Impact of biotic pressure on regeneration in tropical wet evergreen forests in central Western Ghats

Vachana H. C; Uthappa A. R.; Sathish; B. N.; Syam Viswanath; Kushalappa; C G.

Volume : IV, Issue : V, May - 2015

Impact of biotic pressure on regeneration in tropical wet evergreen forests in central Western Ghats

Vachana H. C, Uthappa A. R. , Sathish, B. N. , Syam Viswanath, Kushalappa, C G.

Abstract :

The present study was carried out in the tropical wet evergreen forest of Western Ghats region of Karnataka, which constitutes nearly 15 per cent tropical forests of the country. Totally 88 regeneration plots of 5 m X 5 m plot dimension were laid 250 m interval with in the belt transacts of 1000 m X 5 m. In each plot the disturbance parameter were recorded and assigned a score for each disturbance parameter to calculate the cumulative disturbance index for each plot. Results of the study clearly showed a decrease in trend of regenerates of tree species and a reverse trend was observed for shrub and climber species. The regeneration of deciduous elements also increased with increase in disturbance. Higher disturbance has severely effected the regeneration of threatened and endemic tree species, indicating there is an urgent need to plan for the appropriate measure to overcome the problem.