Gap phase regeneration of tree species of differing successional status in a humid tropical forest of Kerala, India.
Loading...
Date
1993-06
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
Germination, establishment and growth of seedlings of tree species Palaquium
ellipticum (primary), Actinodaphne malabarica (late secondary) and Macaranga peltata
(early secondary) were studied in a humid tropical forest at Nelliampathy, in the Western
Ghats of Kerala. While the primary species completed its germination within a brief period
of 1ยท5 months, at the other extreme, early secondary species showed slow germination
extending for about 5 months, the late secondary species falling in between. Although, all
the species studied showed higher establishment and growth under gaps, the early secondary
species were more responsive compared to the primary species. Primary species showed
better establishment in undisturbed sites and natural gaps than under selection felled gaps;
the reverse was true for late and early secondary species. Survival of seedlings increased
with gap size, but sharply declined with gap age. Shoot/root ratio was consistently higher
in the early secondary species than in the primary species.
Description
Keywords
Canopy gaps, humid tropical forest, seed germination, seedling establishment and growth, Western Ghats
Citation
Chandrashekara U M, Ramakrishnan P S. Gap phase regeneration of tree species of differing successional status in a humid tropical forest of Kerala, India. Journal of Biosciences. 1993 June; 18(2): 279-290.