ASSESSMENT OF ABOVEGROUND BIOMASS STOCK IN THE PACHAIMALAI FOREST OF EASTERN GHATS IN INDIA

作者：Pragasan Arul L

来源：Applied Ecology and Environmental Research, 2015, 13(1): 133-145.

DOI：10.15666/aeer/1301_133145

• biomass
• Eastern Ghats
• India
• Pachaimalai forest
• regression analysis

Forest biomass plays a vital role in the global carbon cycle. The aim of the present study was to determine aboveground biomass of trees in the Pachaimalai forest of the Eastern Ghats in India. A sum of 5388 trees representing 131 species were recorded in twenty four transects (0.5 ha each) sampled from Pachaimalai. The total aboveground biomass stock for the 12 ha sampled was 608.2 tonnes. The average biomass value per transect was 25.3 +/- 5.6 t/0.5 ha, and it ranged from 4.2 to 103.5 t/0.5 ha. The average species richness, density and basal area per transect were 22 +/- 1.7 (species/0.5 ha), 225 +/- 9.5 (trees/0.5 ha) and 6.3 +/- 1.0 (m(2)/0.5 ha) respectively. Among the 131 species, Nothopegia heyneana (Anacardiaceae) contributed the maximum (19.1%) to the total forest biomass followed by Canthium dicoccum var. dicoccum, Albizia amara, Gyrocarpus asiaticus and Schleichera oleosa. Linear regression analysis showed that forest biomass increased with the increase in basal area (R-2 = 0.979) and species richness (R-2 = 0.702), but not with density (R-2 = 0.320). The aboveground biomass of Pachaimalai forest falls within the range reported for other tropical forests of the world. The present study provides valuable data for the estimation of carbon stock of Pachaimalai forest, which would facilitate carbon stock modelling at national as well as at global level.

• 出版日期2015