Tree species diversity and structure of Oak forest in Ranikhet Kumaun Himalayas: analysing the impact of disturbance and natural site factors
Student name: Ms Nidhi Joshi
Guide: Dr Joachim Michael Schmerbeck
Year of completion: 2014
Host Organisation: TERI University and University of Freiburg, Germany
Supervisor (Host Organisation): Dr Stefanie Gartner
Abstract: The study was conducted in Oak forest of Ranikhet Kumaun Himalaya with first
aim to know the influence of ownership on species diversity, evenness, richness,
and species composition of tree species in all layers that is seedlings saplings
and mature trees. Second o assess the change in species diversity, richness,
evenness, and stand density across the disturbance gradients in Oak forest. And
third is to know the impact of natural site factors and Disturbances on species
diversity, richness, and evenness and stand density in Oak forest of Kumaun
Himalayas. The results reveal that species richness, diversity, and evenness in
saplings and mature tree showed a significant difference with in ownership
classes. The species composition was also varied among the mature trees in
protected and non protected forest. While disturbance gradient was showing
significant difference in Shannon diversity, richness, evenness and stand density
across the all stands. But it was not following any trend across the disturbance
categories. Disturbance gradient overall showed negative correlation with
diversity, evenness, richness, and stand density but was significant in saplings
and mature trees. Elevation was showing positive relation with Species diversity,
richness, evenness, and stand density among all layer but only significant in
seedlings and mature trees. On the other hand north exposition have overall
positive correlation with all the indexes within all layer. But the evenness in
saplings showed a positive and significant relation while among mature trees it
is negative and significant. That means the evenness among saplings was more
in north exposition and among mature trees it was more in South exposition. In
order to carry out this study various statistical software such as Pc-ord, SPSS
had been used. And also to find the combine effect of natural site factor and
disturbance Generalised Linear model (GLM) had been used to get a correlation
between factors, predictors, and dependent variable.
Keywords: Ranikhet, Shannon diversity, Richness, Disturbance gradient, GLM
