Abstract
The phytosociological study provides information on the tree species diversity in sacred groves of Eastern Ghats, Visakhapatnam District, Andhra Pradesh, India. Tree diversity and its relation to habitat was explored using tree dataset of 8 belt transects (5 × 500 m) totaling 2 ha in the study area. A total of 67 plant taxa (≥15 cm gbh) belonging to 59 genera of 34 families with 233 individuals were recorded. The most dominant species were Anogeissus latifolia, Xylia xylocarpa, Mangifera indica, and Lannea coromandelica. The stand density ranged from 55 to 62 individuals 0.5 ha−1 while basal area varied from 1.50 to 5.01 m2 0.5 ha−1. Shannon-Weiner index (H′) ranged from 3.09 to 3.40 while Simpson’s index from 0.95 to 0.96 and Menhinick’s index ranged from 3.04 to 4.67.
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Acknowledgements
Authors are thankful to the Head, Department of Botany, Andhra University, for providing necessary facilities for the study. K. Satyavathi (Author) is also grateful to UGC, New Delhi, for providing financial support under Junior Research Fellowship scheme.
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Koda, S., Padal, S.B., Devara, S.D. (2020). Tree Diversity Assessment in Sacred Groves of Eastern Ghats, Visakhapatnam District, Andhra Pradesh, India. In: Khasim, S.M., Long, C., Thammasiri, K., Lutken, H. (eds) Medicinal Plants: Biodiversity, Sustainable Utilization and Conservation. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-1636-8_6
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