Ecology, Environment and Conservation Paper

IMPORTANCE VALUE INDEX (IVI) STUDY OF SOME HERBACEOUS PLANTS FROM NORTH-EAST MALEGAON FOREST OF NASHIK DISTRICT (MS), INDIA

J.T. Jadhav

Abstract

Herbaceous diversity indicates the importance of species diversity for producing primary production in herbaceous plants in forest. Frequency (%), density and basal areas data converted into relative frequency, relative density and relative basal area. The sum of all the three give an Importance Value Index (IVI) of each species. This will gives an overall picture of ecological importance of a species with respect to herbaceous community structure. Vegetation determines many ecological parameters such as climate, energy, photosynthesis, surface runoff and soil temperature (Tappeiner and Cernusca, 1996).