecosystem and it’s resulting a change in the climate. In this research, Khulna City Corporation (KCC) is chosen to be the study area. The main objective of this study is to propose feasible models of green streets to reduce environmnetal pollution. Then it proposes green belts to alleviate the effect of harmful gases while maintaining ecological balance to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 11th goal. The study is completed in three phases. Firstly, Land Use Land Cover (LULC) detection and public opinion survey was conducted considering the existing scenario. Secondly, green street system was proposed in different intersection points, highways and neighborhoods of Khulna city on the basis of some successful cases and finally a conceptual framework for achieving SDG’s 11th goal is shown. This research shows that about 5% vegetation has decreased over the last 20 years. Also it shows the total amount of carbon-di-oxide (CO2) that can be consumed by big trees after 10 years is approximately 32,340 kg per year. The total amount of CO2 that can be consumed by shrubs is 34,810 kg per year. According to user satisfaction survey more than 90% people like the idea of green street and more than 60% people thinks that using the streets will be more convenient after its implementation. The successful adoption of green streets will help to achieve livable and healthy communities and also it will push the urban area towards sustainability by achieving SDG’s 11th goal.

Our Town, by Ellen McDougall

Our Town, by Ellen McDougall

The Structure, Composition, and Health of Remnant Forest Vegetation of West Timor, Indonesia

Aims: The forest of West Timor has been cleared for different purposes for decades, leaving only small patches of remnant forest vegetation. Understanding tree-shrub composition and structure of this remnant forest vegetation is a vital instrument in assessing the sustainability of forest, species conservation, and management of forest ecosystems. This research was therefore conducted to investigate the current structure and composition pattern of tree-shrub species in such remnant forest vegetation.
 Study Design: This research project was designed using a vegetation survey employing the Point Centered Quarter Method.
 Place and Duration of Study: The research project was conducted in five sample stands of remnant forest vegetation, namely Oliana, Tablolong, Fatukoa, Oenesu, and Alak, the District of Kupang, West Timor, Indonesia, between April to July 2020.
 Methodology: In each sample stand, the tree-shrub vegetation was surveyed using Point Centered Quarter Method by placing three 100-m-long transects. The first transect was placed at random and the second and third transects were placed parallel to the first, with a distance of 100 m between two transects. Sample points were then determined in an interval of 10 m along each transect to construct four quarters. In each quarter, the nearest tree or shrub (≥ 1 m height) to the sample point was identified and the distance measured. For each tree or shrub species, number of individual, dominance, frequency, Importance Value Index (IVI), stem diameter at 0.5 m height, and average value of plant height for each species were determined. Index Similarity (IS) between stands were also calculated using Sørensen Coefficient.
 Results: Of the 600 invidual tree and shrub measured in a total of about 1,500-m-long line transect, about 28 tree-shrub species of 16 families were identified. The number of plant/hectare was 833 and the mean number of species/stand was 9.60 (sd = 1.94). Generally, the number of species and families found in the remnant vegetation community was relatively low compared to that of commonly found in rain forests. The IS between stand was 28.21 (sd = 14.40)%. The highest IS were between stand 1-2 (IS 55.56%) and between stand 1-4 (IS 47.62%). The lowest IS were between stand 3-4 and 3-5 (IS 10.53%). Based on the number of species, the five stands of remnant vegetation was dominated by families of Fabaceae, Arecaceae, and Anacardiaceae, but based on the IVI, they were dominated by families of Lamiaceae, Fabaceae, and Sapindaceae. On the basis of plant height, about 6.15% of the total individual was within the category of small plant (≤2 m) and 3.32% was of big tree (>14 m). However, on the basis of stem diameter, about 27.86% of the total individual was on the category of small plant (≤10 cm) and about 2.99% was of big tree (>130 cm). Most existing species were within the category of small and very small IVI, only about 14.26% of the existing species were within the category of very high IVI (>20%) and 71.43 were within the category of low and very low IVI (<10%). Four most prominent species, namely Tectona grandis Linn., Schleichera oleosa (Lour.), Vachellia nilotica (L.) P.J.H.Hurter & Mabb., and Spondias pinnata (L.f.) Kurz contributed to more than 50% IVI in the five stands of remnant vegetation. Among all species found, Leucaena leucocephala (Lam.) de Wit, Caesalpinia pulcherrima (L.) Sw., Sesbania grandiflora (L.) Poiret, Syzygium cumini (L.), Pterocarpus indicus Willd., Pinus mercusii Jungh. & de Vriese, and Acacia auriculiformis A.Cunn. ex Benth. were present in very small IVI. In general, the contribution of invasive species in the stands of remnant vegetation was relatively high (total IVI 56.96%), about a quarter of which were invasive weedy shrub species.
 Conclusion: Based on this result it can be concluded that the five stands of remnant forest were in the state of poor health as indicated by the low number of species and families, the low species diversity, the heterogeneous floristic composition as most of species present were in the category of low occurrence, and the dominance of invasive non-native tree and shrub species. Therefore, the forest needs immediate intervention by taking conservation and restoration action to prevent further destruction.

Regional Assets, Industrial Growth, Global Reach

Within the US motion picture industry, Hollywood is a (big) tree that hides the forest. Indeed, in this industry, besides this powerful and dominating industrial cluster, there are other — though minor — clusters, particularly in New York and San Francisco. The paper focuses on the latter and argues that the development of the film industry in the San Francisco Bay Area relies on specific regional assets: (1) a unique urban context and experience, (2) a unique alternative culture, and (3) a world-class technological cluster. The paper starts by briefly describing the path dependency of the film industry in the Bay Area, and how the city of San Francisco has started (in the 1980s) to implement a dedicated policy aimed at promoting the development of this industry. In this context, the paper explores the way that the San Francisco Bay Area became an attractive place for filmmakers and the fact that the 1970s marked the beginning of a new regime of film shootings. The paper then describes how, since then, the Bay Area asserted itself as a place for film production, and that has resulted in a multisite and smoothly expanding industrial cluster with a quite dynamic local labor market. Finally, the paper questions the mechanics of the film industry cluster in the Bay Area, its connections with Hollywood, and its impacts on the global influence of San Francisco.

Essential amino acid profiling of the four lac hosts belonging to genus Flemingia: its implications on lac productivity.

The Indian lac insect (Kerria lacca), a hemipteran, phloem sap sucking sedentary insect is an important bioresource which thrives on tender twigs of more than 400 plant species belonging to various genera and families. The most common commercial host plants for lac cultivation are big trees hence cultivation was concentrated mainly to dense forests across the country till last decade. Recently, a new bushy host plant belonging to the genus Flemingia has been introduced so that lac can be cultivated on farmlands like other cash crops. The insect is sedentary and feeds on the phloem sap of the host plants, the only source of its nutrition. Interestingly, the biological attributes of the insect as well as the qualitative and quantitative production of lac is influenced by the host plant on which the insect feeds upon. The present study was thus aimed at deciphering the effect of phloem sap constituents obtained from four plant host taxa belonging to the same genus Flemingia viz. F. semialata, F. macrophylla, F. bracteata and F. chapar (essential amino acids only-EAAs) on lac productivity. Moreover, a newer method for phloem sap collection i.e. Dot-blot in addition to the facilitated exudation using EDTA was also investigated. Dot-blot method for phloem sap collection also came out to be a promising method for field studies; although slightly higher concentration of EAAs were obtained from EDTA method, thus the later was used for further analysis. Phloem sap of four plant host taxa belonging to the same genus Flemingia were qualitatively and quantitatively analysed for seven EAAs (Arginine, Glycine, Leucine, Methionine, Phenylalanine Tyrosine and Valine). Amino acid concentration regime and further analysis done using statistical tools (ANOVA and PCA) points out the EAA concentration in the phloem sap is in congruency with the lac production data obtained through previous studies as F. semialata > F. macrophylla > F. chapar > F. bracteata. The present study thus scientifically points out that F. semialata can be a promising plant for lac cultivation on the basis of higher EAA content as compared to the rest three.

Analysis of land use/land cover changes and their causes using landsat data in hangar watershed, Abay basin, Ethiopia

This study analyzed land use/land cover (LULC) changes and their causes for the last 30 years from 1987 to 2017, covering an area of about 7673.87 km2 in Hangar Watershed, Ethiopia. The LULC maps were produced from three Landsat images of 1987 (Landsat-5 TM), 2001 (Landsat-7 ETM+) and 2017 (Landsat-8 OLI_TIRS) through pixel-based supervised image classification. The results indicated that there were an expansion in cultivated land (by + 24%, + 6%, and + 28%) and built-up area (by + 22%, + 19%, and + 37%) for LULC of corresponding years 1987–2001, 2001–2017 and 1987–2017. Whereas, there was a decrease in the forest (by − 20%, − 15% and − 32%), rangeland (by − 28%, − 13% and − 37%), grassland (by − 65%, − 6% and − 67%) and water body (by − 2%, − 54% and − 55%) for LULC of 1987–2001, 2001–2017 and 1987–2017 correspondingly. The major causes of these changes were identified as population expansion associated with increasing agricultural expansion, big tree clearing for building and wood extraction for fuel. The extraction of wood for fuel and building should be limited and legally managed, awareness of land use/land cover change hazard should be given for the community so that they shift the trends of land use and land cover change towards increasing vegetation covers which in turn can balance sediment yield.

\u201cWe need more big trees as well as the grass roots\u201d: going beyond research capacity building to develop sustainable careers in mental health research in African countries

BackgroundThere are substantial gaps in our knowledge regarding the aetiology of mental, neurological and substance use disorders in sub-Saharan Africa, and the cost-effectiveness and scalability of interventions to reduce the burden of these conditions on the continent. To address these gaps, international investment has focussed on building research capacity, including funding doctoral students in African countries, to support development of high quality, contextually relevant interventions. Absent, however, is an understanding of how capacity building feeds into research careers.MethodsWithin a broader mental health research capacity-building initiative (African Mental Health Research Initiative), we conducted 52 qualitative interviews with early-career researchers, policymakers, academics, and service users from four African countries (Ethiopia, Malawi, South Africa, and Zimbabwe) and with international funders of mental health research. The interview guide focused on the research context, planning, and priorities and how respondents perceive research careers and funding. Thematic analysis was applied to the transcribed interviews.ResultsFive components of a research career emerged: (i) research positions; (ii) research skills; (iii) funding; (iv) research commitment from African countries; and (v) advocacy. All stakeholders wanted more high-impact African researchers, but few saw a clear, replicable track for developing their careers within universities or their Ministries of Health in their African countries. This stemmed, in part, from the lack of support for infrastructure that enables high-quality research: grants administration, mentorship, university leadership, research culture, and open communication between policymakers and researchers.ConclusionsThis study highlights the importance of developing research infrastructure alongside capacity-building efforts. International funders should invest in grant management at African universities which would place them at the centre of research initiatives. African universities should prioritise the creation of a research culture by developing and promoting well-defined research tracks for both clinicians and academics, investing in grant management, and raising the profile of research within their institutions.

The influence of vegetation compositions on Asian giant honey bee (Apis dorsata Fabr.) in Kampar Regency

Five essential types of vegetation in Kampar regency are considered to influence the number of Apis dorsata population, namely natural forests, forest plantations (Acacia and Eucalyptus), oil palm plantations, rubber plantations, and river existence. The objective of the study was to determine the effect of vegetation types on the number of A. dorsata population. This study was conducted from April to November 2016 and covered all districts categorized as the center of wild honey production in Kampar regency. Each sialang tree was observed for the number of A. dorsata. Sialang trees are big giant trees that are usually inhabited by A. dorsata colonies. The number of populations of A. dorsata for each tree was approached by using linear regression equations. By using all types of equations, the influence of different types of vegetation compositions (natural forests, Acacia and Eucalyptus plantations, oil palm plantations, rubber plantations and river existence) on the number of A. dorsata colony could be determined. The results, in respective of the vegetation types, were 28.17%, 21.51%, 14.81%, 21.32% and 14.82%. Moreover, the number of A. dorsata population in each sialang tree reached its maximum population above 60,000 ha in natural forest. Surprisingly, the number of A. dorsata colonies inhabited each sialang tree showed a positive correlation with the increase of the oil palm plantations area.

A Procedure for Assessing UHI Intensity in the Central Business District of Accra

Aim: The study aims at developing a procedure or method for assessing Urban Heat Island (UHI) in the CBD.
 Study Design: Mobile traverse.
 Place and Duration of Study: The Scott Sutherland School, Robert Gordon University, Garthdee road, Aberdeen, between December 2018 and September 2019.
 Methodology: It entails a review of various UHI types and the methods for measuring them, thereby considering method(s) that would be highly suitable. Weather data measurements are taken by mobile traverse, with a sensor mounted at a level of 1.5 m above the ground. Reference data were recorded at a monitoring point outside Accra. In the study, the dynamics of the UHI intensities within the various local climate zones are analysed. Various analytical approaches are explored for further investigation into the trends in the climatic variations and possible impact of the morphological changes in the urban fabric. 
 Results: Recordings at: Anyaa-NIC, Kwashieman, Jubilee House, Supreme Court, Ministries, National Theatre, Advantage Place, Ridge Hospital and Electoral Commission showed negative deviations between −1 and −2°C from the city’s long-term average temperature. It was noticed that at Advantage Place, which is in open high-rise (LCZ4) development area, the presence of big trees showed lower UHI intensity in comparison with the intensities observed at Jubilee House and Novotel which both belong to the same local climate zone (LCZ).
 Conclusion: This study reveals the presence of UHI in Accra and highlights the importance of using the LCZ classification system. It also highlights the high impact of urbanization on the local climate of the city.

Topmost trees and foremost species underlie tropical forest structure, diversity and biomass through opposing mechanisms

Tropical forests play a main role in the global carbon cycle due to their higher exchange capacity of carbon dioxide with the atmosphere than any other forest type on the Earth. In this study, we aimed to explore the relative importance of foremost species and topmost trees in shaping forest structure, diversity and biomass in natural tropical forests. We hypothesized that topmost trees promote but foremost species decline tropical forest structure, diversity and biomass in a changing environment (i.e. the ‘tree overtopping hypothesis’). We formulated three questions to address the proposed hypothesis: (1) Are forest structure, diversity and biomass affected by both foremost species and topmost trees, and what is the magnitude and direction of each relative effect? (2) Are foremost species and topmost trees influenced similarly by multiple environmental factors? (3) How do foremost species and topmost trees mediate the feedbacks of forest structure, diversity and biomass to environmental factors? Using 189 plots data from Sri Lanka, we quantified 16 environmental (9 climate and 7 soil) factors, two indices of the topmost trees (i.e. top 1% large-diameter, and tall-stature) and their combination, four indices of foremost species (i.e. top 1% species' importance value index or each of its three components including either relative basal area, relative frequency or relative density), rarefied species richness, and stand density. We used structural equation modeling to test the proposed hypothesis. Strong positive effects of topmost trees whereas negative to negligible positive effects of foremost species shaped tropical forest structure, diversity and biomass through opposing mechanisms, i.e., the promoting part of big trees and suppressing part of dominant species, respectively. Moreover, forest structure promoted biomass directly and indirectly via forest diversity. Environmental factors (i.e. high climatic water and low soil fertility) increased forest structure, diversity and biomass indirectly via topmost trees but decreased via foremost species. The main novelty or contribution of this study determines that the adverse effects of few foremost (i.e. dominant or abundant) species shaped forest structure, diversity and biomass in tropical forests when simultaneously considered the positive effects of topmost trees. Hence, encouraging topmost trees while managing foremost species might necessarily increase complementarity resource-use within a forest community, leading to positive forest diversity – structure – biomass relationships. We argue that both topmost trees and foremost species might have important influences on forest carbon stock in the context of global climate change.

Effect of Tree Size, Topography and Shoot age on Pest Infestation and Tree Growth of Palas (<i>Butea monosperma</i>)

A bench mark survey was conducted in March, 2017 to generate information about health status of palas trees ( Butea monosperma ), the most important host tree of rangeeni lac insect ( Kerria lacca Kerr.). The principal objective of the study was to identify factors responsible for poor growth of this important tree. Infestation of termite and trunk borer is perennial problem for palas trees. Therefore, information was generated under three different conditions (i) tree size i.e. small and big (mean trunk girth 74.3 cm and 151 cm) (ii) land topography i.e. upland/ lowland and (iii) tree with old/ new shoots i.e. trees having shoots of >2 year or one year old. Land topography was found to have effect on termite infestation. In upland condition, termite galleries covered 50 per cent of the tree length, while the same value was merely 5.8 per cent in case of lowland. Smaller trees were 43 per cent less infested in comparison to big ones. Similarly, upland trees were 2.5 times more infested than lowland. Number of live shoot and additive shoot diameter per prune point were also found to be higher in case of relatively smaller trees. Number of live shoot per prune point was recorded to be 3.6 and 3.1 in small and big sized trees, respectively and additive live shoot diameter was 52.4 and 43.2 mm per prune point on small and big trees. But, in contrast, average number of dead shoots were found higher in big sized trees. Only variation was observed in case of trees with old and new shoots, where 19.2 per cent increase in average diameter was observed in newly emerged shoots i.e. pruned one year back. Better performance of smaller sized trees in terms of growth and pest resistance could be attributed to better rejuvenation power and vitality for being younger in age. Similarly, higher attack of pest in upland soils could be attributed to maintenance of poor health on relatively less fertile uplands.