Vegetos
(An International Journal of Plant Research & Biotechnology)
Tree species diversity and population dynamics along the forest fragment gradient in Langol Reserve Forest, Manipur
*Article not assigned to an issue yet
Devi Khumanthem Babina, Lalruatkimi C., Mohamed Ahmed Abdallah Adam, Khawlhring Lalthawmmawii, Tripathi O. P.
Research Articles | Published: 19 August, 2025
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Keywords: Forest fragmentation, Manipur, Phytosociology, Reserve forest, Tree diversity
Abstract
The study evaluates the tree composition and population structure along the forest fragment (F) size in Langol Reserve Forest, Manipur, using the random sampling approach. Standard ecological methods were employed to assess the community parameters. A total of 1495 tree individuals were recorded across the sampled plots. According to family species richness, Fabaceae was the dominant family across the fragments, whereas other families had low diversity. The basal area was 36.17 m² ha⁻¹, 23.07 m² ha⁻¹, and 20.47 m² ha⁻¹ (F-1, F-2 and F-3 respectively) and the maximum stand density was in large fragment size (F-1), with 608 tree ha⁻¹, followed by 441 tree ha⁻¹ in F-2, and 288 tree ha⁻¹ in F-3. The population was higher in lower girth classes, which indicate dominance of younger trees, and lower frequency classes were abundant, making communities heterogeneous in composition. Shannon Weiner index (H’) was 3.86 (F-1), 3.17 (F-2), and 2.99 (F-3) showing decreasing trend along fragment size, while Simpson index values were 0.03, 0.06, and 0.08, respectively. Pielou evenness index was 0.91, 0.86, and 0.84, respectively. The rarefaction curve results revealed that the large fragments have the highest species diversity. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) revealed that fragments F-1 and F-2 were highly similar, most likely because of their similar geographic locations, however F-3 differed greatly mainly due to distant locations. The results emphasize how crucial it is to preserve sizable, interconnected forest patches in order to sustain biodiversity and the requirements of sustainable forest management techniques.
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Author Information
Department of Environmental Science, Mizoram University, Tanhril, Aizawl, India