Assessment of woody plant species composition in secondary deciduous forests of Odisha, India

Abstract

Plant species composition according to their functional types, distribution pattern are crucial for biodiversity conservation in tropical deciduous forest. The study assessed the woody plant species diversity, stand structure and population density in the secondary deciduous forest of Chandaka wildlife sanctuary, Odisha, India. A total of 70 species belonging to 63 genera and families were documented in this study.The stem density was found to be 1080 stems/ha with reverse J-shaped population structure indicating good regeneration potential of the forests. Shannon diversity Index varied from 0 to 2.31 whereas Simpson's index varied from 0 to 0.85. The correlation study between Importance Value Index and basal area were significant (p=40.63). The present study would be helpful for conservation and management of biodiversity in secondary dry deciduous forests of Chandaka Wildlife Sanctury in particular and tropical dry forests in general.

Keywords

• Plant functional type
• Species diversity
• Importance Value Index
• Population Density
• Diversity indices
• Secondary forest