ISSN 2756-3367
African Journal of Ecology and Ecosystems ISSN: 9428-167X Vol. 6 (3), pp. 001-007, March, 2019. © International Scholars Journals
Full Length Research Paper
Comparison of understorey vegetation in exotic and indigenous tree plantations in Shivalik Hills of N. W. Indian Himalayas (Himachal Pradesh)
Kuldip S. Dogra1, 2*, Sarvesh K. Sood1, Parveen K. Dobhal2 and Suresh Kumar1
1Department of Biosciences, Himachal Pradesh University Summer Hill Shimla- 171005, India.
2Department of Botany, Panjab University Chandigarh-160014, India.
Accepted 16 January, 2019
Abstract
Presently, a total of 104 species belonging to 87 genera under 38 families of flowering plants in exotic (Eucalyptus citriodora Hook.) and indigenous (Pinus roxburghii Sarg.) tree plantations were determined. There were higher numbers of plant species under the indigenous plantations as compared to the exotic ones. In Eucalyptus plantations 60% species were exotic, 36.92% indigenous and 3.08% obscure as compared to 44.44% exotic, 54.33% indigenous and only 1.23% obscure species under Pinus ones. The alpha diversity also decreased by 34.73% under the exotic tree plantations of Eucalyptus. Evidently, the exotic tree plantations become in-roads for the opportunistic and environmentally flexible species with wide ecological amplitude.
Key words: Species diversity, exotic, indigenous, N. W. Indian Himalayas.