Effect of Biotic Disturbances on Herbaceous Vegetation in Cypress Mixed Oak Forests of Central Himalaya, India

Herbaceous layer remains an underappreciated aspect of forest ecosystem, which serves a special role in maintaining the structure and functioning of forests. It provides important information regarding the site characteristics of forests. Present study examined the effects of site on herbaceous vegetation in an oak-mixed cypress forest in Central Himalaya, India. The study sites are located near Nainital town between 29o36’56”-29o36’79” N latitude and 79o46’03”-79o46’19” E longitude between 1600- 1850 m above mean sea level in the Central Himalaya. Both lowly and highly disturbed sites were further subdivided into three sub-sites (hill base, hill slope and hill top). A total of 35 species represented by twenty families were recorded from the studied sites. Maximum herb species belongs to the Asteraceae family. The lowly disturbed site was more diverse than the highly disturbed one. Total herb density was 344.4 ind.m-2 at highly disturbed site, whereas 481.2 ind.m-2 at lowly disturbed site.