Implication of woody species diversity on the above ground biomass in subtropical sacred groves of Manipur, North East India

摘要

Woody species play an important role in storing carbon through aboveground biomass (AGB) and are considered one of the captive areas of biodiversity. However, the quantitative relationship between tree species diversity and AGB is poorly understood insacred groves of the world. In the present investigation, the relationship between measures of biodiversity and AGB were quantified. PCA analysis was used to find a possible relationship between AGB and biodiversity in studied groves and revealed the significant relationship between species richness and above ground biomass within the groves suggesting the role of species richness in the carbon cycle. It was also observed that there was a negative relationship between above ground biomass and species richness at larger plots while positive relationship exists when the size of the sampling plot is small at larger spatial extent. Therefore priorities should be put to ensure the safety of bio-diverse carbon pool while implementing conservation and management practices. The fate of biodiversity is believed to depend on the forest remanants in human-made landscapes like sacred groves. Our finding indicates the importance of species richness in storing atmospheric carbon through photosynthesis and specialattention must be given in terms of conservation and protection of biodiversity.