Open AccessSlope Aspects and Elevation Influenced Herbaceous Diversity and Soil Characteristics in Tropical Forests of Indian Desert
Author(s) -
D. K. Mishra,
G. Singh
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
international journal of plant and soil science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2320-7035
DOI - 10.9734/ijpss/2021/v33i2430815
Subject(s) - species evenness , dominance (genetics) , species richness , vegetation (pathology) , herbaceous plant , ecology , environmental science , species diversity , population , soil carbon , geography , soil water , forestry , biology , medicine , biochemistry , demography , pathology , sociology , gene
Aim: Understanding the interactive effects of aspects and elevation on soil properties and vegetation diversity in hill forests of the desert environment is essential for devising strategies to restore such degraded hills.
Place and Duration: Observations were recorded from September to October months of both 2017 and 2018 in a hill forest area in Thar Desert of Rajasthan, India.
Methodology: Three-hundred-twenty plots of 1 m2 (clustered at sixty-four positions based on eight slope aspects and eight elevations) were studied for herbaceous diversity and soil properties by sorting vegetation to species level and soil sampling in each plot. Community population (P), height, soil water content (SWC), pH and organic carbon (SOC) were measured and species-richness (R), Shannon-Weiner diversity (H), dominance (D) and evenness (J') were calculated.
Results: Out of 174 species recorded from 34 families and 122 genera, 163 species showed IVI 600m, whereas D and pH showed a decreasing trend. The highest values of SWC, P and J were in 800-900m, 700-800m and 600-700m respectively. Though varied with aspects, <230m area was dominated by xeric species, middle by Aristida adscensionis and higher ones by Apluda mutica/Heteropogon contortus.
Conclusion: Altitude had stronger impact on all variables except SWC, which was influenced strongly by aspects making southern slopes drier than the northern slopes and influenced species structure and composition. Such areas require effective conservation, but aspect and elevation should be given due importance in devising restoration strategies for efficient management of biodiversity and mitigating climate change.