M Sc Dissertation(WII)

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Habitat Characterization and Spatial Distribution of Quercus lanata Sm. in the Kumaon Himalaya
(Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2025) Kaushik, Shikhar; Kumar, Amit; Rawat, G.S.
Oaks are climax species which evolved around 56 million years ago. India is home to around 35 species of oaks out of which only 5 species are native to Uttarakhand. In Western Himalaya 3 species make extensive continuous forests which includes Banj oak forest, Moru oak forest and Kharsu oak forest. They show gregarious nature and provide countless ecological and economic benefits to the country. The other two species, Quercus glauca and Quercus lanata are patchy is distribution. For Quercus lanata the Kumaon Himalaya is the western most limit and therefore that species is patchy and shows disjunct population. This study aimed to understand the population, regeneration, habitat characterisation and distribution of Quercus lanata in Kumaon. Descriptive analysis was used to understand the population structure and associate species and maxent modelling was used to develop habitat suitability model. The overall population of Quercus lanata (Rianj) in Kumaon shows a stable and gradually growing trend. Quercus lanata shows a diverse preference to habitat which ranges from northerns moist slopes to drier southern slopes. The significant values from analysed data suggest that its preference at southern slope is comparatively higher. It occurs with Quercus leucotrichophora as well as with Pinus roxburghii. The major co-occurring species with Quercus lanata are Rhododendron arboreum and Myrica esculenta. The developed habitat suitability and generalised linear models helped to understand that elevation and aspect play a significant role in distribution of Quercus lanata. The demand of Quercus lanata for fodder and fuelwood in village area is quite high and therefore requires sustainable practices. As of now Quercus lanata is classified under either Banj oak forest or Moru oak forest which reduces the level of conservation and management this species require.
Patterns in plant species richness and diversity in the forest fragments of Western Ghats, Karnataka.
(Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2007) Page, Navendu V.; Qureshi, Qamar; Rawat, G.S.
Patterns of species richness diversity and distribution, and the factors affecting these patterns have always attracted the attention of many ecologists. Degree of fragmentation is one such factor affecting the species richness and composition also of great importance to conservation biology in light of rapid loss of biodiversity. The study examined the patterns of distribution and species richness and its correlates in a fragmented landscape in Kodagu district, Western Ghats, Karnataka. The study also examined some of the factors affecting distribution of epiphytes such as distribution along the tree height gradient and host specificity. A total of 129 species of trees, 29 species of Iians as and 68 species of vascular epiphytes were recorded in 56, 25m x 25m square plots. 60 species of shrubs were recorded in 90, 5m x 5m square plots. Patch area was found to be significantly correlated with tree species richness, but area was not correlated with shrub, liana and epiphyte species richness. However plant density used as measure of site specific productivity along with area were significantly correlated with lianas and epiphyte richness. Neither of these could explain the variation in shrub species richness. Lianas and shrubs did not show any such trend but epiphyte richness showed a negative trend in rarefied species richness with increase in area. Rank abundance curves indicated that Reserve forest had the most equitable distribution of abundance classes and also more number of rare species. Species composition was found to differ significantly across different size classes. All the plant communities showed moderate levels of nestedness. Distribution of an epiphyte along the tree was not influenced by the mode of dispersal alone. There was no strong evidence in support of host specificity however some selective host species were found to be favoured by epiphytes.
Patterns in Species Composition and Distribution Among Vascular Epiphytes in Low-Lying Semi-Evergreen Forests of Arunachal Pradesh, India
(Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2001) Padmawathe, R.; Rawat, G.S.; Krishnamurthy, Jagdish
The patterns in epiphyte species composition and distribution in the low-lying semi evergreen forests was studied in Pakhui Wildlife Sanctuary and the adjacent Doimara Reserved Forests in western Arunachal Pradesh. Epiphyte community changes due to microclimate and host characteristics were studied by comparing sites of different microclimates namely riverbanks, tree fall gaps, closed forests and logged forests. Systematic sampling showed that epiphyte species diversity, increased marginally from low levels in the tree fall gaps to maximum levels in the riverbanks with intermediate levels in the logged forest and closed forest. There were dominance of certain families and life forms in different sites. Trends in epiphytic communities were closely related to changes in microclimate and host characters. The environmental variables were summarized by Principal Component Analysis, which yielded three components explaining 75.5% of the variance. Component one was positively correlated with temperature and canopy cover and light intensity in the horizontal zone, whereas relative humidity was negatively correlated. Component two was strongly correlated with vertical light intensities. Component three was purely a temperature factor . Araceae, Gesneriaceae and Asclepiadaceae correlated with vertical temperature humidity component while Orchidaceae and Moraceae were correlated with horizontal temperature. Families Aspleniaceae and Gesneriaceae were positively correlated with component one (qualitative parameters) of the vegetation characteristics, Therefore, epiphyte species richness were significantly different between across bark texture and architectural model of the host. Warty and wrinkled bark supported maximum species and Champagnats model of tree architecture supported higher number of epiphyte species. Six species were found only in the trunks and ten species confined themselves to branches. A total of twelve rare species of different families were found in the study area. The major implications of the study are the intimate relationship of epiphytes with diverse factors of climate and host characters, the change in one will trigger corresponding changes in other. Logging as a practice removes lot of trees, which reduces the diversity of substrate and microhabitat conditions available for epiphytes. It is important to maintain atleast a few big trees to serve as mother trees for recovery of the lost species.

M Sc Dissertation(WII)

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