Botany / Tropical tree diversity

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This paper provides the diversity assessment of the tree species in Sitio Dica-salarin, Barangay Zabali, Baler, Aurora including the endemism and ecological status. A total of 2239 individuals from 139 morphospecies, 87 genera and 46 families were recorded. A total of 48 Philippine endemic species and 2 Aurora Endemic species were found and at least 29 threatened species were listed either in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species and Philippine List of Threatened Species. Results of the tree diversity showed that the area is highly diverse being a well-protected and well-managed area.

In present study, distance independent and indirect indices for identification and assessment of competition and facilitation between species of the Indian temperate forest ecosystem have been developed. We found broken stick rank/abundance model. Humpback relationship was obtained between Importance Value Index and Total Biomass Cover. Based on present approaches, Abies spectibilis, Myrica esculanta, Pyrus pashia and Aesculus indica were identified as potential competitive species. Higher competition index value was recorded between A. spectibilis-M. esculanta followed by Quercus glauca-M. esculanta, while minimum was recorded for Rhododendron arboreum-A. indica. Community Competition Value (CCV) was 1.96, while, Facilitation Index Values ranged from 0.07-0.9. Study provides list of species for enhancing success of habitat restoration and afforestration programmes. Thus, our new approaches have the potential to evaluate interactive mechanisms specifically inhabiting at hilly terrain where position of relative angular placement of different species, height or other parameters are difficult to estimate.

Uttar Pradesh, one of the most populated states of India along international border of Nepal, contributes only about 3% of total forest & tree cover of the country as the major parts of the area is covered by agriculture lands and human populations. The forests are quite fragmented and facing severe anthropogenic pressure in many parts. To protect the existing biodiversity, several forest covers have been declared as National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries. In the present study, Katerniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary (KWS) has been selected to assess tree diversity, their phenology and economic values as the trees are the major constituent of any forest and more fascinating among all plant groups. The sanctuary consists of tropical moist deciduous type of vegetation and situated along the Indo-Nepal boarder in Bahraich district of Uttar Pradesh, India. After, thorough assessment of the area, a list of 141 tree species belonging to 101 genera and 38 families have been prepared. The family Fabaceae exhibits highest generic and species diversity with 14 genera and 23 species. The genus Ficus of Moraceae has been found the largest with 11 species. Maximum trees with about 51 species have been found to flower in post winter season (February to March) in the forest. About 62 trees are used as medicinal for various purposes, 50 as ornamental & avenue trees, 37 as timber wood, 36 as edible, 16 as fire wood and 12 as fodder. Since the sanctuary area has been surrounded by several villages and facing anthropogenic pressure, the public awareness program related with biodiversity conservation and sustainable uses is highly needed to protect the forest covers.

The study highlights the association pattern of tree species in Katerniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary (KWS) a tropical moist deciduous forest of Terai region of Uttar Pradesh, India. In the present study the ecological exploration has been done to dig out the current statuse of the forest types in the sanctuary area. The cluster and PCA analyses grouped the forests of KWS into three major forest types: sal forest, miscellaneous forest and teak plantation. The different forest type exhibit differences in tree dominance and diversity: sal forest is dominated by Shorea robusta, miscellaneous forest by Mallotus philippensis and teak plantation by Tectona grandis. The tree species richness has been found 48.07 species ha-1 in teak plantation, 52.63 in miscellaneous forest and 55.35 in sal forest. The tree density has been found 769.23 stem ha-1 in teak plantation, 742.86 in sal forest and 671.05 in miscellaneous forest. The basal cover was observed 1260.75 m2 h-1 in miscellaneous forest, 3533.61 in sal forest and 4933.97 in teak plantation. The diversity indexes (Shannon & Fisher-alpha) have been found maximum (2.666 & 12.390) in miscellaneous forest, moderate (2.152 & 8.677) in sal forest and low (1.134 & 6.482) in teak plantation. The species heterogeneity has been found maximum (0.862) in miscellaneous forest, moderate (0.785) in sal forest and minimum (0.399) in teak plantation. The tree species richness and the basal area have also been found more in comparison with the previous reports from the area.

Rachmat HH, Susilowati A, Elfiati D, Hartini KS, Faradillah WN. 2017. Short Communication: Strong genetic differentiation of the endemic rosin-producing tree Styrax sumatrana (Styracaceae) in North Sumatra, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 18: 1331-1335. Styrax sumatrana is an economically important rosin-producing tree endemic to North Sumatra, Indonesia. Distribution of this species is very limited, and the high rate of forest degradation in Sumatra is increasing the necessity for conservation. To quantify genetic variation and population structuring, we collected individuals from 3 populations namely Pakpak Bharat, Humbang Hasundutan (Humbahas) and Tapanuli Utara in which each of the population was represented by 10 individuals. However, the successful rate of amplification was varied among populations and for later analysis, we only took an account those sequences showing clear electropherograms and disposed those which showed ambiguity. We sequenced trnL-trnF chloroplast DNA (cpDNA) region yielded 941 bp after alignment. The trnL-trnF assigned the species into 4 haplotypes in which Pakpak Bharat was differentiated significantly and not shared any similar haplotypes with two others populations. Humbahas and Tapanuli Utara was shared one common haplotype. Mean nucleotide diversity at silent sites ranged 0-3.33 x 10-3 , while nucleotide diversity at non-synonymous site ranged 0-5.9 x 10-4. Strong genetic differentiation was also found among 3 origin populations, with the highest pairwise genetic differentiation found on Pakpak Bharat and Tapanuli Utara (F ST = 0.80952). Clear and apparent genetic structuring was possibly caused by geographical barriers such as highland and mountain ranges (Bukit Barisan mountain ranges) which acted as effective barriers to gene flow among population. The findings suggest that conservation efforts should focus on every population because each of the population maintains distinct genetic identity.

Amazonian forests are a vast storehouse of biodiversity and function as carbon sinks from biomass that accumulates
in various tree species. In these forests, the taxa with the
greatest contribution of biomass cannot be precisely defined, and the representative distribution of Myristicaceae in the Peruvian Amazon was the starting point for designing the
present study, which aimed to quantify the biomass contribution of this family. For this, I analyzed the databases
that corresponded to 38 sample units that were previously collected and that were provided by the TeamNetwork
and RAINFOR organizations. The analysis consisted in the estimation of biomass using pre-established allometric
equations, Kruskal-Wallis sample comparisons, interpolation-analysis maps, and nonparametric multidimensional
scaling (NMDS). The results showed that Myristicaceae is
the fourth most important biomass contributor with 76.97Mg/ha (9.92Mg/ha in average), mainly due to its abundance. Additionally, the family shows a noticeable
habitat preference for certain soil conditions in the physiographic units, such is the case of Virola pavonis
in “varillales”, within “floodplain”, or Iryanthera tessmannii and Virola loretensis in sewage flooded areas or “igapó” specifically,
and the preference of Virola elongata and Virola surinamensis for white water flooded areas or “várzea” edaphic conditions of the physiographic units taken in the study.

This study relates to Spirotropis longifolia (cd.) Baill. (Leguminosae Papilionoideae), monodominante species forming aggregates with low specific richness within the wet tropical forest of Guyana. We seek to know the spatial structure of its dominance, and, using torus translation tests, associations that the species have with soil and topography. In an aggregate of 19,7 hectares located on the track of Saint Elie, we first carried out a cartography of topography and soil. In parallel, to characterize the settlement, we belonged to dendrometric and architectural parameters on the 10 trees to dbh > 5 cm nearest to each of the 131 points of a grid of 40 side meters covering totality the aggregate. The results show a significant differentiation between the hydromorphic grounds of the lowland (37,5% of the settlement and 23,5% of local basal surface) and the grounds with superficial lateral drainage found on slope (respectively 43,6% and 43,5%). We show in addition that this heterogeneity of the dominance of S. longifolia on the settlement comes from a differentiation of the strategy of colonization. The dynamic hydromorphic habitats are associated to a strong presence of the vegetative multiplication by stump shoots and layerings, whereas the individuals of S. longifolia on the slopes preferably colonizes space by dissemination of seeds and is regenerated them-self by basal shoots. This case of monodominance is then compared with other similar situations in tropical medium.

Dryobalanops aromatica Gaertn. f. (Sumatran camphor) is a valuable tree species that produces borneol (camphor) and good-quality timber. However, the population of this species has declined due to illegal logging and conversion of forests into plantations and has been classified as Critically Endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. This study aimed to examine the genetic variation and spatial distribution of this species in a community-owned forest (Barus) and two natural forests (Singkohor and Danau Paris) in Indonesia using the Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA marker. The results of this study showed that D. aromatica had moderate levels of genetic variation (expected heterozygosity [He] = 0.1760 [Barus population] to 0.2134 [Singkohor population]) and genetic differentiation (Nei's Gst = 0.1257). The genetic distance was the smallest between the Singkohor and Danau Paris populations (Nei's distance = 0.0363) and greatest between the Singkohor and Barus populations (Nei's distance = 0.0534). The spatial distribution of D. aromatica was grouped in both Barus and Danau Paris based on Morisita's index of diversity (ip = 0.06 and 0.043, respectively). These findings indicated that genetic conservation might be performed in situ in combination with enrichment planting using locally propagated sources.

The present study describes the structure, composition and regeneration of tree species in undisturbed and disturbed tropical forests in Bhuban hills in southern Assam, India. The study area is part of one of the globally recognized biodiversity hot spots and in spite of the increasing human activities in these forests, so far no information is available on their impacts on plant assemblages in the area. In each forest, the vegetation was analysed through 50 quadrats (10 m × 10 m) in a belt transect of 500 m × 10 m. A total of 49, 47 and 42 tree species were recorded in disturbed forests and 62, 61 and 60 species in undisturbed forests. The average tree density and basal area were significantly higher in undisturbed forests (708.67 and 42.01 m2 ha−1, respectively) than disturbed forests (443.33 and 18.44 m2 ha−1, respectively). The population structure of tree species in disturbed forests showed a fluctuating curve, and in undisturbed forests, it was a reversed J-shaped curve. The p...

RESUMEN Cuando un bosque pierde resiliencia, pierde capacidad para recuperarse tras un disturbio y puede ser conducido a un nuevo estado en el cual la tasa de provisión de servicios ecosistémicos es más reducida. Este punto de pérdida de resiliencia es conocido como umbral ecológico, y en bosques, varios estudios sugieren que la pérdida de hábitat conduce a umbrales de extinción acusada de especies. Este trabajo presenta los resultados preliminares del " Projeto Limiares " , un estudio multi-taxa en el Bosque Atlántico cuyo objetivo es detectar la presencia de umbrales de biodiversidad (especies y grupos funcionales) por pérdida de hábitat para establecer relaciones entre la biodiversidad y el funcionamiento ecosistémico. Presentamos la respuesta de cuatro comunidades animales y vegetales a la pérdida de hábitat en paisajes con 5-60% de bosque remanente. Detectamos la presencia de umbrales de extinción para cada una de las comunidades y para el total de la biodiversidad, para una proporción de hábitat remanente de 30%. Este umbral puede conducir a un cambio de estado y pérdida de resiliencia, con consecuencias indeseables para el funcionamiento de los ecosistemas y entrega de servicios ecosistémicos. ABSTRACT When forests loss resilience they loss the capacity to recover after disturbance, and can be driven into a new regime with reduced capacity to deliver ecosystem services. The point where resilience is loss is known by ecological threshold, and in forests, several studies suggest that habitat loss can cause extinction thresholds with species abruptly disappearing from landscapes. We present the preliminary results of the " Projeto Limiares " , a multi-taxa project in the Atlantic Forest aimed to detect the presence of biodiversity thresholds (species and functional groups) due to habitat loss, and to link biodiversity with ecosystem functioning. We present the response of four ecological communities to habitat loss in landscapes with 5-60% of remaining forest cover. Our study revealed the existence of extinction thresholds for each community and for the total of biodiversity at 30% of remaining forest. This threshold may be indicating loss of resilience and regime shift, with undesirable consequences to ecosystem functioning and services provision.

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