Tree diversity, stand structure, and community composition of tropical forests in Eastern Ghats of Andhra Pradesh, India

Species diversity and density of trees were assessed in four 1-ha plots (at 457–925 m in elevation) in the Eastern Ghats of the Andhra Pradesh region comprising mostly of tropical deciduous forests based on a census of all trees with girth at breast height ≥ 15cm. We compared tree community characteristics like stem density, basal area, diversity, and species composition of four plots using a tree dataset of eight belt transects (5 m × 1000 m) in the study area. A total of 2,227 individuals of 44 families, 98 genera, and 129 species were recorded. Combretaceae, Euphorbiaceae, and Anacardiaceae, showed the greatest importance value index. It was noticed that the most species were contributed by Euphorbiaceae and the tree density varied from 435 ha–1 to 767 ha–1 with an average basal area of 25.82 m2/ha. Shannon–Weiner index (H') ranged from 3.76 to 3.96, the Simpson index ranged from 0.96 to 0.97, evenness index ranged from 0.60 to 0.78, and species richness index ranged from 10.04 to 11.24. At present the biodiversity of these forests are under threat due to the anthropogenic and upcoming mining activities. The present study will help us to understand the patterns of tree species composition and diversity in the Eastern Ghats of India.