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Positive relationship between species richness and aboveground biomass in Kumaun Himalayan forest

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Abstract

Understory vegetation is an important part of forest ecosystem which affect the physical and chemical properties of soil, quality and quantity of forest litter and water storage capacity of litter soil layer. Thus, the influence of soil nutrients on the understory species composition of forest ecosystem cannot be ignored. The authors set 15 typical plots with area of 1 × 1 m in chir pine (Pinus roxburghii Sarg.), oak (Quercus leucotrichophora A. Camus)—chir pine mixed and oak–cypress (Cupressus torulosa D. Don) mixed forest. Chemical properties of the soil were analyzed at 0–10 cm, 10–20 cm and 20–30 cm in all the selected forest types. Phytosociological and diversity parameters were also calculated for each forest type. The present study reveals that carbon, nitrogen, pH and phosphorus are the most important environmental drivers which influence understory species composition. Plant species richness significantly correlated with species composition. To maintain the diversity and structure of ecosystems we should consider the co-evolution of both vegetation and soil. Further studies on climate and microorganism are needed to further explore the interactive relationships among vegetation and soil properties.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Botany, Kumaun University, D.S.B. Campus, Nainital, 263002, India

    Sanjay Kumar, Jyoti Joshi, Priyanka Bhatt & Neha Chopra

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  1. Sanjay Kumar
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  2. Jyoti Joshi
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  3. Priyanka Bhatt
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  4. Neha Chopra
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Correspondence to Sanjay Kumar.

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Kumar, S., Joshi, J., Bhatt, P. et al. Positive relationship between species richness and aboveground biomass in Kumaun Himalayan forest. Vegetos 32, 116–123 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42535-019-00015-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s42535-019-00015-6

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