Tree diversity and vegetation structure of the tropical evergreen forests of the southern slopes of Meghalaya, North East India

Abstract

Abstract. Tynsong H, Dkhar M, Tiwari BK. 2022. Tree diversity and vegetation structure of the tropical evergreen forests of the southern slopes of Meghalaya, North East India. Asian J For 6: 22-33. In the tropical evergreen forests of the southern slopes of Meghalaya, North East India, we examined the plant species diversity and community structure of woody plant species. The forests chosen for this study represent the area's primary vegetation. We counted a total number of 6016 individual trees belonging to 146 species, 95 genera, and 56 families from three 1-ha plots. The Shannon-Wiener Index (H') of the tree species in the three forest stands ranged from 3.74 to 3.95, the dominance of Simpson's index from 0.02 to 0.04, the evenness index from 0.68 to 0.83, and Margalef index range from 23.07 to 27.39. The density of woody species ranged from 1944 to 2100 trees ha-1 (mean 2005 ± 48.01). The dominant families based on Importance Value Index (IVI), number of species, genera and individuals were Fagaceae (IVI = 205.29, species= 11, genera= 4 and number of individuals= 1184), Lauraceae (IVI = 139.42, species= 22, genera= 9 and Individual= 882) and Euphorbiaceae (IVI = 68.39, species= 17, genera= 8 and Individual=478). Arecaceae represented by Arenga pinnata (Wurmb) Merr. and Caryota sp. and Pandanaceae, represented by Pandanus odoratissimus Blume, were the only monocot families, and Pinaceae, the sole gymnospermic family, represented by Pinus kesiya Royle ex Gordon. This study offers valuable knowledge about the species diversity and community structure of trees which is a prerequisite for efficient management and protection of the forests conserved by the local village communities primarily for ecosystem services.