Environmental Correlates of Vegetation Distribution in Rajkandi Hill Reserve of Bangladesh

The present study aims to determine the relationship between plant species and environmental variables. The location of the study was the natural forests of Rajkandi Hill Reserve, Bangladesh. There were sampled in total 50 circular plots 13m radius for the collection of functional and vegetation data. Cluster analysis using PC-ORD, ver.6 has been used to determine the communities, and DCA and CCA analysis using CANOCO- 4.5 have been used to determine the species distribution pattern and relationship with environmental variables. In total 90 plant species belonging to 50 families were identified. Family Moreceae and Verbenaceae comprise higher species numbers in comparison to other families. By the Cluster analysis, three different communities were identified. Lippia alba-Clerodendrum viscosum community consists of the highest number sample plots (21), and 67 plant species belonging to 34 families which mostly occur in the valley land with moderately acidic soil. Amomum corynostachyum-Mallotus roxburghianus community represents the highest number of unique species in comparison to other communities has the strong preference for hill ridge site. DCA analysis clarified 18.4% of the variance in species data and CCA ordination clarified 67.2% of the variance of species-environmental relation and identified that Disturbance, soil P, and K are the significant variables that govern species compositional variation in the Rajkandi Hill Reserve. Rajkandi Hill Reserve forest has high structural complexity and shows a distribution pattern of plant communities. Each community indicates the habitat types and species-environmental variables relation which would be helpful for conservation purposes.