RASINGAM & PARATHASARATHY 89

Tropical Ecology 50(1): 89-102, 2009 ISSN 0564-3295

© International Society for Tropical Ecology
www.tropecol.com

Tree species diversity and population structure across major forest

formations and disturbance categories in Little Andaman Island, India

L. RASINGAM & N. PARATHASARATHY*

Department of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Pondicherry University,

Puducherry 605 014, India

Abstract: The Andaman and Nicobar islands, located in the Indian ocean, are among the
biodiversity rich localities in India. Several islands in the southern part were severely affected
by a recent cyclone ‘tsunami’. We compared patterns of tree species diversity and extent of
damage by tsunami at eight sites in Little Andaman island within eight one ha plots. The
study sites were located at relatively undisturbed and disturbed Evergreen (UE, DE), Semi-
evergreen (US, DS), Deciduous (UD, DD) and Littoral (UL, DL) forests. A total of 4252 trees
≥30 cm girth at breast height, covering 186 species in 125 genera and 56 families were recorded
within these sites. Of these, 23 species (12.4%) were endemic to these islands. Tree species
richness was lowest (18 species ha-1) in the tsunami affected littoral forest and highest (84
species ha-1) in the UE. Tree density (79 to 935 trees ha-1) and basal area (41 to 59.10 m2 ha-1)
were greater in all the undisturbed forests as compared to disturbed forests. In all the eight
sites, tree species richness and density decreased with increasing girth class and the stand
structure of the forests displayed a reverse J-shaped curve, with the exception of the DL.
Importance Value Index of three endemic species viz., Manilkara littoralis, Canarium
euphyllum and Terminalia bialata has been compared across the forest types and tsunami hit
areas. Management implications are discussed.

Resumen: Las islas Andamán y Nicobar, localizadas en el Océano Índico, figuran entre las
localidades ricas en biodiversidad de la India. Varias islas de su parte sur fueron afectadas
severamente por un reciente tsunami. Comparamos patrones de diversidad de especies
arbóreas y la magnitud del tsunami en ocho sitios en la isla Pequeña Andamán, en ocho
parcelas de 1 ha. Los sitios de estudio se localizaron en bosques perennifolios (UE, DE),
subperennifolios (US, DS), caducifolios (UD, DD) y de litoral, tanto relativamente no
perturbados como perturbados. En estos sitios se registró un total de 4252 árboles ≥ 30 cm de
perímetro a la altura del pecho, los cuales incluyeron 186 especies distribuidas en 125 géneros
y 56 familias. De éstas, 23 especies (12.4%) resultaron ser endémicas de las isla. La riqueza de
especies arbóreas tuvo su mínimo (18 especies ha-1) en el bosque de litoral afectado por el
tsunami y su máximo (84 especies ha-1) en el UE. La densidad arbórea (79 a 935 árboles ha-1) y
el área basal (41 a 59.10 m2 ha-1) tuvieron valores mayores en los sitios no perturbados que en
los bosques perturbados. En los ocho sitios, la riqueza y la densidad de especies arbóreas y su
densidad decrecieron hacia las clases perimétricas mayores, y las estructuras de rodal de los
bosques mostraron una curva en forma de J invertida, con excepción del de DL. Los Índices de
Valor de Importancia de tres especies endémicas, Manilkara littoralis, Canarium euphyllum y
Terminalia bialata, fueron comparados entre tipos de bosque y áreas afectadas por el tsunami.
Se discuten las implicaciones para el manejo.

Resumo: As ilhas de Andaman e Nicobar, localizadas no oceano Índico, estão entre as

* Corresponding Author; e-mail: parthapu@yahoo.com

90 TREE DIVERSITY IN LITTLE ANDAMAN ISLAND

localidades com maior riqueza em biodiversidade na Índia. Várias ilhas na parte sul foram
severamente afectadas por um ciclone “tsunami” recente. Comparam-se os padrões de
diversidade arbórea e a extensão dos estragos pelo tsunami em oito parcelas de um hectare
localizadas na pequena ilha de Andaman. As estações de estudo foram localizadas em locais
perturbados e não perturbados na floresta sempreverde (EU e DE), na floresta semi-
sempreverde (US e DS), na floresta decídua (UD, DD) e Litoral (UL, DL). Um total de 4252
árvores com perímetro à altura do peito ≥ 30 cm, cobrindo 186 espécies em 125 géneros e 56
famílias foram registadas nestas estações. Destas, 23 espécies (12,4%) eram endémicas nestas
ilhas. A riqueza nas espécies arbóreas era mais baixa (18 espécies ha-1) nas florestas litorâneas
afectada pelo tsunami e mais alta (84 espécies ha-1) na EU. A densidade arbórea (79 a 935
arvores ha-1) e uma área basal (41 a 59,10 m2 ha-1) foi maior em todas as florestas não
disturbadas quando em comparação com as disturbadas. Em todas a oito estações, a riqueza
arbórea e a densidade decresceu com o aumento da classe de perímetro e a estrutura da parcela
das florestas apresentavam uma curva do tipo J invertido, com excepção da DL. O índice do
Valor de Importância de três espécies endémicas viz. Manilkara littoralis, Canarium
euphyllum e Terminalia bialata foi comparado ao longo dos tipos florestais e nas áreas
atingidas pelo tsunami. As implicações para a gestão são discutidas.

Key words: Conservation, human disturbance, Little Andaman, stand structure,

selective logging, tree diversity.

Introduction insular flora is, therefore, very vital to understand

Insular biology has always drawn the
attention of a number of ecologists (e.g.,
Balakrishnan & Rao 1983; Renvoize 1979). It has
contributed much to our knowledge of speciation,
adaptability, invasion, colonization and evolution.
Islands tend to have higher percentage of
endangered species than other areas due to small
geographical area available for each species.
Presently, a vast majority of the island biota are
severely threatened due to incessant
anthropogenic pressures (Bramwell 1979). Rapid
loss of tropical forests is recognized as one of the
serious environmental and economic problems all
over the world (Hare et al. 1997). A number of
conservation biologists have raised concern over
loss of biodiversity in tropical forests owing to the
deforestation and imprudent infra-structure
development in the name of modernization. It is
doubtful whether modern man will arrive even at
the stage of alpha taxonomy of some of the insular
floras before they vanish in catastrophic events.
This situation may hold true for islands such as
Andaman and Nicobar (A&N), where nearly 17%
of the plants are endemic (Reddy et al. 2004).
Information on the distribution and abundance of
the patterns of speciation, extent of plant diversity
across the small islands and to draw long term
plans for their conservation and management.
The flora of A&N islands is insufficiently
known as compared to other parts of India and
nearly 20% of the area remains unexplored.
Earlier studies have mainly focused on the
qualitative assessment of the forest wealth and
only few efforts have been made to quantify the
vegetation structure and composition (Padalia et
al. 2004; Tripathi et al. 2004). This study was
undertaken, to determine tree species diversity
and stand structure in relatively undisturbed and
disturbed evergreen, semi-evergreen, deciduous
and littoral forests in Little Andaman. Major
findings of the study with reference to floristic
composition, species diversity and population
structure of tree layer across disturbed and
undisturbed categories of these forests are
discussed.
Material and methods
Study area
The study was carried out in Little Andaman,
which forms a part of A&N group of islands, India
 RASINGAM & PARATHASARATHY 91

Fig. 1. Map showing the location of Little Andaman Island, east of Indian mainland and eight study
sites in the island. The complete names of study sites are mentioned in the text.

(10° 30’ - 10° 54' N latitudes and 92° 20’ - 92° 35' E
longitudes; Fig. 1). It is the third largest island in
A&N and covers an area of 733 km2. The terrain is
more or less flat with undulations in the northern
parts. The central and western portions are hilly
and the highest elevation is about 210 m asl.
Perennial streams are numerous which run both
in the east-west and west-east directions.
Geologically, the island comprises thick
sedimentary deposits of Eocene period deposited
on pre-Tertiary fine grey sandstone, shales and silt
stones. Coral reef formations are found in the
south-western portion. The soils are loose in
texture and low in water holding capacity. The
climate is warm and the temperature ranges from
22° - 32°C. The island receives rains from southwest
and northeast monsoon (April-December). The
mean annual rainfall ranges from 3000-3500 mm
and humidity is 85-90% throughout the year.
The major vegetation types in the island are
Andaman Tropical Evergreen, Andaman Semi-
evergreen, Andaman Moist Deciduous and Littoral
forests (Champion & Seth 1968). The littoral
forests extend up to 150-200 m from the seashore
and are mostly dominated by endemic tree
Manilkara littoralis, in association with
Terminalia catappa, Gyrocarpus americanus,
Guettarda speciosa and Pongamia pinnata. The
deciduous forests are located beyond littoral
forests and extend up to 400-600 m inland,
characterized by Terminalia bialata, T. procera, T.
citrina, Tetrameles nudiflora and Pterocymbium
tinctorium. The semi-evergreen forests, distributed
in the south-eastern part of the island harbour
dominant trees such as Oroxylum indicum,
Canarium euphyllum, Neonauclea gageana and
Tetrameles nudiflora. The evergreen forests are
distributed from shore up to 210 m in the interior
side of the island and are mostly dominated by
Pometia pinnata, Dipterocarpus spp. and Euodia
glabra. All forest types were subjected to some
level of selective felling from 1983-2001. Timber
extraction was banned by the order of Supreme
Court of India in 2002.
Field methods
Eight 1 ha plots were established, one each in
undisturbed (site code prefixed with ‘U’) and
92 TREE DIVERSITY IN LITTLE ANDAMAN ISLAND

disturbed (site code prefixed with ‘D’) evergreen
(UE, DE), semi-evergreen (US, DS), deciduous
(UD, DD) and littoral (UL, DL) forests. Plots DE
and UE are located ~ 8 km northwest from Hut
Bay, the capital town of Little Andaman island.
The inter-distance between these plots was ~ 1
km. Semi-evergreen forest plots (US, DS) are
situated in southwestern part of Hut Bay. Plot DS
is 2 km away from site US and is located near a
metal quarry and subjected to disturbance by the
quarry workers and domestic animals. Plot DD is
located close to human settlements and disturbed
by tourism activity, cattle grazing and illegal
timber extraction for household materials. The two
littoral forest plots were selected based on the
destruction of tsunami and human disturbance.
Site DL was totally damaged by tsunami in
December 2004, and four months later A&N Forest
Plantation and Development Corporation
extracted all the dead trees. Plot UL is located 10
km away from DL, where the sea level increased
up to 5 m during the tsunami, but did not damage
the arborescent flora of the site. The altitude of all
the forest plots ranged from sea shore up to 70 m
above sea level and all the sites experience various
levels of human disturbances. Site disturbance
scores were arrived based on the observation
through questionnaire survey made during the
field work by inquiring from the local people. The
qualitative assessment of various types of
disturbance was ranked as none (0), very low (1),
low (2), medium (3) and high (4) (Table 1).
Each of the hectare plot was divided into 10 x
10 m quadrats for systematic enumeration. All
trees ≥30 cm girth at breast height (gbh, 1.3 m)
were enumerated. For multi-stemmed trees the
bole girth was measured separately, basal area
calculated and summed following Mueller-Dombois
& Ellenberg (1974). The voucher specimens were
collected for each species to confirm their identity.
Identification of specimens was carried out in the
herbarium of Botanical Survey of India, Port Blair
(PBL) and Department of Ecology and
Environmental Sciences, Puducherry, using the
Forest Flora of Andaman Islands (Parkinson 1923)
and the Flora of Andaman & Nicobar Islands
(Hajra et al. 1999). The voucher specimens are
deposited in the Department of Ecology and
Environmental Sciences, Pondicherry University.
Data analysis
Species diversity indices such as Shannon –
Wiener index and Simpson’s index were calculated
following Magurran (1988). Relative density,
relative dominance, relative frequency and
Importance Value Index (IVI), a measure of
relative prominence of various species in the forest
were calculated following Cottam & Curtis (1956).
The species-area curve was plotted by sequential

Table 1. Site disturbance scores (rank: 0 – none; 1 – rare; 2 – low; 3 – medium; 4 – high) of undisturbed
and disturbed evergreen (UE, DE), semi-evergreen (US, DS), deciduous (UD, DD) and littoral forests (UL,
DL) of Little Andaman Island, India.
Evergreen Semi- Deciduous
Littoral forest
Disturbance forest evergreen forest forest
UE DE US DS UD DD UL DL
Plantation 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 2
Tourism activity 0 0 0 0 1 2 2 0
Illegal timber extraction 1 3 1 3 3 4 2 4
Removal of dead and fallen wood 1 3 0 3 2 4 1 4
Past logging 4 4 3 3 3 3 2 4
Livestock grazing 1 3 0 4 2 4 2 4
Presence of exotics 0 0 0 1 1 4 0 4
Foot paths 1 3 0 2 2 3 1 4
Pipelines 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0
Medicinal plant collection 1 2 0 2 1 1 2 3
Tsunami-affected 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 4
Quarry 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0
Total score 9 18 4 22 16 25 14 33
 RASINGAM & PARATHASARATHY 93

arrangement of 10 x 100 m sub-plots. The patterns multi-stemmed individuals was higher in UL

of tree species composition were examined in the forest (31), followed by UD forest (17) and lowest
eight sites using non-metric multidimensional in DL (1). Of the total 186 tree species and 44
scaling (NMS) ordination. The ordination was species (23%) were represented by just one
performed based on the data of species richness individual. The species-area curves for all eight
and disturbance scores, using PC-ORD package. sites did not reach an asymptote at the hectare
To examine the species similarity among the ten plot scale. The species increment was steep in
sites an agglomerative hierarchical clustering was forests UE (30) and US (22) at 0.1 ha level and low
performed, using Sorensen’s index (Magurran in the DL (4) and DD (9), and 1 to 15 species were
1988). regularly added up at every 0.1 ha increment.
Thus, 1 ha sample plots were insufficient to
Results capture the species richness of these forests (Fig.
2).
Species richness and diversity
A total of 186 species of trees ≥ 30 cm gbh
belonging to 125 genera and 56 families were
recorded in all the plots of undisturbed and
disturbed evergreen, semi-evergreen, deciduous
and littoral forests (Table 2). Of these, two species
could be identified only to genus level and 12
species remained unidentified. The species
richness was highest in UE forest (84) followed by
US forests (83), DE (73), UD (58), UL (43), DS (43),
DD (41) and DL forest (18). Sites UE and US
harboured higher diversity of genera and family
among all the forests. The species diversity indices
varied greatly across eight study sites as
influenced by the disturbance level. Highest value
of Shannon index (3.6) was obtained for US forest.
DL forest yielded low score of Shannon index (1.6) Fig. 2. Species-area curves of tree species in the
and high Simpson index (0.42). The number of eight study sites.

Table 2. Summary of tree diversity inventory (≥ 30 cm gbh) in eight 1 ha plots, distributed respectively
one each in undisturbed and disturbed evergreen (UE, DE), semi-evergreen (US, DS), deciduous (UD, DD)
and littoral (UL, DL) forests of Little Andaman Island, India. (Total number of species, genera and
families in all the forests are 186, 125 and 56 respectively).
Evergreen forest Semi-evergreen forest Deciduous forest Littoral forest
Variables
UE DE US DS UD DD UL DL
Species richness 84 73 83 43 58 41 43 18
No. of genera 63 58 64 39 50 39 38 18
No. of families 35 33 36 28 29 25 26 15
Diversity indices
(i) Shannon 3.4 3.5 3.6 2.7 3.1 1.7 2.7 1.6
(ii) Simpson 0.06 0.05 0.05 0.13 0.07 0.44 0.12 0.42
Density (stems ha-1) 488 410 935 543 519 623 655 79
Basal area (m2 ha-1) 47.7 41.0 55.3 44.7 57.5 49.4 59.7 51.1
No. of multi-stemmed individuals 2 3 17 7 5 9 31 1
Maximum tree gbh (cm) 412 421 593 325 487 352 541 610
Average tree gbh (cm) 91.2 91.7 71.5 89.9 92.6 86.5 80.7 250.2
94 TREE DIVERSITY IN LITTLE ANDAMAN ISLAND

Table 3. Density of all tree species ≥30 cm gbh encountered in the eight study plots (stems ha-1) of
Little Andaman forests (Abbreviations as in Table 1).
Density
Species (and family)
UE DE US DS UD DD UL DL Total
Terminalia bialata Stued. (Combretaceae) 4 2 7 14 47 409 11 0 494
Tetrameles nudiflora R.Br.ex Benn.(Datiscaceae) - 20 31 166 90 10 - - 317
Pterocymbium tinctorium (Blanco) Merr. (Sterculiaceae) 2 14 122 35 23 17 8 1 222
Gyrocarpus americanus Jacq. (Hernandiaceae) - - - - - - 182 1 183
Bombax insigne Wall. (Bombacaceae) 4 2 46 29 27 9 34 3 154
Knema andamanica (Warb.) de Willde (Myristicaceae) 44 56 35 1 - - 2 - 138
Manilkara littoralis (Kurz) Dubard (Sapotaceae) - - - - - - 78 51 129
Pometia pinnata J.R.Forst & G.Forst (Sapindaceae) 48 59 10 2 10 - - - 129
Terminalia procera Roxb. (Combretaceae) - 4 43 23 40 11 - - 121
Canarium euphyllum Kurz (Burseraceae) 2 8 97 4 2 - 2 - 115
Dipterocarpus alatus Roxb. (Dipterocarpaceae) 58 11 8 5 21 - - - 103
Dipterocarpus gracilis Bl. (Dipterocarpaceae) 30 1 2 5 44 7 - - 89
Guettarda speciosa L. (Rubiaceae) - - - - - - 88 - 88
Lagerstromia hypoleuca Kurz (Lythraceae) - - 6 61 12 3 - - 82
Terminalia citriana King (Combretaceae) 2 - 5 10 52 5 - - 74
Neolamarkia cadamba (Roxb.) Bosser (Rubiaceae) - - - 42 23 6 - - 71
Neonauclea gageana (King) Merr. (Rubiaceae) - - 30 38 - - - - 68
Celtis philippensis Blanco var. wightii (Planch.) Scop. (Ulmaceae) 5 15 30 10 5 1 - - 66
Drypetes longifolia (Bl.) Pax. & Hoffm. (Euphorbiaceae) 24 15 14 - 3 3 3 - 62
Planchonia valida (Bl.) Bl. (Lecythidaceae) 4 7 27 17 2 3 1 - 61
Oroxylum indicum (L.) Kurz (Bignoniaceae) 2 4 46 1 5 - - - 58
Dipterocarpus grandiflorus (Blanco) Blanco (Dipterocarpaceae) 31 3 4 15 - - - - 53
Chukrasia tabularis Andr. (Meliaceae) 1 - - - - 42 - - 43
Dracontomelon dao (Blanco) Merr.& Rolfe (Anacardiaceae) 2 11 18 8 3 1 - - 43
Terminalia catappa L. (Combretaceae) - - - - - - 40 1 41
Semecarpus prainii King (Anacardiaceae) - - 30 - 1 - 9 - 40
Ficus hispida L.f. (Moraceae) 3 6 12 3 7 - 5 - 36
Ryparosa javanica (Bl.)Kurz ex Koord.& Val. (Flacourtiaceae) 4 1 27 3 1 - - - 36
Ficus racemosa Jack (Moraceae) - - 33 - - - - - 33
Streblus asper Lour. (Moraceae) - - 12 3 3 1 14 - 33
Garuga pinnata Roxb. (Burseraceae) - - 26 - 2 1 - 1 30
Aglaia spectabilis Bl. (Meliaceae) 11 13 - 5 - - - - 29
Morinda citrifolia L. var. bracteata Hook.f. (Rubiaceae) - - - - - 1 26 2 29
Sterculia rubiginosa Vent. var. glabrescens King (Sterculiaceae) 1 1 - - - - 21 4 27
Elaeocarpus rugosus Roxb. (Elaeocarpaceae) 15 11 - - - - - - 26
Mallotus peltatus (Gies) Muell.-Arg. (Euphorbiaceae) 2 3 21 - - - - - 26
Dysoxylum arborescens (Bl.) Miq. (Meliaceae) 7 13 2 2 1 - - - 25
Pterospermum acerifolium (L.) Willd. (Sterculiaceae) 1 3 16 3 2 - - - 25
Aglaia argentea Bl. (Meliaceae) 2 8 1 - - 10 3 - 24
Canarium denticulatum Bl. ssp.denticulatum (Burseraceae) 14 1 3 - 6 - - - 24
Baccaurea ramiflora Lour. (Euphorbiaceae) 14 3 4 2 - - - - 23
Alphonsea ventricosa Hook.f & Thoms. (Annonaceae) - - - - - 22 - - 22
Others 151 115 167 36 87 61 128 15 760
Total 488 410 935 543 519 623 655 79 4252
 RASINGAM & PARATHASARATHY 95

Richness of major plant families total basal area of DE forest was low (40.9 m2 ha-1)
as compared to UL forest (59.6 m2 ha-1). Manilkara
A total of 56 families were recorded within the
littoralis, the predominant tree in littoral forests
study plots (total area of 8 hectares).
UL and DL, contributed 75.9 m2 to basal area. The
Euphorbiaceae formed the most speciose family
other dominant trees in the study sites that
with 11 genera and 17 species (9.14%). However,
contributed to greater basal area include
Moraceae (4 genera, 12 species, 6.5%), Rubiaceae
Terminalia bialata (39.4 m2), Pterocymbium
(9 genera, 11 species, 5.9%), Meliaceae (6 genera,
tinctorium (24.2 m2), Tetrameles nudiflora (22.3
11 species, 5.9%), Anacardiaceae (7 genera, 8
m2) and Pometia pinnata (21.2 m2). The stem
species, 4.3%) and Annonaceae (6 genera, 6 species
density of different tree species varied
and 3.22%) were the other well represented
considerably across sites (Table 4). Terminalia
families. Apocynaceae, Bignoniaceae, Fabaceae,
bialata had highest number of stems (494 stems)
Hernandiaceae, Lechythidaceae, Malvaceae,
followed by Tetrameles nudiflora (317 stems). 44
Pandanaceae, Ulmaceae and Verbenaceae had two
species were represented by just one individual.
species each (9.67%), while 26 families (46.4%) had
Two species viz. Pterocymbium tinctorium and
single species in all the forests. Five families
Bombax insigne were distributed in all the forests
Combretaceae (730 individuals, 17.23%),
with 222 (5.2%) and 154 (3.6%) stems respectively.
Datiscaceae (317, 7.48%), Sterculiaceae (291,
Dipterocarpus gracilis (89), Celtis philippensis var.
6.87%), Dipterocarpaceae (287, 6.77%) and
wightii (66), Dracontomelon dao (43) and
Rubiaceae (283, 6.67 %) were abundant in terms of
Diploknema butyracea (17) were encountered at all
density, contributing ca. 45 % of the forest stand.
the sites except littoral forest. The rare tree
Eighteen families were represented by one
Alphonsea ventricosa was encountered only in DD
individual each (Table 3).
with 22 stems (0.5%). The evergreen and semi-
evergreen forests had 51 tree species common
Tree density, basal area and dominance
between them and 47 species were common
The stand density was highest (935 ha-1) in US between semi-evergreen and moist deciduous
forest and lowest (79 ha-1) in the tsunami affected forests. Neonauclea gageana was recorded only in
forest i.e., DL and moderate in other forests. The semi-evergreen forest. It is a rare endemic species

Table 4. Contribution of families to tree genera, species, density (stems ha-1), basal area (BA m2 ha-1)
and family importance value (FIV) for the total eight study plots.
Family Genera Species Density BA FIV
Combretaceae 1 4 730 61.9 34.9
Datiscaceae 1 1 317 22.4 13.6
Sterculiaceae 4 6 291 28.0 17.1
Dipterocarpaceae 2 6 287 27.5 16.9
Rubiaceae 9 11 283 22.2 18.2
Hernandiaceae 2 2 187 9.5 7.9
Sapotaceae 5 6 181 81.8 28.0
Euphorbiaceae 11 17 177 6.2 14.9
Burseraceae 2 3 169 16.8 9.8
Myristicaceae 3 4 163 7.2 7.8
Sapindaceae 4 4 162 23.2 11.8
Meliaceae 6 11 160 6.6 11.3
Bombacaceae 1 1 154 12.9 7.4
Moraceae 4 12 154 13.0 13.3
Anacardiaceae 7 8 111 11.2 9.7
Others 63 78 726 49.75 71.4
96 TREE DIVERSITY IN LITTLE ANDAMAN ISLAND

reported only from middle A&N islands so far stand structure, except for the largest size class
(Hajra et al. 1999). Its occurrence in the present (> 210 cm) in forests DL and UL (Fig. 3). The
locality is a range extension. It was found that this smallest girth class of 30-60 cm contributed 44.20%
species had higher density in disturbed plot DS (38
trees ha-1) and lower in undisturbed plot US (30
trees ha-1). Two species Dendrocnide sinuata
(Urticaceae) and Elaeocarpus serratus
(Elaeocarpaceae) recorded within UE and DE are
mainly known from the forests of Western Ghats
and other forest areas of northeast India (Rao
1986). Hence they form new additions to the flora
of A&N Islands.
As expected, tree density decreased with
increasing girth class, exhibiting a reverse J-shaped

Fig. 3. Size-class distribution of tree density in the Fig. 4. Size-class distribution of basal area in the
undisturbed and disturbed evergreen, semi-evergreen, undisturbed and disturbed evergreen, semi-evergreen,
deciduous and littoral forest plots. deciduous and littoral forest plots.
 RASINGAM & PARATHASARATHY 97

of the stems and this proportion decreased with
increasing size class. Tree density in smaller girth
class (30-60 cm) was greater in UL (55.9%) and US
(53.26%) forests and lowest in DL (6.32%) forest.
Density of trees in higher girth class (>210 cm) was
higher in DL (50 trees ha-1), followed by UL (43
trees ha-1) and least in US forest (11 trees ha-1). The
basal area distribution is typically J-shaped in the
study sites, with the exception of sites US, DS and
DD (Fig 4). Density of various size classes is given
in Table 5. The species richness in smaller girth
class (30-60 cm gbh) was maximum in forest US
(59) and lowest in DL forest (4).
Manilkara littoralis, a species of littoral forest
had highest IVI value (217.5) at disturbed site
(DL) while it had rather low IVI (72.2) at UL.
Tetrameles nudiflora, an emergent tree, had
higher IVI (69.64) at DS than UD (45.8).
Terminalia bialata (170.4) at DD forest, Pometia
pinnata (50.4) at DE, Dipterocarpus gracilis (40.6)
at UE and Canarium euphyllum (39) at US had
higher IVI values (Fig. 5). Of all the forests, DD
was unique as it was dominated by one species i.e.,
Terminalia bialata (Combretaceae) which
contributed 65.7% of the stems (409), 170.4 to the
total IVI and 68.9% (34 m2 ha-1) to basal area.
Most of the individuals of this species were
invariably represented by large trees.
Species richness and intensity of disturbance
The non-metric multidimensional scaling
(NMS) ordination, based on the species richness,
and disturbance score is shown in Fig. 6. The
analysis revealed that the sites UE and US were
distinctly placed on the positive coordinates of the
NMS axis, mainly because of high species richness
and low level of human disturbance. Sites UL, UD,
DD, DS and DE placed in the middle due to the
moderate species richness and human
interference. Site DL placed in the bottom left of
the ordination due to the poor species richness and
the high disturbances such as human interference
and the recent tsunami effects.
Discussion
Tree species richness at defined study sites
and in minimum diameter class gives a reliable
instrument to indicate diversity level of a forest
site (Wattenberg & Breckle 1995). Plant species
diversity is mostly influenced by human impacts
and natural disturbances. Clear differences in
stand structure and species diversity among
undisturbed and disturbed sites of evergreen,
semi-evergreen, deciduous and littoral forests were
discernible in this study. The stand density of
Little Andaman forests (mean 531 trees ha-1, range
79-935) is lower as compared to densities reported
from Saddle Peak (459 - 2681 trees ha-1) of North
Andaman Islands and Great Andaman groups (946
- 1137 trees ha-1, Padalia et al. 2004). However, the
tree density is comparable with other tropical
forests e.g., Kalakad, Western Ghats (575 - 855
trees ha-1, Parthasarathy 1999), Costa Rica (448 -
617 trees ha-1, Heaney & Proctor 1990), Brazil (420
- 777 trees ha-1, Campbell et al. 1992), Sulawesi
(408 trees ha-1, Whitmore & Sidiyasa 1986) and
Danum Valley, Sabah (431 trees ha-1, Kamarudin
1986). The tree density was low in DL forest (79
trees ha-1), wherein maximum destruction was
caused by tsunami. All trees in the lower girth
class died due to the high salinity and tidal force.
In the deciduous forests, the stand density of UD
(519 trees ha-1) was less than that of DD forest
(623 trees ha-1), but the basal area was
compensated by the mature and large trees.

Table 5. Species richness of trees by girth class in eight study sites of Little Andaman Island.

Girth class Species richness

(cm) UE DE US DS UD DD UL DL
30-60 57 54 59 34 49 38 48 4
61-90 36 29 33 24 28 21 26 7
91-120 28 22 24 20 21 7 17 8
121-150 24 17 14 18 14 7 9 4
151-180 12 11 8 10 8 6 11 4
181-210 11 11 7 6 13 3 4 0
>210 16 13 7 7 14 8 6 2
98 TREE DIVERSITY IN LITTLE ANDAMAN ISLAND

Fig. 5. Important value indices of top five tree species in UE, DE, US, DS, UD, DD, UL and DL forests. (rD-relative
density, rF-relative frequency and rBA-relative dominance). Six-letter codes are used for species names, drawing
three from generic name and three from species name, for full names of species refer Table 3.
 RASINGAM & PARATHASARATHY 99

The species richness of the present study Nicobar Islands and well represented in all girth
forests (range 18 to 84 species ha-1) ranks low to classes. Ho et al. (1987) found that in moist forests
moderately high when compared to other forests of of Jengka, Malaysia, Euphorbiaceae formed bulk
Andaman islands (25 - 61 species ha-1 in Saddle of tree population (24.6%). Melastomataceae (22%),
peak of North Andaman Islands, Tripathi et al. Oleaceae (26.6%) and Lauraceae (28%) formed
2004 and 58 - 59 species ha-1 in Great Andaman bulk of the tree population in Kolli hills,
groups, Padalia et al. 2004), and those of Western Shervarayan hills of Eastern Ghats and Kalakad
Ghats in south India (80 - 85 species ha-1 in Forest respectively (Parthasarathy 1999). In
Kalakad-Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve, Parthasarathy African forest, Gilbertiodendron dewevrei
1999; 64 - 82 trees ha-1 in Sengaltheri-Kakachi, (Caesalpiniaceae) achieved dominance by
Parthasarathy 2001; and 52 - 79 species ha-1 in inhibiting the growth of other understory plants by
Varagalaiar, Ayyappan & Parthasarathy 2001). various ways (Torti et al. 2001). Monodominant
The tree species richness in neotropical forests forests were dominated by different tree species in
showed a wide variation, ranging from 20 species each and every geographical area. Celaenodendron
ha-1 in Varzea forest of Rio Xingu, Brazil mexicanum in Mexico (Martijena & Bullock 1994),
(Campbell et al. 1992) to 307 species ha-1 in the Nothofagus aequilateralis (Fagaceae) in New
Amazonian Equator (Valencia et al. 1994). In the Caledonia (Read et al. 1995), Peltogyne gracilipes
old world tropics species richness ranged from 26 (Caesalpiniaceae) in Maraca Island, Brazil
species ha-1 in Kolli hills of India (Chittibabu & (Nascimento et al. 1997) and Memecylon
Parthasarathy 2000) to 231 species ha-1 in Brunei umbellatum (Melastomataceae) in Pudukottai,
Darussalam of Southeast Asia (Poulsen et al. India (Mani & Parthasarathy 2005). At the family
1996). level, Leguminosae dominated the neotropics and
The basal area of trees in Little Andaman Africa (Richards 1996), Dipterocarpaceae in
forests (mean 50.8 m2 ha-1, range 41 - 59.1) is much Malaysia (Manokaran et al. 1991; Whitmore 1984)
higher than mean pantropical average of 32 m2 and Melastomataceae in Pudukottai, India (Mani
ha-1 (Dawkins 1959) and slightly higher than the & Parthasarathy 2005).
value reported from Great Andamans (28 - 44 m2 The most speciose families were
ha-1, Padalia et al. 2004), Malaysia (24.2 m2 ha-1, Euphorbiaceae (17 species), Moraceae (12),
Poore 1968) and Brazilian Amazon forests (27.6 -
32 m2 ha-1, Campbell et al. 1986). The values are
more or less comparable with those reported from
Saddle Peak forests of North Andaman islands (48
- 75 m2 ha-1, Tripathi et al. 2004), Kalakad,
Western Ghats (53.3 - 94.6 m2 ha-1, Parthasarathy
et al. 1992), New Caledonia (47 - 49.5 m2 ha-1,
Jeffre & Veillon 1990) forests and less than that of
Monteverde of Costa Rica (62 m2 ha-1, Nadkarni et
al. 1995) and Kalakad forests of southern Western
Ghats (61.7 - 94.6 m2 ha-1, Parthasarathy 1999).
The greatest basal area of 59.1 m2 ha-1 obtained in
UL forest was largely due to the contribution from
the endemic tree Manilkara littoralis, which alone
scored 47.8% (28.2 m2 ha-1) of basal area. Lower
value of basal area at DE (41 m2 ha-1), is due to
selective logging of timber species during recent
past.
In the present study, disturbed moist
deciduous forests (DD) had the dominance of
Terminalia bialata (17.22% of all the trees),
followed by Dastiscaceae (7.48% individuals). The Fig. 6. Non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMS)
former is an endemic species to Andaman & ordination of the eight sites based on species richness
and disturbance scores in the study forests.
100 TREE DIVERSITY IN LITTLE ANDAMAN ISLAND
Rubiaceae (11) and Meliaceae (11) in Little
Andaman. Kadavul & Parthasarathy (1999) also
reported that the family Euphorbiaceae (8) as the
most speciose family followed by Rubiaceae (5) in
the semi-evergreen forests of Shervarayan hills of
Eastern Ghats. Moraceae (10), Lauraceae (8) and
Rubiaceae (8) in the Kolli hills (Chittibabu &
Parthasarathy 2000) and Lauraceae (14),
Euphorbiaceae (10) and Myrtaceae (10) in the
Kalakad Tiger Reserve, Western Ghats
(Parthasarathy 1999).
The species rarity of the present study is 34%,
which is very close to the forests of
Kuzhanthaikuppam of Coromandel Coast (31%,
Parthasarathy & Karthikeyan 1997), Malaysia
(38%, Poore 1968) and Barro Colorado island of
Panama (40%, Thorington et al. 1982); but less
than those of other tropical forests, such as Java
(50%, Meijer 1959), New Guinea (55.4%, Paijmans
1970) and Jengka forest of Malaysia (59%, Ho et
al. 1987).
Tree size class distribution can be used as
indicators of changes in population structure and
species composition (Newbery & Gartlan 1996).
Distribution curves that drop exponentially with
increasing gbh (reverse J-shaped) are
characteristic for species with continuous
regeneration (Khamyong et al. 2004). Curves
showing little or no drop in the lower gbh classes
indicate the requirement is unsustainable and the
long term change in species composition of the
plant community studied is to be expected (Hall &
Bawa 1993). Most species in the study plots
followed reverse J-shaped distribution with
greater number of individuals in small size classes.
Such a trend has been reported from the forests of
Great Andaman groups (Padalia et al. 2004),
Saddle peak of North Andaman islands (Tripathi
et al. 2004), Malaysia (Poore 1968), Thailand
(Khamyong et al. 2004), Sungei Menyala in
Malaysia (Manokaran & Kochummen 1987) and in
Monteverde of Costa Rica (Nadkarni et al. 1995).
The lack of J-shaped structure for basal area in
the plot DL indicates past disturbance by the
tsunami.
Conclusions
There is no doubt that primary rain forests are
vanishing and that we are now living through the
last decades of vegetation dating back as far as 30
million years (Halle 1990). The conversion of
tropical rain forests into various land use systems
created so many impacts on island flora. As the
study sites are composed of high percentage of
species rarity (34%) and endemic species (12%)
they increase our concern for species conservation
of insular flora. A few decades before the eastern
parts of the Little Andaman was deforested for
rehabilitation of Bangladesh people and
repatriates from Sri Lanka and Myanmar under
various rehabilitation schemes. Simultaneously
the Andaman and Nicobar Islands Forest
Plantation and Development Corporation Limited
also cleared ~1593 hectare forest area in the
northeastern parts for oil palm cultivation. In
December 2004 the east coast of the island was
affected by the tsunami and damaged portions of
littoral forest. Notably, the disturbed littoral forest
recorded two and a half times lower tree diversity
and ten times lower tree density as compared to
the undisturbed littoral forest. Later the
Government of India allotted the land for
construction permanent shelters for tsunami-
affected people in the inland forest. These
activities exert more pressure on the island flora.
Thus in situ conservation of the insular flora of the
Little Andaman Island which harbours moderate
plant diversity but rich in local endemic species is
emphasized because the endemics occur in small
population and in scattered localities. We
recommend long-term monitoring of the species-
rich evergreen forests and the littoral forest which
harbours the endemic tree Manilkara littorallis for
biodiversity changes and forest dynamics.
Acknowledgements
We thank the Director, Botanical Survey of
India, Kolkata and Deputy Director, Botanical
Survey of India, Andaman & Nicobar Circle, Port
Blairs, for allowing us to consult the herbaria and
officials of Andaman & Nicobar Islands Forest
Plantation and Development Corporation Limited,
Port Blair, for field support.
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