scholarly journals Floristic composition and plant species diversity in and around the brickfield areas of Savar-Dhamrai region of Dhaka district

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 91-108
Author(s):  
Saiful Islam ◽  
Shayla Sharmin Shetu ◽  
Md Abdur Rahim ◽  
Saleh Ahammad Khan

This study has confirmed the occurrence of a total of 181 species of vascular plants under 133 genera and 51 families and estimates the plant species diversity in and around the brickfield areas of Savar-Dhamrai region of Dhaka district. Of these, six species were pteridophytes, 175 were Angiosperms, and 144 species were economically important. Five families, composed of six species, belonged to Pteridophyta, 40 families, consist of 128 species, to Magnoliopsida (dicotyledons) and six families, comprised of 47 species, to Liliopsida (monocotyledons). Total of 161 species were herbs, 14 were shrubs, and only six were trees. Asteraceae with 14 species and Poaceae with 24 species were the largest family in Magnoliopsida and Liliopsida, respectively. Amaranthus L., Persicaria (L.) Mill., Solanum L. and Lindernia All. with four species each were appeared as the best representative genera in Mangoliopsida, while Cyperus L. with five species in Liliopsida. The species composition and diversity of abandoned brickfields were found to be higher than those of functional brickfields. A total of 42 (23.20%) species were common in both abandoned and functional brickfields of this region. Species composition in the abandoned brickfields of Savar and Dhamrai was mostly similar (64.15%). This study suggests to control and monitor the brickfields under the respective authorities to favor the formation and regeneration of natural vegetation in their neighboring areas. Jahangirnagar University J. Biol. Sci. 9(1 & 2): 91-108, 2020 (June & December)

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 131-138
Author(s):  
Di Wang ◽  
Yi-Ran Zhang ◽  
Yu-Long Feng ◽  
Zhi Liu ◽  
Bo Qu

Abstract Aims Riparian corridors play vital roles in the maintenance of biodiversity. Nonetheless, plant species diversity and vegetation coverage in riparian corridors are seriously threatened by increasing pressure owing to livestock consumption and anthropogenic disturbance; even the stability of river courses has been threatened. The establishment of enclosures is a widely used strategy to restore degraded grassland ecosystems, but its impact on degraded herbaceous riparian vegetation and soil properties remains unclear. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether species composition, richness, diversity, and soil properties can be recovered by the enclosure. Methods Twenty long-term monitoring sample plots were set in the Liaohe main stream river, Liaohe main stream river was enclosed for grazing and farmland exclusion in 2012. The height, coverage and individual numbers of plant were recorded for species richness and diversity evaluation from 2012 to 2017; soil nutrients were measured for comparative analysis in 2012 and 2017. We examined the effects of the establishment of enclosures on plant species diversity and soil properties from 2012 to 2017 in the riparian corridors of the Liaohe River system in China. Important Findings Plant species richness and diversity significantly increased from 2012 to 2017. The dominance of Asteraceae plants increased, while the abundance of Gramineae plants decreased over time. The difference in abundance increased each year since enclosure was implemented in 2012. The concentrations of phosphorus and potassium in the soil significantly decreased as a result of the combined effects of vegetation restoration and prohibition of farming practices following the establishment of enclosures. There was also a lag time related to the response of soil organic matter to the establishment of enclosures. In conclusion, our study provides new evidence regarding the response of species diversity, species composition and soil properties following riparian vegetation restoration efforts through enclosure development.


2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 19-24
Author(s):  
Venkatachalapathi A ◽  
Gokulakrishnan M ◽  
Sushmitha V ◽  
Uma Maheswari R ◽  
Kaveri L ◽  
...  

The present study is aimed to identify the diversity status and medicinal plant species present in natural vegetation of Kongunadu Arts and Science College Campus, Coimbatore. The study was conducted during the period between October, 2015 and February, 2016 through exploration was made periodically atweekly intervals in all vegetation areas of Kongunadu Arts and Science College, Coimbatore to enlist the species. A total of 50 plant species belongs to 47 genera which are included in 29 families are present in the campus. The total number of species in herbs is higher (27) followed by the trees and climbers with 8 species,shrubs with 4 species in the college campus. The documentation of this floristic list along with the economic uses of plants may be considered as a baseline data for future management and perspective of plant species diversity.


Author(s):  
Andrew Wilby ◽  
Bertrand Boeken

There are many mechanisms whereby animal activity can directly or indirectly influence the species diversity of plant communities. Most obviously, herbivory can influence the species composition directly through plant mortality or indirectly by changing the outcome of interspecific competition (Hulme 1996). Animals may also affect plant species composition by modifying the physical structure of the environment such that the flow of resources required for plant growth is altered. Such physical effects mediated by the physical structure of the environment have been termed ‘ecosystem engineering’ (defined in table 11.1; Jones et al. 1994, 1997, Lawton 1994, Lawton and Jones 1995). Animals may have other functions that influence the persistence of populations (e.g., pollination) or the colonization of new sites (seed dispersal). In this chapter we aim to provide an overview of how these diverse effects of animals influence plant species diversity, and to this end, we propose community assembly theory as a conceptual framework. Community assembly theory provides us with a schematic representation of the vital steps involved in the determination of species presence or absence at a particular site. By asking how might animal activity influence each of the steps of assembly, we ensure a comprehensive outlook on how animals affect plant species diversity. That said, we restrict ourselves in this chapter to ecological mechanisms and we do not consider evolutionary effects that are of undoubted importance at higher levels of spatial and temporal scales. Following our discussion of animal effects on community assembly, we highlight two case studies of herbivores arising from recent research in Israel. We use insights provided by these examples to suggest mechanisms that are likely to be of particular importance in arid ecosystems. For example, we suggest that since the flow of water, the primary limiting factor in these systems, is so easily influenced by structural changes in the environment, physical ecosystem engineering may be a relatively important, though previously neglected, interaction type in arid ecosystems. The processes governing which species occur in a particular plant community can be summarized very simply.


2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 192025 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susannah C. Graham ◽  
Alan S. Barrett ◽  
Leslie R. Brown

Mesic Highveld Grassland is important for biodiversity conservation, but is threatened by bush densification from Seriphium plumosum . This indigenous densifier spreads rapidly and outcompetes other herbaceous species, changing the species composition and structure of grasslands. This study looks at three different densities of S. plumosum and how these affect grassland biodiversity within Telperion, Mpumalanga, South Africa. An intermediate density of S. plumosum (1500 individuals (ind) ha −1 ) resulted in the highest plant species diversity ( H = 2.26), a low density (24 ind ha −1 ) was moderately diverse ( H = 1.96) and a high density (9500 ind ha −1 ) was least diverse ( H = 1.78). There were differences between the three densities in terms of plant species diversity, with the intermediate density being significantly more diverse ( p < 0.01) than both the low and high densities. Findings indicate that there was a significant difference between the sites in terms of ecological successional status ( p < 0.01). The presence of S. plumosum at low densities can be considered an integral part of the environment. It is important that in areas where S. plumosum occurs, it should be monitored. If this species is not in balance within its environment and it starts becoming dense, it will negatively affect the biodiversity, species composition and structure of the habitat.


Science ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 345 (6204) ◽  
pp. 1574-1574
Author(s):  
A. M. Sugden

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