Shriya Garg’s research while affiliated with Jawaharlal Nehru University and other places

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Publications (2)


Effect of tree canopy on herbaceous vegetation and soil characteristics in semi-arid forests of the Aravalli hills
  • Article

August 2021

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87 Reads

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12 Citations

Arid Land Research and Management

Shriya Garg

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Rajendra Kr. Joshi

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Herbaceous vegetation is of great ecological importance and responds quickly to environmental changes. The present study was aimed to understand the variation in herbaceous species composition, biomass and soil physico-chemical properties in the naturally formed gap and the understory of semi-arid forests in the Aravalli hills. Four permanent plots consisting of the gap as well as the understory were established. To study herbs phytosociological attributes and biomass, 10 quadrats of 0.5 × 0.5 m size were laid in each plot. For soil physico-chemical properties, 5 soil samples were collected randomly at 0–10 cm depth from each plot. Relationships among biodiversity indices, herbaceous biomass and soil physico-chemical properties were determined using Redundancy Analysis (RDA) and correlation analysis. Across the sites, Poaceae was the dominant family. All species showed a contagious distribution pattern. In the understory, Importance Value Index (IVI) was the recorded highest for Oplismenus burmannii, ranging from 138 to 230.5 while in the gap, it was the highest for Achyranthes aspera (56.15) followed by Eragrostis ciliaris (53.1). Both sites included, herbaceous community biomass in the gap ranging from 700 to 900 g m⁻² while in the understory it ranged from 30 to 70 g m⁻². Cenchrus ciliaris (597.97 g m⁻²) and Chrysopogon sp. (391.2 g m⁻²) contributed a major proportion of herbaceous community biomass in the gap. Oplismenus burmannii (52.2 g m⁻²), Dipteracanthus prostratus (16.6 g m⁻²) and Cynodon dactylon (9.6 g m⁻²) contributed a major proportion of herbaceous community biomass in the understory. The understory soil had significantly (p < 0.05) higher soil moisture (%), electrical conductivity (EC), soil organic carbon (SOC) and soil total nitrogen (TN) compared to the gap. Even though canopy had positive effects on soil physico-chemical properties, it has negatively influenced herbaceous species composition, diversity and biomass, due to significant reduction in solar radiation reaching the ground.


Figure 5 Soil physical properties at four sites of the study area. Different letters indicate signicant differences among means after Tukey's test (P ≤ 0.05). Error bars represent the standard error of the mean values.
Figure 6 edundancy analysis (RDA) of association of herbs species biomass and soil properties in the canopy and under canopy sites. Each code indicates the name of the species. (Achyranthes aspera =ACA, Ageratum houstonianum=AGH, Arundinella pumila =ARP, Brachiara ramose=BRR, Cenchrus ciliaris=CEC, Chloris barbata=CHB, Chrysopogon sp. =CHS, Cynodon dactylon=CYD, Dipteracanthus prostrates=DIP, Dactyloctenium aegyptium=DAA, Elytraria acaulis=ELA, Eragrostis ciliaris=ERC, Heteropogon contortus=HEC, Hibiscus lobatus=HIL, Lathyrus palustris=LAP, Oplismenus burmannii=OPB, Pupalia lappacea=PUL, Setaria verticillata=SEV, Sida sp. =SIS).
Herbs species and their attributes encountered in the study area
Effect of tree canopy on species composition, diversity and biomass of herbaceous vegetation and soil characteristics in semi-arid forests of the Aravalli hills
  • Preprint
  • File available

October 2020

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1,958 Reads

Background: Herbaceous vegetation is of great ecological importance and responds quickly to environmental changes. Present study was aimed to understand the variation in herbaceous species composition, diversity, biomass and soil physicochemical properties in canopy gaps and under the canopy of semi-arid forests in the Aravalli hills. Methods: Four permanent plots consisting of canopy gaps and under canopy were established. To study herbs phytosociological attributes and biomass, 10 quadrats of 0.5 x 0.5 m size were laid in each plot. For soil physico-chemical properties, 5 soil samples were collected randomly at 0-10 cm depth from each plot. Relationship between biodiversity indices, herbs biomass and soil physicochemical properties was determined using Redundancy Analysis (RDA) and correlation analyses. Results: The sites differed in terms of herbaceous species composition, diversity, biomass and soil physico-chemical properties. Canopy gaps were dominated by grasses while forbs were higher under the canopy. Across the sites, poaceae was the dominant family. All species showed contagious distribution pattern. Oplismenus burmannii reported highest IVI (138.0; 230.5) under the canopy while Achyranthes aspera (56.15) and Eragrostis ciliaris (53.1) had highest IVI in canopy gaps. Diversity indices were higher in canopy gaps. Herbaceous community biomass in canopy gaps ranged from 700-900 gm⁻² while under the canopy it ranged from 30-70 gm⁻². Cenchrus ciliaris (597.97 gm⁻²) and Chrysopogon sp. (391.2 gm⁻²) constituted major proportion of biomass in canopy gaps. The soil of under canopy regions had lower pH and bulk density, but higher soil moisture (%), electrical conductivity, soil organic carbon (SOC), soil total nitrogen (TN), SOC stock and soil TN stock than the canopy gaps. Linear positive relationship between species diversity and biomass; negative relationship between soil chemical properties and herbaceous biomass was found in study area. Even though canopy had positive effects on soil physico-chemical properties, overall negative effect on herbaceous diversity and biomass was seen. Conclusions: Reduced light for photosynthesis and tree root competition for soil resources may be the major factors negatively affecting herbaceous diversity and biomass. Canopy had a significant impact and herbs species composition, diversity, biomass and soil physico-chemical properties showed distinct differences in relation to it.

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Citations (1)


... It contributes to forest biodiversity, influences forest regeneration, promotes material cycling and energy flow, and provides specialized responses to disturbances (Landuyt et al., 2019;Xu et al., 2020). Despite its critical functions, the understory herb layer biomass constitutes a minimal percentage of the overall community biomass, leading researchers to often overlook this crucial component (Garg et al., 2022;Tian et al., 2023). Recognizing the significance of the herb layer and its unique contributions to the ecosystem is indispensable for a comprehensive understanding of mountain forest ecosystems. ...

Reference:

Characteristics of forest understory herbaceous vegetation and its influencing factors in biodiversity hotspots in China
Effect of tree canopy on herbaceous vegetation and soil characteristics in semi-arid forests of the Aravalli hills
  • Citing Article
  • August 2021

Arid Land Research and Management