THE IMPACT OF TITHONIA DIVERSIFOLIA (HEMSL.) A. GRAY ON PHYTOSOCIOLOGY AND NATIVE PLANTS DIVERSITY OF AIZAWL, MIZORAM, NORTH EAST INDIAVanlalruati and Prabhat Kumar RaiAbstract Invasive plant species are increasingly being recognized as global threat. The biotic invasions can harm the environment, socio-economy, and human health. In India, the studies on invasive plants species are scanty and limited to few aggressive plant invaders (such as Lantana camara and Parthenium hysterophorus) while Tithonia diversifolia is rarely investigated. Therefore, the present study aims to analyze the impact of T. diversifolia on phytosociology and vegetation at the selected sites along a disturbance gradient. The case study was conducted in Aizawl, Mizoram which is located in North East (NE) India lying in an Indo- Burma biodiversity hotspot. The analysis was carried out during winter and monsoon seasons by using random quadrat method. The species richness, density, frequency, abundance, and importance value indices (IVI) were calculated. The results showed that T.diversifolia has the highest IVI values in all the vegetation analysis performed which indicated that they are the most important species in the study area and offer competitive advantage over the other plant invaders. Further, Ageratum conyzoides and Mikania micrantha were also found as the phytosociologicaly co-dominant species. Therefore, important strategies and methods are warranted to control these invasive plant species to prevent further multiplication, establishment, and landscape spread. |