Plant Community Analysis at Thakurwadi Village, Badlapur, Maharashtra, India

INTRODUCTION

Vegetation in any natural habitat not only undergoes development but also shows structural organization. The study of the detailed structure, description and classification of plant community is called as phytosociology. Phytosociological study gives information on the distribution of species resulting in evolution of vegetation (Soave, 2003). In the community, the individuals of all the species are not evenly distributed. Individuals of some species are widely spaced while those of some others are found in clumps or mats. The distribution patterns of individuals of different species indicate their reproductive capacity as well as their adaptability to sustain the environment. Thakurwadi is a small village in Ambernath taluka, Badlapur (West) at Thane district of Maharashtra state. It comes under Mulgaon Grampanchayat. It is 57 kilometres from Mumbai. It lies between 19o 10‘ 0.4224‖ North latitude and 73o 14‘ 12.4584‖ East longitude, at an elevation of 23 meters. At this region the temperature in summer ranges from 26.4oC to 35.2oC and in winter from 17.8oC to 30.9oC. The precipitation varies 1246mm between the driest and the wettest month. The present study gives an insight of the phytosociology of the standing vegetation including study of perpetuation of species in this locality.

This study was conducted at Thakurwadi village. A total of 10 quadrats measuring 1.0m2 were studied. Scientific names of each weed species was identified and recorded. Frequency percentage, density andabundance of all species were studied and calculated according to Raunkier (1934). Thereafter, relative frequency, relative density, relative dominance and importance value index (IVI) were estimated. The data were complied and were analysed for qualitative and quantitative study using following formulae – (Oosting, 1958; Phillips, 1959; Hanson and Churchill, 1961) Total number of quadrats in which the species occurFrequency percentage = 100Total number of quadrats studies Total number of individual speciesDensity = Total number of quadrat studied Total number of individual speciesAbundance = Total number of quadrat in which speices occur Frequency of the species in stand xRelative Frequency = 100Sum of the frequencies for all species in stand x Total number of individuals of a species Relative Density = 100Total number of individuals of all species  2Average basal areal = r/N Total basal area of the species in all the quadratsRelative Dominance = 100Total basal area of all the species in all the quadrats

Importance Value Index (IVI) of a species =

Relative frequency + Relative density + Relative dominance

The study site is shown in the enlarged view of the map of India marked as a star (Figure 1). A total of eight species belonging to eight genera and six families were identified from the area of study. The most dominant species among the weed species was identified and was found to be Alternanthera triandra (159) belonging to the family Amaranthaceae, followed by Achyranthes aspera (53) from the same family (Table 1). Chenopodium album and Acalypha indica belonging to family Amaranthaceae and Euphorbiaceae, respectively showed equal number of individuals (18). Peristrophe bicalyculata belonging to family Acanthaceae showed poor number (05). Alternanthera triandra, Achyranthes aspera and Chenopodium album were present in all the 10 quadrats studied however, Calotropis procera and Acalypha indica were also few in number (08). Cassia obtusifolia and Blumea lacera were present in 07 quadrats. Peristrophe bicalyculata was observed only in four quadrats. Similar results were observed in Frequency percentage, density and abundance. It was observed that the relative dominance of Achyranthes aspera was less (3.33) than Cassia obtusifolia (23.63) though the number of individual species of Achyranthes aspera was more than Cassia obtusifolia that is 53 and 10, respectively. The importance value index (IVI) was found to be highest in Alternanthera triandra that is 128.33 followed by Cassia obtusifolia (38.05) which is very close to Achyranthes aspera (37.48). IVI of Calotropis procera and Acalypha indica are very close to each other and that is 21.91 and 21.53, respectively. Minimum IVI was recorded in Peristrophe bicalyculata (10.99). Sarah et al. (2015) recorded a total of 59 species belonging to 54 genera and 34 families identified in the 10 plots studied at Ayer Hitam Forest Reserve, Selangor, Malaysia. Knox (2017) observed that at Sanjay Gandhi National Park the vegetation is more towards homogenosity. The dominant species at this site was Arundinella pumila followed by Convolvulus arvensis. Oudhia (1999) conducted a phytosociological survey in wasteland during rainy season and recorded about 27 weed species. Ecological survey conducted by Jaggi et al. (2012) in Agra also revealed the similar findings. Principal, Wilson College, Mumbai for providing necessary facilities.

Hanson, H. C. and Churchill, E. D. (1961). The Plant Community Reinhold Publishing Corporation, New York, pp. 149-155. Jaggi D., Knox J. and Paul M. S. (2012). Parthenium hysterophorus: a serious threat to plant biodiversity, Bio. Fo. - An Int. J., Spl. Iss. 4, pp. 132-138. Knox J. (2017). Phytosociology of selected plant communities in Mumbai District. Int. J. of Bot. Stu. 2, pp. 149-153. Oosting H. J. (1958). The Study of Plant Communities: Freeman W H & Corporation, San Francisco, New York. Oudhia P. (1999). Phytosociological studies of rainy season wasteland weeds with special references to Parthenium hysterophorus L. in Raipur India district, Asi. J. of Micro., Biotech. & Environ. Sci. 3, pp. 89-92. Phillips E. A. (1959). Methods of Vegetation Study: Holt H &Corporation, New York. Raunkier C. (1934). The Life Form of Plants and Statistical Plant Geography. Oxford: Clarendon Press. Sarah A. R., Nuradnilaila H. Haron, N. W. and Azani M. (2015). A Phytosociological Study on the Community of Palaquium gutta (Hook. f.) Baill. (Sapotaceae) at Ayer Hitam Forest Reserve, Selangor, Malaysia SainsMalaysiana 44, pp. 491-496. Soave, R. D. C. F. (2003). Phytosociological studies on natural establishment of vegetation in an unreclamined limestone mining. Brazil. Arch. of Bio. & Tech. 46, pp. 259- 269.

Figure-1. Study Site

Department of Botany, Wilson College, University of Mumbai, India drjaiknox@gmail.com