• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
• /
• v.30 no.4
• /
• pp.370-377
• /
• 2014

There are very few studies about soil chemical and biological properties under tropical dry evergreen forest Coromandel Coast, India. The present study was conducted in six tropical dry evergreen forests sites such as Oorani, Puthupet, Vadaagram, Kotthatai, Sendrakillai and Palvathunnan. We measured the quantity of soil chemical, biological properties and selected soil microorganisms for investigating the impacts of soil microbial populations on soil chemical and biological properties. The result showed that total N, P, Ca, S, Fe, Mn, Cu, Co, exchangeable K, Olson P, extractable Ca and phosphobacterial population were higher in the soil from Kothattai forest site. Organic carbon, total Mg, extractable Na, soil respiration, ${\beta}$-glucosidase activity, bacterial population, fungi population and actinomycetes population were higher in the soil from Palvathunn forest site. Total K, $NH_4{^+}$-N, $NO_3{^-}$-N, exchangeable K, extractable Ca, extractable Na, azotobacter population, bacillus population and rhizobacteria population were higher in the soil from Sendrakillai. Beijerinckia population, rhizobacteria and soluble sodium were higher in Puthupet forest soil. Total Si, total Na and exchangeable K were higher in soil from Oorani forest site. Total Mo and exchangeable K were higher in the soil from Vadaagaram forest site. The results showed that organic carbon, total N, $NH_4{^+}$-N, $NO_3{^-}$-N, extractable P, extractable Ca, soil respiration and ${\beta}$-glucosidase were significantly correlated with soil microbial populations. Therefore soil microorganisms are important factor for maintaining soil quality in tropical dry evergreen forest.

• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
• /
• v.37 no.2
• /
• pp.128-140
• /
• 2021

Tropical dry forests are one of the most threatened, widely distributed ecosystems in tropics and estimation of forest biomass is a crucial component of global carbon emission estimation. Therefore, the present study was aimed to quantify the biomass and carbon storage in trees on large scale (10, 1 ha plots) in the dry mixed evergreen forest of Javadhu forest of Eastern Ghats. Biomass of adult (≥10 cm DBH) trees was estimated by non-harvest methods. The total biomass of trees in this tropical dry mixed evergreen forest was ranged from 160.02 to 250.8 Mg/ha, with a mean of 202.04±24.64 Mg/ha. Among the 62 tree species enumerated, Memecylon umbellatum accumulated greater biomass and carbon stocks (24.29%) more than the other species in the 10 ha study plots. ANOVA revealed that there existed a significant variation in the total biomass and carbon stock among the three plant types (Evergreen, brevi-deciduous and deciduous (F (2, 17)=15.343, p<0.001). Basal area and density was significant positively correlated with aboveground biomass (R² 0.980; 0.680) while species richness exhibited negative correlation with above ground biomass (R² 0.167). Finding of present study may be interpreted as most of the trees in this forest are yet to be matured and there is a net addition to standing biomass leading to carbon storage.

• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
• /
• v.32 no.2
• /
• pp.219-235
• /
• 2016

Forest tree diversity inventory and its periodical monitoring are important to understand changes in tree population structure and to provide information useful for biodiversity conservation and reserve management. In a long-term forest dynamics program in Indian tropical dry evergreen forest, this communication deals with tree diversity changes at decadal interval. The initial inventory of tree diversity was carried out in 2003, in four tropical dry evergreen forest sites - (much disturbed sites Shanmuganathapuram - SP and Araiyapatti - AP and moderately disturbed sites - Karisakkadu - KR and Maramadakki - MM) on the Coromandel Coast of peninsular India, by establishing four 1ha permanent plots, one in each site. In 2013, the four plots were re-inventoried for tree diversity (${\geq}10cm\;gbh$) changes which yielded 56 species from 46 genera and 26 families. The studied forest sites are threatened by disturbance due to multiple reasons; cutting of trees inside of the forest, grazing by goats, construction of temple approach road, and some aspects cultural attachment of local people like constructing new, additional strctures of temple by denuding a portion of forest etc.. Tree species richness over a decade increased by four species in site SP, two species in site AP, and one species in site KR, but decreased by one species in site MM. Tree density decreased drastically by 480 (28.92%) and 102 (12.63%) stems $ha^{-1}$ respectively in sites SP and AP, but moderately increased by 82 (12.09%) stems $ha^{-1}$ in site KR and 26 (3.46%) stems $ha^{-1}$ in site MM. Tree basal area declined in site KR from $21.6m^2$ to $20.26m^2ha^{-1}$ and in site SP from 21.1 to $20.38m^2ha^{-1}$, but increased from $19.1m^2$ to $19.43m^2$ and from 15.5 to $18.63m^2ha^{-1}$ in sites AP and MM respectively. Three tree species (Allophylus serratus, Maytenus emarginata and Ehretia pubescens) were lost out of the 57 species recorded in 2003, and two species (Jatropha gossypiifolia and Streblus asper) were new additions in ten years. The long-term forest monitoring data will be valuable to understand forest dynamics and for conservation and management of this and similar tropical forests.

• Asian Journal of Atmospheric Environment
• /
• v.6 no.4
• /
• pp.246-258
• /
• 2012

Particulate matter deposited on leaf surfaces may cause erosion/abrasion of epicuticular wax and the malfunction of stomata. However, the deposition processes of particulate matter, such as elemental carbon (EC), has not been studied sufficiently in Asian forest ecosystems. Deposition processes for particulate ${SO_4}^{2-}$ and EC were studied in a Japanese cedar forest in Kajikawa, Niigata Prefecture, Japan, and in a dry evergreen forest and a dry deciduous forest in Sakaerat, Nakhon Ratchasima province, Thailand. The ${SO_4}^{2-}$ fluxes attributed to rainfall outside the forest canopy (RF), throughfall (TF), and stemflow (SF) showed distinct seasonalities at both sites, increasing from November to February at the Kajikawa site and in March/April at the Sakaerat site. Seasonal west/northwest winds in winter may transport sulfur compounds across the Sea of Japan to the Kajikawa site. At the Sakaerat site, pollutants suspended in the air or dry deposits from the dry season might have been washed away by the first precipitations of the wet season. The EC fluxes from RF and TF showed similar variations by season at the Kajikawa site, while the flux from TF was frequently lower than that from RF at the Sakaerat site. Particulate matter strongly adsorbed onto leaf surfaces is not washed away by rainfall and contributes to the EC flux. At the Kajikawa site, Japanese cedar leaf surfaces accumulated the highest levels of particulate matter and could not be neglected when calculating the total flux. When such leaf-surface particles were considered, the contribution of dry deposition to the total EC flux was estimated to be 67%, 77%, and 82% at the Kajikawa site, and at the evergreen and deciduous forests of the Sakaerat site, respectively. Leaf-surface particles must be included when evaluating the dry and total fluxes of particulate matter, in particular for water-insoluble constituents such as EC.