Ecology and phytosociology of the tropical dry deciduous forests of Kawal Wildlife Sanctuary, Telangana, India

Main Article Content

E. Narasimha Murthy

Abstract

The paper describes the species composition, abundance, density and community structure of the tropical dry deciduous forests of Kawal Wildlife Sanctuary.  Phytosociological analysis was based on the data generated from the 81 sample plots laid at random covering the entire sanctuary area. A total of 177 Angiosperms of species were enumerated from the sampled quadrats.  The species present as per preponderance are herbs 71, trees 55, climbers 33, and shrubs 18.  The species diversity indices indicate the following facts: Shannon-Weiner index as 4.15, Simpson index value as 0.91, Margalef’s species richness index as 5.20, density of trees above 10 cm GBH class as 470 individuals per hectare.  The total basal area of the tree species was 17.7m² ha-1.  These statistics along with the composition of the forest, and information on the diversity of the communities as a whole provided a better insight into the state of the forests in the Kawal Wildlife Sanctuary. 

 

Article Details

Section
Communications
Author Biography

E. Narasimha Murthy, Department of Botany, Satavahana University, Karimnagar, Telangana 505001, India

E. Narasimha Murthy is working in Department of Botany, Satavahana University, Telangana. He is the recipient of senior research fellowship (CSIR-New Delhi), UGC- Dr. Kothari Post Doctoral Fellowship and APCOST Young Scientist Fellowship, working on Angiosperm taxonomy, forest ecology, ethno-botany and conservation biology.

 

References

Bahuguna, V.K. (1999). Forest fire prevention and control strategies in India. International Forest Fire News 20: 5–9.

Champion, H.G. & S.K. Seth (1968). A Revised Survey of the Forest Types of India. Government of India Publications, New Delhi.

Cottam, G. & J.T. Curtis (1956).The use of distance measurement in phytosociological sampling. Ecology 37: 451–460.

Curtis, J.T. (1959). The Vegetation of Wisconsin. An Ordination of Plant Communities. University Wisconsin Press, Madison, USA.

Denslow, S.J. (2007). Managing dominance of invasive plants in wild lands. Current Science 93: 1579–1586.

Gentry, A.H. (1989). In Tropical Forests, Botanical Dynamics, Speciation and Diversity. Academic Press, London.

Gentry, A.H. (1990). Floristic similarities and differences between southern central America and upper and central Amazonia, pp. 141–157. In: Gentry, A.H. (ed.). Four Neotropical Rainforests.

Yale University Press, Connecticut.

Gopalkrishna, P. (2000). Application of Geoinformatics in Vegetation-Ecosystem Analysis in part of Godavari Valley, Warangal, Andhra Pradesh. PhD Thesis, Kakatiya University, Warangal.

Janzen, D.H. (1988). Tropical dry forests: The most endangered major tropical ecosystem, pp. 13–137. In: Wilson, E.O. (ed.). Biodiversity. National Academy Press. Washington DC.

Krishnaiah, P., V. Venkatramaiah & G. Sudarshanam (2002). Effect of fire controls measures on improvement of vegetation of Tirumala Hills and surroundings. Proceedings of the National Seminar on Conservation of Eastern Ghats. 24–26 March, EPTRI, Hyderabad.

Laurance, W.F. (2007). Forest destruction in Tropical Asia. Current. Science 93: 1544–1550.

Margalef, R. (1958). Information theory in ecology. General Systematics 3: 36–71.

Martin, M.E. & J.D. Aber (1997). High spectral resolution remote sensing of forest canopy lignin, nitrogen and ecosystem processes. Ecological Applications 7: 431–443.

Misra, R. (1968). Ecology Workbook. Oxford and IBH. Publishing Co, New Delhi.

Murphy, P.G. & A.E. Lugo (1986). Ecology of tropical dry forests. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics 17:67-88.

Murthy, E.N., A. Ragan, G. Ravinder & V.S. Raju (2008). Kawal Sanctuary needs the status of Tiger Reserve. Current Science 94: 430.

Murthy, E.N., C.S. Reddy & V.S. Raju (2009). Assessment of impact of Hyptis suaveolens in the Protected Areas of Southern India. Book of Abstracts. World Conference on Biological Invasions and Ecosystem Functioning. Porto, Portugal, 27–30 October, 2009, 134pp.

Murthy, E.N., C.S. Reddy, M. Ravinder & V.S. Raju (2010). Exotic weeds in Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve. Current Science 99: 863–864.

Murthy, E.N. (2010). Phytosociology, Phytodiversity and Biological Integrity of Kawal, Pranahita and Siwaram Wildlife Sanctuaries in Adilabad District of Andhra Pradesh, India. PhD Thesis, Kakatiya University, Warangal.

Oosting, (1956). The Study of Plant Communities. W.H. Freman & Co, California.

Parthasarathy, P. (2001). Changes in forest composition and structure in three sites of tropical evergreen forest around Sengaltheri, Western Ghats. Current Science 80: 389–393.

Pascal, J.P. & R. Pelissier (1996). Structure and floristic composition of a tropical evergreen forest in southwest India. Journal of Tropical Ecology 12: 191–214.

Phillips, E.A. (1959). Methods of Vegetation Study. Henri Holt Co Inc, New York.

Raunkiaer, C. (1934). The Life Forms of Plants and Statistical Geography. Clarendron Press, Oxford.

Reddy C.S., B. Shilpa, A. Giriraj, K.N. Reddy & K.T. Rao (2008). Structure and floristic composing of tree diversity in tropical dry deciduous forests of Eastern Ghats, Southern Andhra Pradesh, India. Asian Journal of Science and Research 1: 57–64.

Reddy, C.S., G. Bhagyanarayana, K.N. Reddy & V.S. Raju (2008).Invasive Alien Flora of India. National Biological Information Infrastructure, USGS, USA.

Reddy, C.S. (2009). Biological invasions - a global terror. Current Science 90: 1235.

Shannon, C.E. & W. Weiner (1963). The Mathematical Theory of Communication. University of Illinois Press, Urbana, USA

Simpson, E. H. (1949). Measurement of diversity. Nature 163: 688.

World Conservation Monitoring Centre (WCC) (1992). Global Biodiversity: Status of the Earths Living Resources. Chapman and Hall, London.