Tree diversity and disturbance of kaan forests: relics of a community protected climax vegetation in the Central Western Ghats.

摘要

A comparative description of tree diversity of community-protected kaan forests and state-managed reserve forests influenced by the level of disturbance and rainfall was assessed in Sagar taluk, Shimoga district, Karnataka, India. Kaan forests and state-managed reserve forests in regions of high and low rainfall were assessed for tree diversity. In each sampled site, a transect of 1 km and two 25 m2 regeneration quadrats were laid. Kaan forests possessed a higher species richness, with 85 tree species, than the reserve forests (57). Basal area and tree density were also higher in the kaan forests, although the difference was only marginal in some instances. Richness of endemic, rare, endangered and threatened species, as well as species of medicinal or economic importance, was higher in the kaan forests than in the reserve forests. The total number of species, and the number of evergreen species, were negatively correlated with the level of disturbance. Further, with increased disturbance, the number of rare, endangered and threatened species also decreased, as did the number of endemics.