Composition and diversity of forest floor vegetation in Tranum Forest Reserve, Pahang, Malaysia

• Published in: Malayan Nature Journal
• Main Author: Fitri Z.A.; Hazlan N.H.N.; Murshidi Z.M.; Muttaqin M.N.A.; Norafida N.A.N.; Sobre Z.M.; Nizam M.S.; Norazlinda M.; Aqilah M.B.N.; Latiff A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Malaysian Nature Society 2022
• Online Access: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85136226597&partnerID=40&md5=8478659571a9750505bbf9d19e4061c3

In the tropical rainforest of Peninsular Malaysia, the forest floor is the common vegetation in the lowest strata. However, information on the floristic composition and diversity of this vegetation is still scarce. We focused our study on species composition and diversity of forest floor vegetation in an upper hill dipterocarp forest at Tranum Forest Reserve, Pahang. We used ten quadrats totaling 0.004 ha, each of 2 m x 2 m (0.0004 ha), that was established at the elevation of 400 m and 600 m a.s.l. We found the composition of forest floor species was represented by 240 individuals consisting of 95 species, 79 genera, and 44 families. Rubiaceae was recorded as having the highest total number of genera and species. Four genera viz. Elaeocarpus, Garcinia, Syzygium, and Zingiber recorded the highest total number of species with three species each. Total density in the studied quadrats was 60,000 individuals/ha in which Anacardiaceae has the highest density of 8,250 individuals/ha while Pentaspadon motleyi represent the species level with 8,000 individuals/ha. Saplings of dipterocarps were very low with only a single stand (250 ind/ha) of Shorea platyclados and this species is locally common. Burseraceae is also the most important family with an Importance Value Index (IVi) of 8.52% and the most important species was Pentaspadon motleyi (Anacardiaceae) with a species Importance Value Index (IVi) of 7.44%. © 2022 Malaysian Nature Society. All rights reserved.