ABSTRACT

Terminalia tomentosa (Roxb.) Wight & Arn., an important tree species in the tropical forests of India, is often reported to have poor or no regeneration in many parts of the country. The present study was conducted to evaluate the population structure and regeneration status of the species in three different forest types of the Similipal Biosphere Reserve, along with phenological behaviours for two consecutive years. Leaf initiation was positively correlated with fruit senescence (r = 0.76, p < 0.01) and flower initiation (r = 0.63, p < 0.01). However, a negative correlation was found between leaf initiation (LF2) and leaf senescence (LF5) (r = −0.42, p < 0.05). Principal Component Analysis showed that maximum temperature and rainfall in a given month are the main factors for pre-monsoon events (leaf senescence and fruit senescence) and post-monsoon events (growth and maturation of leaves and fruits). The results also revealed that regeneration failure of T. tomentosa was not due to phenological intensity but possibly to wrong phenological timing of fruit maturation. This study on regeneration status and phenological information of T. tomentosa could help develop strategies for conservation and management of this tropical tree species in its natural ecosystem.

摘要

Terminalia tomentosa (Roxb.) Wight & Arn. 是印度热带森林中的一种重要树种，据报道在该国许多地区再生不良或没有再生。本研究旨在评估该物种在 Similipal 生物圈保护区三种不同森林类型中的种群结构和更新状况，以及连续两年的物候行为。叶开始与果实衰老（r = 0.76，p < 0.01）和花开始（r = 0.63，p < 0.01）呈正相关。然而，在叶起始（LF2）和叶衰老（LF5）之间发现负相关（r = -0.42，p< 0.05)。主成分分析表明，给定月份的最高温度和降雨量是季风前事件（叶衰老和果实衰老）和季风后事件（叶和果实的生长和成熟）的主要因素。结果还表明，T. tomentosa再生失败不是由于物候强度，而可能是由于果实成熟的错误物候时间。在再生状态和物候信息，这项研究T.毛白杨可以帮助开发其自然生态系统这个热带树种的保护和管理策略。