Factors influencing the floristic composition of a hill forest in West Sumatra

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The floristic composition of a tropical hill forest in Ulu Gadut, West Sumatra, Indonesia, was studied. High species diversity and differences in the floristic composition compared to other forests in West Malesia were observed. Based on the tree numbers of common species in 20 × 20m quadrats, habitat axes representing floristic composition were determined by detrended correspondence analysis. Axis 1 was significantly related to the slope convexity and stand height of a quadrat, indicating that the floristic composition is influenced not only by topography but also by growth stage and disturbance. The major disturbance in this forest prior to the study was local logging, the influence of which was found not only in the variation in floristic composition but also in vegetation development after disturbance. We concluded that the harvest of upper layer trees by local loggers enhanced the growth of lower layer tree species in this forest. The estimated original vegetation without logging differed from that of other forest stands in West Malesia because of its relatively low dominance of Dipterocarpaceae and high dominance of Fagaceae. This might have been caused by the lower temperature of the plot compared with other forests at similar altitudes in West Malesia regions. This climatic feature is also thought to contribute to the high diversity of the plot.

Journal

  • Tropics

    Tropics 15 (2), 165-175, 2006

    JAPAN SOCIETY OF TROPICAL ECOLOGY

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