Konni Forest Division, a part of Southern Western Ghats, on the bank of River Achencoil carries long history of man-forest interface and harbours rich floral diversity supporting three different eco regions. The present study aimed to assess the floral diversity of Konni Forest Division and its distribution in relation to various edaphic factors. Forest types are identified by reconnaissance su...

Monitoring changes in landscape cover types has been a great concern for forest and wildlife managers. Both managers find it very important to know how much area is suitable for wildlife species and what areas are affected due to anthropogenic pressure. To address these concerns, evaluation of Chandoli National Park was done to see the changes that have taken place over the past 28 years. The N...

To quantify the carbon (C) sink in intact tropical forests, Pan et al. (2011) multiplied ‘...region-specific estimates of C density or change in C density times the associated areas represented by the region-specific estimates.’ A retrospective interpolation based on their numbers provides insight into the possible causes of a C sink in intact tropical forests. First, however, there are two rea...

We tested the heterogeneity/productivity hypothesis with respect to the abundance and richness of birds and the vegetation density hypothesis with respect to birds' nest predation rates, and determined the relative importance of forested vegetation formations for the conservation of birds in the Pantanal. We estimated the apparent nesting success, and the abundance and richness of nesting birds...

Tropical forest fragmentation creates insular biological communities that undergo species loss and changes in community composition over time, due to area- and edge-effects. Woody lianas thrive in degraded and secondary forests, due to their competitive advantage over trees in these habitats. Lianas compete both directly and indirectly with trees, increasing tree mortality and turnover. Despite...

Tropical forests are carbon-dense and highly productive ecosystems. Consequently, they play an important role in the global carbon cycle. In the present study we used an individual-based forest model (FORMIND) to analyze the carbon balances of a tropical forest. The main processes of this model are tree growth, mortality, regeneration, and competition. Model parameters were calibrated using for...

The structure of and growth forms and habits exhibited by the New Zealand rain forest are described and compared with those of lowland tropical rain forest. Theories relating to the frequent regeneration failure of the forest dominants are outlined. The floristic affinities of the forest type are discussed and it is suggested that two main elements can be recognized-lowland tropical and montane...

The 900-odd species of Ficus (20, 21) constitute the most distinctive of the widespread genera of tropical plants. Figs have (a) a complex obligatory mutualism with their pollinating agaonid fig wasps, yet are found in almost all tropical habitat types and geographic locations [this sets them apart from ant-acacias (63-65), euglossine-orchids (24,26), moth-yuccas (45, 88, 89,), ant-epiphytes (6...

Forests play a vital role in terrestrial carbon cycling; therefore, monitoring forest biomass at local to global scales has become a challenging issue in the context of climate change. In this study, we investigated the backscattering properties of Advanced Land Observing Satellite (ALOS) Phased Array L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (PALSAR) data in cashew and rubber plantation areas of Cambodi...