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Herbaceous diversity and biomass under different fire regimes in a seasonally dry forest ecosystem

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Abstract

The present work deals with the impact of forest fire over herb community along with changes in soil micronutrient status and C (carbon) storage. The present investigation was carried out in Bhoramdeo wildlife sanctuary, India. The entire area was divided into four distinct sites, i.e., no fire, low fire, medium fire (MFZ) and high fire zones depending upon geo-referenced data and ground truth verification. Quantification of the herb was done within 1 ha grid plots by laying random quadrats of 50 × 50 cm. Soil sampling was done at 0–10 cm and 10–20 cm depths. The micronutrient status of the soil was analysed through atomic absorption spectrophotometer. Most studies focuses on forest land degradation through depletion of soil macronutrient status under fire incidence. The present work involves a new approach to evaluate the impact of different fire regimes on herb community along with changes in soil micronutrient status. MFZ reported highest species, families, density, biomass and C storage. Zn (zinc), Mn (manganese), S (sulphur), nitrate N (nitrogen) and ammonical N level decreased with the gradual increment of the soil depth from 0 to 20 cm under various fire regimes. Cu (copper) level increased with the gradual increase in the soil depth from 0 to 20 cm under various fire regimes. C stock and biomass varied significantly in different fire regimes. Species such as Cassia tora, Cynodon dactylon, Eragrostis tenella and Setaria glauca recorded high C storage under MFZ and represented their higher presence and regeneration.

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Acknowledgements

The first author is grateful to Dept. of Forestry, Indira Gandhi Krishi Vishwavidyalaya, Raipur, and forest department of Chhattisgarh for necessary support. Financial support from UGC (RGNF), New Delhi, during PhD. is highly acknowledged.

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  1. Department of Farm Forestry, Sant Gahira Guru Vishwavidyalaya, Sarguja, Ambikapur, Chhattisgarh, 497001, India

    Manoj Kumar Jhariya

  2. Department of Forestry, Indira Gandhi Krishi Vishwavidyalaya, Raipur, Chhattisgarh, 492012, India

    Lalji Singh

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Jhariya, M.K., Singh, L. Herbaceous diversity and biomass under different fire regimes in a seasonally dry forest ecosystem. Environ Dev Sustain 23, 6800–6818 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-020-00892-x

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