Tropical Wet Evergreen Forests Research Articles

Quantifying habitat and biodiversity services and hotspots of Indian forests: A GIS-Based assessment

The present study attempted to quantify and value of supporting services of India's forest ecosystem. The supporting services comprises by habitat and biodiversity services across India's sixteen forest types was estimated using data for various factors through Remote Sensing and secondary sources as per the proposed model. Indicators were combined using an Analytical Hierarchical Process, and various class of each service was also estimated using the equal interval method in QGIS. Hotspot analysis was used to identify key areas for forest conservation. The results suggest that littoral and swamp forest had maximum habitat services and tropical semi-evergreen forest had maximum biodiversity service and tropical wet evergreen forest had maximum supporting services. Out of total forest of country, 11.52%, 17.48% and 10.34% forest area was having high value for habitat, biodiversity and supporting service, respectively. Hotspot analysis revealed that 22.93%, 23.61% and 26.44% Indian forest had high habitat, biodiversity and supporting service, respectively. The annual per hectare economic value using Benefit Transfer method for habitat, biodiversity and supporting services of forests was US$ 4330.71, US$ 5987.38 and US$ 10,624.23, respectively. The annual economic value of habitat, biodiversity and supporting services from Indian forests was US$ 303,506.09 million, US$ 419,609.45 million and US$ 744,570.85 million, respectively. In totality, tropical dry deciduous forest, tropical moist deciduous and tropical semi-deciduous forest had high economic value for supporting service. Monetary valuation of forest ecosystem services assists to determine the net present value and costs for conservation interventions. Biodiversity hotspots as the Western Ghats, Indo-Burma region, and Eastern Himalayas offer high ecosystem service and thus attach prime importance for conservation, while the Western Himalayas, with lower ecosystem service, requires customized ecosystem management strategies.

Linkages among forests, food security and livelihoods: A comparative analysis of tropical dry forests and tropical wet evergreen forests in Sri Lanka

Forests are increasingly recognised as an important contributor to food security and nutrition, especially for the poorest people, in various ways. Their roles and impacts including the degree of access to forest-based nutrition to the poorer segments however vary depending on the specific geographic and socio-political contexts and forest types. This study examines the nature of forest dependence for food security and nutrition in two dominant forest types in Sri Lanka, namely dry humid forest and wet evergreen forests. Proportionate to the forest cover area in either forest system, this study enumerated 500 households in the dry forest ecology and 190 households in the wet evergreen forest ecology. The findings provide a first quantitative benchmarking of the nature of forest food collection and modelling of the socio-demographic factors determining the forest food collection in the Sri Lankan context. The results show that food produce collection in terms of quantity and value are significantly higher in the wet evergreen forest system and the factors driving the dependence on forests are tied to agricultural involvement of the households. Other factors such as economic status, education, accessibility of the forest emerge statistically insignificant. On the other hand, in dry humid forests, economic status and access to forest become significant factors. Evidence confirms the location specific nature of forest food connection and make the case for context-relevant interventions to foster forest-food interface.

Macrofungi diversity in a tropical wet evergreen forest of Eastern Himalayan foothills: A case study of Dihing Patkai National Park, Assam, India

Dihing Patkai National Park (DPNP) is situated in the Tinsukia and Dibrugarh districts of Assam, India. The forest type of the park is Assam Valley Tropical Wet Evergreen Forest (category 1B/C1). In order to explore the fungal diversity, different randomly selected belt transects of size 0.1 ha were laid in the park. Overall, 159 species of macrofungi representing 81 genera, 43 families, 14 orders, 5 classes, and 2 phyla under the kingdom fungi have been recorded from the Park. Maximum species were found in the family Polyporaceae (34 spp.) followed by Mycenaceae (14 spp.), Omphalotaceae (11 spp.), Marasmiaceae (14 spp.), Russulaceae (10 spp.), Tricholomataceae, Hymenochaetaceae, Amanitaceae, Agaricaceae, Xylariaceae (5 spp. each) and so on. The values of the Shannon-Wiener Diversity Index, Simpson diversity index, and Brillouin’s index were found to be 3.54, 0.94, and 3.49 respectively, which means the level of diversity of macrofungi was in the higher category. The evenness index was found to be 0.22 or only 22% of species were common or shared among plots within the DPNP. The four diversity indices proved that the DPNP has high species diversity and a healthy forest ecosystem. Maximum species of macrofungi (22%) were found associated with Dipterocarpus retusus followed by Castanopsis indica (13%), Shorea assamica (11%), Vatica lanceaefolia (9%), Mesua ferrea (8%), and the rest of macrofungal species associated with the plant species ranged from 5% to 1%. The present study is an attempt to document the fungal diversity in the tropical wet evergreen forest of the Eastern Himalayan foothills that will be helpful to the scientific community for further study.

Threats to Amphibians in Tropical Wet Evergreen Forests of Assam, India

A wide variety of amphibian species may be found in Assam's tropical wet evergreen woods, which can be found in the districts of Golaghat, Jorhat, Sibsagar, Tinsukia, and Dibrugarh as well as a little stretch in Lakhimpur and Dhemaji along foothills. These forests are crucial homes for amphibians, but many anthropogenic factors are putting them at greater risk. The main challenges facing frogs in the tropical wet evergreen forests of Assam are thoroughly reviewed in this paper, with an emphasis on how urgent it is to address these issues for the preservation of amphibian populations and the integrity of their ecosystems. In recent decades, there have been sharp population decreases and even extinctions of tropical amphibian species. Habitat loss, invasive species, pollution, infectious diseases, and climate change are some of the threats facing tropical amphibians. Lack of finance, a lack of political and social will, and a lack of knowledge about the precise risks that various amphibian species face are all obstacles to the successful conservation of the remaining amphibian populations. We can anticipate that too many amphibian species will become extinct in the upcoming decades if these issues aren't fixed, which would have an irreversible impact on the ecosystems of the planet.

Impact of growth hormones on vegetative propagation of Elaeocarpus ganitrus Roxb.

Elaeocarpus ganitrus Roxb. commonly identified as ‘rudraksha’, belonging to Elaeocarpaceae possess a great religious, spiritual and materialistic significance which is placed under the threatened category in the tropical wet evergreen forests of North East India. Because of its over-exploitation, poor germination, low viability rate and hard seed coat, an attempt has been done for mass production of planting materials through cuttings and air layering’s. Cuttings trials were conducted during three different periods, mid - March, mid – July and mid – November by using Indol butyric acid and Napthalene acetic acid of 1000, 2000, 4000, 6000 ppm where air layering’s were done during mid - May by treating IBA and NAA solution of 500, 1000 and 2000 ppm in combination with para-hydroxybenzoic acid of 2000 ppm as synergist. Application of IBA and NAA of different concentration did not encourage the growth in the cuttings in all three periods. Air layering’s treated with NAA 1000 ppm+2000ppm para- hydroxy benzoic acid and IBA 500 ppm +2000ppm para- hydroxy benzoic acid resulted the highest and same value of callusing and rooting percent (70 and 66.67%), respectively while minimum callusing and rooting percentage (56.67 and 51.67%) was recorded in control. The present study focused on the mass production of planting materials in shorter duration with a reasonable cost for enhancing production as well as socio-economic conditions.

Orchid diversity of Tropical Wet Evergreen forests in Digboi Forest Division, Assam, India

The present study was conducted to investigate the orchid flora in 15 reserve/proposed reserve forests under Digboi Forest Division of Assam to assess their habitat ecology for occurrence reorganization. Presently 111 numbers of orchid species were recorded, of which 92 species were epiphytic while merely 19 species were found with terrestrial habit. Terrestrial orchids have shown much localized occurrence, maximum number occurring in Upper Dihing RF, which is part of rain forest Dihing Patkai National Park. Host range of epiphytic orchids revealed 27 species, Lagerstroemia speciosa sheltered highest number of orchids followed by Dipterocarpus retusus, Tectona grandis and Bischofia javanica. In view of the documented species 24.45% of the total species were Rare, 3.64% vulnerable, 3.64% near threatened, 6.36% endangered and 2.73% critically endangered making the area a significant orchid habitat. Forest destruction, drastic depletion of forest areas and illegal mining activity have detrimental effects on the population of orchids.

Evaluation of ecosystem carbon storage in major forest types of Eastern Himalaya: Implications for carbon sink management

Forest's ecosystem is changing at an alarming rate and anthropogenic alteration of forests to other land use is a major driver of carbon (C) emission and biodiversity loss. We estimated ecosystem-level C stock and factors affecting C stock in six major forest types; tropical wet evergreen forest, montane subtropical forest, temperate forest, bamboo forest, quercus forest, and jhum land of the eastern Himalayan region (India). We determined ecosystem structure, biodiversity, and plant and soil C stock by laying random plots in each forest site. The average C stock was estimated in the range of 79.0–373.4 Mg C ha−1 and found significantly different among the forest types. Partitioning ecosystem C stocks in plant (24–55%), soils (43–75%), deadwood (1–4.8%) and litter (0.20–1.25%) components varied largely. Pearson correlation analysis shows a significant positive relation of basal area with species diversity, tree density, and ecosystem C stock. Linear mixed-effect model demonstrates the high influence of species density and soil moisture content on the ecosystem C stock. We recommend the inclusion of forest structural attributes and pedological characteristics while predicting synergies between C stock and future climatic conditions. Additionally, conversion of natural forests to jhum land should be minimized because they stored lesser ecosystem C stocks thus plays a minimum role in C accumulation and cycling. The study provides estimates of C stocks in major forests that can be useful in suggesting a path forward to partially fulfill India's commitments to REDD + policy.

Export fluxes of dissolved inorganic carbon to the northern Indian Ocean from the Indian monsoonal rivers

Abstract. Rivers are an important source of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) to the adjacent coastal waters. In order to examine the spatial variability in the distribution and major sources of DIC in the Indian monsoonal rivers and to quantify their export flux to the northern Indian Ocean, 27 major and medium-sized rivers were sampled during the discharge period. Significant spatial variability in concentrations of DIC (3.4–73.6 mg L−1) was observed, and it is attributed to spatial variations in the precipitation pattern, the size of rivers, pollution and lithology of the catchments. The stable isotopic composition of DIC (δ13CDIC) also showed strong spatial variability (−13.0 ‰ to −1.4 ‰) in the Indian monsoonal rivers with relatively depleted δ13CDIC values in rivers of the northwest of India (-11.1±2.3 ‰) and enriched values in the southeast of India (-3.5±2.3 ‰). Results of the linear least-squares regression models of Keeling and Miller–Tan's plots indicated that the chemical weathering of carbonate and silicate minerals by soil CO2 is the major source of DIC in the Indian monsoonal rivers. Spatial variability in the deviation of δ13CDIC from the approximated δ13C of the source may probably be due to dominant autotrophic production in rivers of the southeastern region, whereas heterotrophic decomposition of organic matter largely influences the other Indian monsoonal rivers. It is estimated that the Indian monsoonal rivers annually export ∼10.3 Tg of DIC to the northern Indian Ocean, of which the major fraction (75 %) enters into the Bay of Bengal, and the remaining fraction reaches to the Arabian Sea. This is consistent with the freshwater flux, which is 3 times higher for the Bay of Bengal (∼378 km3 yr−1) than for the Arabian Sea (122 km3 yr−1). Despite discharge from the Indian monsoonal rivers accounting for only 1.3 % of the global freshwater discharge, they disproportionately export 2.5 % of the total DIC exported by the world's major rivers. Despite rivers from the region in the southwest (SW) of India exporting DIC that is an order of magnitude lower (0.3 Tg yr−1) than the rivers from other regions of India, the highest yield of DIC was found in the rivers of the SW region of India. It is attributed to intense precipitation (∼3000 mm), favorable natural vegetation of tropical moist deciduous and tropical wet evergreen and semi-evergreen forests, tropical wet climate, high soil organic carbon, and the dominance of red loamy soils in catchments of the rivers of the SW region.

SELECTIVE LOGGING INTENSITY ALTERS THE POPULATION STAND STRUCTURE OF CULLENIA-MESUA-PALAQUIUM DOMINATED TROPICAL WET EVERGREEN FOREST OF THE WESTERN GHATS, SOUTH INDIA

The present study was conducted in a population structure of selectively logged tropical wet evergreen forest, Cullenia-Mesua-Palaquium (CMP) forest series in the tropical wet evergreen forests of the Nelliampathy Hills, Western Ghats. The study was aimed to focus on how selectively logged treatment influences the density and basal area of CMP forest series stand structure. We sampled the number of individual trees (≥ 1 cm dbh, diameter at breast height) of CMP at 30 sites (20 × 50 m quadrat size), covering an area of 30.8 hectare (ha) in total. A total of 5936 tree individuals sampled had a mean density of 246 ha-1 and basal area of 20.73 metre square (m2) ha-1 from an area of 0.1 to 2.5 ha. Tree density per hectare and basal area differed significantly among plots with different logging treatments. Tree density and basal area were significantly lower in highly logged plots as compared to moderately logged and unlogged plots. The density of smaller trees was significantly higher in moderately logged plots. We suggest that heavy logging treatments might be a serious threat to the CMP forest series and may possibly alter its population structure and that the moderately logged treatments showed positive impacts on CMP stand structure and regeneration.

Comparative Study on Tree Diversity and Population Structure in Two Forest Types of Nagaland, India

A study was carried out to investigate the population structure and tree species diversity in two different forest types of Nagaland. A total of 40 and 48 quadrats were plotted randomly in subtropical semi evergreen (SSE) and tropical wet evergreen (TWE) forest, respectively; and trees having > 10 cm girth at breast height were measured. Maximum 38 tree species belonging to 25 families in SEE and 30 species belonging to 24 families were recorded in TWE forest. Both the forest types were dominated by the tree species belonging to the Meliaceae family. A total of 613 individuals/ha with 1728.23 m2 basal area were recorded in TWE forest as compared to the 512 individuals/ha with 2363.88 m2 basal area in SSE forest. Shannon and Simpson diversity indices varied from 3.27–2.69 and 0.05–0.10, respectively. Moreover, 30–60 cm girth class showed higher number of individuals followed by 60–90 cm class. Tectona grandis, Gmelina arborea and Duabanga grandiflora were the dominant species in SSE, while TWE was dominated by Gmelina arborea and Grevillea robusta. The present study provides baseline data on population structure and diversity of trees in two forest types of Nagaland.

Composition, diversity and distribution of woody species in relation to vertical stratification of a tropical wet evergreen forest in Bangladesh

The composition, diversity and spatial distribution pattern of woody species were analyzed along the vertical profile of a tropical wet evergreen forest in Bangladesh. The forest stand consisted of five vertical strata. The species composition was moderately similar among the strata, while the highest degree of similarity was between fourth and bottom strata. Bursera serrata Wall. ex Colebr. was the most dominant species, and may be typically climax species together with Microcos paniculata L. ex W & A. and Maesa ramentaca (Roxb). A. DC in terms of their high importance values. Species–area relationships depict compositional instability of the present forest, because expected maximum numbers of species (165) were four times higher than the recorded numbers of species (40) for the total stand. Smaller species richness in the upper strata was compensated by greater species evenness (Pielou’s index J′ ), resulting in almost constant Shannon’s index H′ across the strata. It indicates each stratum may have the same role in maintaining high woody species diversity. The rate of equality of individuals among the different species decreased with increasing species richness due to decrease of J′ from the top stratum downward. The distribution pattern of the entire stand was greatly influenced by the aggregated distribution of the majority of the juveniles those mainly appeared in the bottom stratum. However, vertical strata shared a mixed distribution pattern of random and aggregate which followed from the upper strata to downward. This type of distribution pattern for stratified stand is probably consistent in tropical forests.

Nationwide classification of forest types of India using remote sensing and GIS.

India, a mega-diverse country, possesses a wide range of climate and vegetation types along with a varied topography. The present study has classified forest types of India based on multi-season IRS Resourcesat-2 Advanced Wide Field Sensor (AWiFS) data. The study has characterized 29 land use/land cover classes including 14 forest types and seven scrub types. Hybrid classification approach has been used for the classification of forest types. The classification of vegetation has been carried out based on the ecological rule bases followed by Champion and Seth's (1968) scheme of forest types in India. The present classification scheme has been compared with the available global and national level land cover products. The natural vegetation cover was estimated to be 29.36% of total geographical area of India. The predominant forest types of India are tropical dry deciduous and tropical moist deciduous. Of the total forest cover, tropical dry deciduous forests occupy an area of 2,17,713 km(2) (34.80%) followed by 2,07,649 km(2) (33.19%) under tropical moist deciduous forests, 48,295 km(2) (7.72%) under tropical semi-evergreen forests and 47,192 km(2) (7.54%) under tropical wet evergreen forests. The study has brought out a comprehensive vegetation cover and forest type maps based on inputs critical in defining the various categories of vegetation and forest types. This spatially explicit database will be highly useful for the studies related to changes in various forest types, carbon stocks, climate-vegetation modeling and biogeochemical cycles.

Habitat Characteristics and Their Effects on the Density of Groups of Western Hoolock Gibbon (Hoolock hoolock) in Namdapha National Park, Arunachal Pradesh, India

Understanding the relationship between a species and its habitat is crucial for conservation action planning. The Endangered western hoolock gibbon (Hoolock hoolock) has a fragmented distribution in northeast India, Bangladesh and parts of western Myanmar. Namdapha National Park in Arunachal Pradesh contains the largest population of western hoolock gibbons in India. We carried out an auditory sampling survey and habitat analysis of western hoolock gibbons in the park from September to December 2012 in three potentially suitable forest types: tropical broad-leaved forest, tropical wet evergreen forest, and wet temperate forest. A new method of analysis of singing frequency revealed that only 21–23% of groups sing per day. Group detectability declined sharply beyond a listening radius of 600 m. Auditory sampling across 15 listening areas revealed an estimated mean density of 3.65 groups km−2. We found no significant differences in density among forest types. The habitat study revealed a total of 122 species of trees (girth at breast height ≥30 cm) in the three forest types, representing 73 genera in 41 families, with the highest number of tree species in wet evergreen forest (93) followed by tropical broad-leaved forest (52) and wet temperate forest (40). None of the vegetation traits we measured (mean canopy cover, girth, density, and total basal area of all trees) and no habitat disturbance factors correlated significantly with gibbon density. This lack of correlation may have been due to the prevailing anthropogenic effects that adversely affected gibbons and their habitat, such as forest degradation, road widening, and hunting, overriding the relatively smaller natural variation in vegetation. This study adds to our knowledge of the habitat requirements of hoolock gibbons and indicates that Namdapha National Park is more important to conservation of the western hoolock than previously thought.

Ground flora in Assam Valley Tropical Wet Evergreen Forest

The present investigations were carried out in Jeypore Reserve Forests in Assam valley tropical wet evergreen forests. Phytosociological analysis was carried out as per standard methodology. Total 28 family, 47 genus and 53 species were observed. The poaceae was most dominant family. The Shannon – Winner index (H) for herbs ranges from 1.59 to 3.16. The present study will provide the baseline information for biodiversity conservation of tropical wet evergreen forests.

Community ecology and spatial distribution of trees in a tropical wet evergreen forest in Kaptai national park in Chittagong Hill Tracts, Bangladesh

We investigated the floristic composition, woody species diversity and spatial distribution of trees in a tropical wet evergreen forest in Kaptai national park in Chittagong Hill Tracks, Bangladesh. We recorded 25 families, 37 genera, 40 species and 1771 woody individuals in a 0.09 ha plot. Euphorbiaceae and Moraceae were the most speciesrich families, and Castanopsis, Ficus and Terminalia were the most species-rich genera. Bursera serrata Wall. ex Colebr. was the dominant species in terms of highest importance value (13%). Trema orientalis (L.) Bl was typically a light demanding species as it appeared in the top canopy with only one individual having the seventh highest IV, but had no regeneration. The expected maximum number of species (Smax) was 140, indicating that many species may invade the forest as the Smax is greater than the recorded total number of species. The nature of the disappearance and appearance of species in the present forest reflects instability of floristic composition. The values of Shannon’s index H′ and Pielou’s index J′ (evenness) were 3.36 bit and 0.63, respectively. These values show moderately high species diversity as compared to other subtropical forests in the tropics. In addition, a sample area of 200 m2 in this forest would be sufficient for measuring the diversity indices H′ and J′, whereas the trend of J′ may indicate the rate of equality of individuals among the different species decreased with increasing area. The distribution pattern for the total stand was completely random. However, the dominant species showed aggregate distribution for small areas, but random distribution for large areas. The spatial association between species showed that the strongest positive interspecific association occurred between Streblus asper Lour. and Castanea indica Roxb. (ω = 0.51). As a whole, most species were weakly associated with each other, of which 58% species associations were completely negative. The result of cluster analysis showed that species pairs were spatially independent at all or most small clusters; stands of species from all clusters are mosaics of complete habitat and pioneer habitat. All patches in this forest community have similar habitat and regeneration niches, which could be a phenomenon for a young growth forest. Thus, the existence of habitat and regeneration niches may be an important factor in the maintenance of diversity in this forest.

Comparative assessment of floristic structure, diversity and regeneration status of tropical rain forests of Western Ghats of Karnataka, India

Tropical forests are one of the richest landscapes in terms of its richness, diversity and endemicity. The present study was carried out in the Central Western Ghats: one of the hottest hotspot of biodiversity. The aim of the study was to compare floristic diversity in tropical wet evergreen forest between northern and southern parts of Western Ghats of Karnataka. Kodagu district in southern part and Uttara Kannada district in northern part was chosen to assess the same, as these two districts cover highest forest cover in the Western Ghats of Karnataka. In each district all the evergreen forests were sampled with 1000 m X 5 belt transacts. Totally 22 such samplings were done both southern and northern part of Western Ghats. In each of these transacts all the trees measuring e” 30 gbh were enumerated and botanically identified to the species level and the same was used for computation of diversity indices. The richness and diversity was comparatively higher in southern part compared to northern part of Western Ghats, where as the richness of threatened tree species was comparatively higher in northern part of Western Ghats. In addition to the species richness and diversity, the paper also deals with the dominant tree species and families in both the region.

Symphysodontella madhusoodananii (Pterobryaceae, Moss) a new species from the Western Ghats of India

Symphysodontella madhusoodananii Manju & Rajesh, sp. nov. an epiphytic pendant moss, with flagellate branches and long acuminate leaves with two short costa is described and illustrated from the tropical wet evergreen forests of the Western Ghats of India.

Does acoustic adaptation drive vertical stratification? A test in a tropical cricket assemblage

In species-rich assemblages, differential utilization of vertical space can be driven by resource availability. For animals that communicate acoustically over long distances under habitat-induced constraints, access to an effective transmission channel is a valuable resource. The acoustic adaptation hypothesis suggests that habitat acoustics imposes a selective pressure that drives the evolution of both signal structure and choice of calling sites by signalers. This predicts that species-specific signals transmit best in native habitats. In this study, we have tested the hypothesis that vertical stratification of calling heights of acoustically communicating species is driven by acoustic adaptation. This was tested in an assemblage of 12 coexisting species of crickets and katydids in a tropical wet evergreen forest. We carried out transmission experiments using natural calls at different heights from the forest floor to the canopy. We measured signal degradation using 3 different measures: total attenuation, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and envelope distortion. Different sets of species supported the hypothesis depending on which attribute of signal degradation was examined. The hypothesis was upheld by 5 species for attenuation and by 3 species each for SNR and envelope distortion. Only 1 species of 12 provided support for the hypothesis by all 3 measures of signal degradation. The results thus provided no overall support for acoustic adaptation as a driver of vertical stratification of coexisting cricket and katydid species.

Vegetation dynamics of an old-growth lowland tropical rainforest in North-east India: Species composition and stand heterogeneity

The North East India forms an important hotspot of biodiversity by virtue of its unique biogeographical situation and healthier growing conditions. The region has an area of 13302.80 km2 under the protected area network (PAN), which is not yet systematically inventorised. In this paper, we investigated Namdapha National Park that comprises 14% of the total PAN of the region and forms the largest remnants of the tropical dipterocarp forest. We examined land use pattern of Namdapha National Park and studied the vegetation dynamics of lowland tropical rainforest communities in the buffer zone area. The study revealed a total of eight cover classes and four vegetation categories with three forest types, namely, Stand I: Altingia-mixed species, Stand II: Shorea-Dipterocarp (both are tropical wet evergreen forests), and Stand III: Albizia (riverine tropical semi-evergreen forest) types. These three stands were systematically studied for general physiognomy, vegetation stratification, species area curve, plant structure and stand heterogeneity (species richness, diversity and dominance), tree girth class structure, and dominance-diversity relationship. These three stands collectively comprised 198 species (including 135 tree species), thus exhibited 34% of total floral and 50% of total tree diversity of the Namdapha National park, which is significant. The tropical wet evergreen forests showed five distinct vegetation strata. The species area curve depicted 123 and 19 tree species ha-1 in tropical wet evergreen and riverine semi-evergreen forests, respectively. Higher frequencies of lauraceae, diperocarpaceae, Euphorbiaces, Fagaceae, Leguminosae, Meliaceae and Magnoliaceae species clearly show that the forest had all attributes of tropical rainforests. The Stands I, II and III showed densities of 418, 390, and 245 trees ha-1, and total basal area of 45.47, 49.68 and 18.33 m2 ha-1, respectively, which is well comparable with other similar forests. Species dominance and rarity analysis revealed that 63, 35, and 45% of the species were rare at local level in Stands I, II and III respectively, however such species contributed highly to forest stand diversity. The species number and density declined with increasing tree-girth sizes that denotes an evolving population with old growth trees. Comparisons of the floristic data with other similar stands have been discussed. Key words: Rainforest, tropical evergreen and semi-evergreen forest, protected area network, tree diversity, species area curve, dominance-diversity curve, forest management.

Chiloscyphus chinnarensis(Lophocoleaceae: Marchantiophyta): A new species from the Western Ghats of India

Chiloscyphus chinnarensis sp. nova, an autoicous, epiphytic leafy liverwort, with prostrate thin leafy shoot, closely imbricate, bluntly bilobed leaves in some branches, deeply 2-lobed underleaves which varies in size and cell arrangements, both margin usually with one additional tooth below, and having non-ciliate bracts in female inflorescence is described from the tropical wet evergreen forests of the Western Ghats of India.