Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.15177/seefor.21-05
Tree Species Diversity and Spatial Distribution of Aleppo Pine Stands in Northeastern Algeria
Insaf Hani
; University of Larbi Ben M’hidi, Faculty of Exact Sciences and Life Sciences and Nature, Department of Life Sciences and Nature, Laboratory of Functional Ecology and Environment (F.E.E.L), 1st November 1954 Street, Oum el Bouaghi 04000, Algeria
Malika Rached-Kanouni
; University of Larbi Ben M’hidi, Faculty of Exact Sciences and Life Sciences and Nature, Department of Life Sciences and Nature, Laboratory of Functional Ecology and Environment (F.E.E.L), 1st November 1954 Street, Oum el Bouaghi 04000, Algeria
Ammar Menasri
; Abbes Laghrour University, Department of Agronomic Sciences, Road of Oum-El-Bouaghi, PB 1252 Khenchela 40000, Algeria
Abstract
The spatial pattern of species is one of the key studied parameters in ecology so as to better understand the ecological processes and the functioning of forest ecosystems. This paper describes the classification of structural indices measuring the alpha diversity and examines typical representatives of the classification groups such as the Shannon’s index, aggregation index by Clark and Evans, the mingling index, the diameter differentiation index and the coefficient of segregation by Pielou. The tree inventory made it possible to count 7 species that are divided into six (06) families. Only Pinus halepensis Mill. trees were taken into account via calculation in spatial distribution. Western exposure shows the most regular tree patterns (1.6±0.1) according to the aggregation index by Clark and Evans, while the species mingling index for south- and east-facing stands indicates segregation of Pinus halepensis Mill. groups. The diameter differentiation index for the majority of the studied stands is assumed through estimated values within the range that starts from 0.4 to 0.9 for the four exposures. The distribution shows that western and eastern exposures belong to the fourth class of differentiation (very large differentiation), which means that the trees with the smallest DBH have less than 30% of the size of the neighbouring trees since the diameter differentiation index for the two exposures is 0.9±0.05 and 0.7±0.2.
Keywords
tree species diversity; spatial distribution; Clark and Evans index; mingling index; the diameter differentiation
Hrčak ID:
260499
URI
Publication date:
30.6.2021.
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