Spatial patterns of tree and shrub species diversity in Savanadurga State Forest, Karnataka.

A study conducted in Savanadurga State Forest in Karnataka indicates that the spatial variation of trees was high and similarity among the species in the adjacent plots was low, suggesting that the spatial heterogeneity is influencing the pattern of diversity of tree species. The degraded forest, which is considered as scrub and tree savanna of the Anogeissus-Chloroxylon-Acacia series is highly diverse, recording over 59 tree and 119 shrub species. Tree species similarity index among quadrants in the Forest less than 0.02 indicating high diversity in tree species within a limited area of sample. Conversely, the shrub species are far more similar than the tree species when the two plots were compared. The number of items >1 cm DBH is observed in the sampled plot (7844/ha) is high, further reinforcing that the area is rich in specie and stems. Correlation between species diversity of mean and standard deviations of adjacent plots of the focal plot was high, indicating that the species -rich patches in the forest are likely to associate with other species rich patches. The study is based in 30 quadrants of 25m x 25m laid at 1 km interval over the state forest.,