ABSTRACT

Tropical dry forests play an important role in the storing of significant amounts of biomass and carbon. However, carbon storage in these forests is linked to biotic, edaphic and climatic factors as well as human interventions. The forest structure and carbon storage in relation to human interventions and soil properties were studied in tropical dry forest patches located in a transition region of the Similipal Biosphere Reserve, India. Random sampling of vegetation and soil was done in 30 plots of 50 × 20 m in size. A total of 41 adult tree species, 50 juvenile tree species and 28 climber species were recorded within the study area. The average carbon stock of the forest was 179.54 ± 9.56 Mg ha⁻¹, of which adult trees were the highest contributors (55%) followed by soil organic carbon (36%), woody climbers (6%) and juvenile trees (3%). There was a significant effect of lopping, cutting of trees and soil properties on forest structure and carbon stock. This study confirms that anthropogenic disturbances and edaphic factors play a significant role in the variation of carbon stocks of biomass and soils in the forest.

摘要

热带干旱森林在储存大量生物质和碳方面发挥着重要作用。然而，这些森林中的碳储存与生物、土壤和气候因素以及人类干预有关。在位于印度 Similipal 生物圈保护区过渡区域的热带干燥森林斑块中研究了与人类干预和土壤特性相关的森林结构和碳储存。在 30 个 50 × 20 m 大小的地块中进行植被和土壤的随机抽样。研究区内共记录到成年树种41种，幼树种50种，攀缘树种28种。森林的平均碳储量为 179.54 ± 9.56 Mg ha ^-1，其中成年树的贡献最大（55%），其次是土壤有机碳（36%）、木本攀缘树（6%）和幼树（3%）。砍伐、砍伐树木和土壤性质对森林结构和碳储量有显着影响。本研究证实，人为干扰和土壤因素在森林中生物量和土壤碳储量的变化中起重要作用。