Status of the Red-Listed Plant Species, Smilax wightii A. DC. in Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, the Western Ghats, India
2009
Paulsamy, S., Kongunadu Arts and Science College, Coimbatore, India | Vijayakumar, K.K., Kongunadu Arts and Science College, Coimbatore, India | Kil, B.S., Wonkwang University, Iksan, Republic of Korea | Senthilkumar, P., Kongunadu Arts and Science College, Coimbatore, India
The rare endemic plant, Smilax wightii, is generally distributed in shola forests at high altitudes in Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, the Western Ghats, southern India. To determine the ecological status of the species, we surveyed 11 major shola forests in that region. S. wightii has a limited distribution in all sholas (frequency value of less than 13%). The density of the species is generally around 15/100 ㎡ in the sholas except in Thiashola where it occurred at a density of 40 individuals/100 ㎡. The density of S. wightii was generally greater in the margins of the shoals, while the interior forests contained fewer individuals per unit area. The basal cover occupied by this species ranged between 2246 and 3144 ㎟/100 ㎡. The importance value index for S. wightii was greater than 2 in all shoals, which indicates that the species occupies an important position in the lower stratum of shola forests of Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve.
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