Vegetos
(An International Journal of Plant Research & Biotechnology)
Multivariate analysis of plant community distribution in the terrestrial forest landscape surrounding a Ramsar site of Eastern India
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Research Articles | Published: 16 September, 2025
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Keywords: Ansupa lake, Edaphic factor, Indicator species, Plant communities, Ramsar site
Abstract
Understanding the floristic assemblages and soil chemistry of terrestrial forest landscape around wetlands becomes imperative for sustainable conservation, restoration and increasing the productivity of inland lake ecosystems. However, substantial information on these forest attributes of terrestrial plant communities around the wetlands is highly lacking in India. We investigated the plant community assemblages and soil characteristics by laying quadrats in three hilly forests around Ansupa Lake, a Ramsar site of Eastern India. The study recorded a total of 108 plant species, distributed across 102 genera and 46 families. The Bray-Curtis cluster analysis classified the vegetation into four plant communities, namely, Mangifera- Ziziphus- Andrographis (MZA), Helicteres- Toddalia- Pseudarthria (HTP), Anacardium- Toddalia - Spermacoce (ATS) and Helicteres- Toddalia- Ruellia (HTR). Pearson’s correlation study showed that species richness was positively correlated with soil bulk density, pH, and species diversity. The statistical analysis revealed that electrical conductivity (EC), total dissolved solids (TDS) and potassium (K) were the major soil components which determined the plant species distribution across the landscape. The identified 27 indicator species act as biological markers for various communities to conserve the in-situ environment of the landscape. Our findings demonstrate that the edaphic factor is deemed pivotal for shaping the plant species composition in different plant communities.
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Author Information
Department of Botany, Maharaja Sriram Chandra Bhanja Deo University, Baripada, India