Estimating tree species diversity and composition in temperate forests of Darjeeling Himalaya, India

Abstract

The present study quantifies the diversity and richness of tree species in temperate forests of Darjeeling eastern Himalaya through stratified random quadrats. A total of 86 woody species belonging to 49 genera and 27 families were reported. Density, basal area, abundance, importance value index (IVI), girth class and Raunkiaer’s frequency were used to assess the structural characteristics of forest. The Shannon diversity index, evenness index and concentration of dominance were 4.349, 0.976 and 0.014 respectively. The IVI values ranged from 0.95 to 8.36. Almost all woody species exhibited contiguous distribution patterns with 12 species random and 2 species distributed regularly. The estimated diversity indices indicated heterogeneity of the forest in its composition, structure and function. Furthermore, dominance-diversity curves were also drawn to ascertain resource sharing among various species in temperate forests