ANALYSES OF COMMUNITY PARAMETERS AND SPECIES DIVERSITY

OF FOREST ECOSYSTEMS IN BUKIDNON, PHILIPPINES

A Scientific Paper

Presented to
Eddie Pasetes Mondejar, PhD
Department of Biological Sciences
College of Science and Mathematics
MSU – Iligan Institute of Technology
Iligan City

In Partial Fulfillment
Of the Course BIO104: General Ecology
 INTRODUCTION

Forest ecosystem is the largest terrestrial ecosystem covering the Earth’s surface. Forests

cover a third of the total land area, and they harbor approximately 80% of the world’s terrestrial

biodiversity (Aerts & Honnay, 2019). Forests are massive land areas basically dominated with

various kinds of trees, classified by foresters as forest type cover. Forest compositions depend on

their latitude, local soil, amount of precipitation or rainfall, and prevailing temperatures. With

respect to temperature, forest ecosystems usually have temperatures above 10°C during warm

periods and annual precipitation is more than 200mm or 8 inches (Britannica, 2019). Moreover,

organisms present in forests are interdependent to each other for survival and are categorized

according to their ecological roles as producers, consumers, and decomposers which differ

according to the extremes of environmental influences (Sen, 2018).

Ecologically, a forest is a system that supports and sustains its interacting units which

include trees, plants, animals (mostly insects), soil, and humans. A forest community is much more

than just the totality of the trees. Forest ecosystem communities are directly related to species

diversity (Nix, 2018); the more complex the structure, the greater species diversity. And like any

ecosystem, forests also have different kinds: tropical forest, temperate forest, and boreal forest.

Tropical rainforests are the most biologically complex and ecologically diverse forests on

Earth. There forests are situated in hot and dry regions near the equator. Tallest trees found in

tropical rainforests are approximately 100-feet long, creating dense and wide canopies; shrubs and

bushes take cover beneath canopies but most of the forest floor is covered with shrubs (Datko,

2017). Philippine forests are tropical rainforests due to warm temperatures and abundant

precipitation or rainfall. The country’s forest ecosystems are home to more than 6,000 plant
species, different bird and animal species, including the renowned yet endangered Philippine

Eagle, and also to 12 million indigenous people (Pamintuan, 2011). However, our forests have

been shrinking significantly during the last ten years. Philippine forestlands have been reduced to

more than half, as consequence of human activities, and now accounts for less than 25% of the

country’s total land area; in Luzon, Pine is the principal mountain tree while in other places Lauan

or Philippine mahogany usually predominates (Hernandez, Cullinane, & Borlaza, 2019).

One of the most convenient tools widely employed in ecological studies is the plotless

method – Point-Center Quarter Method. It is used to determine some community parameters such

as density, dominance, frequency, and the importance values of species present in the sampling

area. This type of sampling is without a two-dimensional area. It is categorized under the point-

intercept technique of vegetation assessment and is based on distance measurement between the

marked stations to the trees to be assessed.

This study aims to train students regarding the principles of plotless sampling as applied in

ecological researches, to determine the density, frequency, dominance and importance value of

different species, and more importantly, to ecologically interpret the meaning of combined

community parameters.
 METHODOLOGY

General Procedure

The site for sampling was in Ferrabel Beach Resort, Mambajao, Camiguin. The sampling

was performed on November 7, 2019. The Point-Center Quarter Method in determining

parameters of a community was employed throughout the sampling period. An arbitrary or a

compass line was chosen through a forest or a tree community using tape measure and marker or

chalk. A sampling point interval of 10 meters was then established based on the density of trees

and the width of the forest, more importantly, consistency in the interval was observed.

The number of sampling points was five, which was equivalent to a 50-meter line with a

10-meter interval between sampling points. At each sampling point, an imaginary division of four

quarters or quadrants was established. In each of the quadrant, the distance of the nearest tree or

shrub to the sampling point was measured. Thus, there were four samples per sampling point. The

species name (local/common/scientific name) of each tree measured was identified, alternatively,

code names were used for later identification or species classification. Each tree was captured

through the use of a camera to note some diagnostic characteristics.

The Diameter at Breast Height or DBH of each of the tree sampled was also measured in

each quarter. For the purpose of standardization, a DBH measurement point is 1.3 meters from the

surface of the ground to the tree trunk or stem. A DBH is equal to the circumference of the tree

divided by 3.1416 or the pi value. Data was recorded in the data sheet. Then the following

parameters were computed:

TOTAL DISTANCE
MEAN DISTANCE =
NUMBER OF DISTANCES (n)
 Where n refers to the number of the intervals used

2
𝑑
MEAN AREA PER TREE = [ ]
𝑛
50m x mean distance (d)
SAMPLED AREA (in hectare) =
10,000m2 / Ha

It should be noted that the 50 meters used above in the equation corresponded to the total

distance of the five points line with 10 meters between points.

ABSOLUTE DENSITY Total number of individuals per species

OF ALL SPECIES =
Sampled Area (in Ha or m2)

RELATIVE DENSITY Density of a species

OF A SPECIES = x 100
Density of all species

BASAL AREA = πr2

ABSOLUTE DOMINANCE Basal area of all trees sampled
OF ALL SPECIES =
hectares

ABSOLUTE DOMINANCE Total basal area of a species

OF A SPECIES =
hectares

RELATIVE DOMINANCE Total basal area of a species

OF A SPECIES =
Basal area of all species

RELATIVE FREQUENCY Number of trees per species

=
OF A SPECIES Total number of trees
 IMPORTANCE VALUE = relative density + relative dominance + relative frequency

Importance Value
IMPORTANCE PERCENTAGE =
3
After the calculations of the said parameters, the ecological implication of each of the

resulting parameters or statistic was interpreted, a unifying conclusion was drawn after.
 RESULTS

A total of twenty (20) trees were sampled within a 50-meter line. Four trees were sampled

within each sampling point in the 50-meter line. The site of sampling was at Ferrabel Beach Resort,

Mambajao, Camiguin.

Table 1. Summary of the Data Sample

Gmelina arborea Swietenia mahogani TOTAL
Absolute Density 119.69 119.69 ∑239.38
Relative Density 50% 50%
Absolute Dominance 115,072.29 22,246.20 ∑142,318.49
Relative Dominance 0.8086 0.1914
Frequency 10 10 ∑ 20
Relative Frequency 0.5 0.5
Importance Value 1.8086 1.1914
Importance Percentage 0.6029 0.3971

The table above shows the summary of data for the sampling within the 50-meter line.

Parameters, namely absolute density, relative density, absolute dominance, relative dominance,

frequency, relative frequency, importance value, and importance percentage were calculated and

shown. Only two types of trees were found and sampled in the 50-meter line, namely gamhar

(Gmelina arborea), and small-leaved mahogany (Swietenia mahogani). The absolute density for

both the Gmelina arborea and the Swietenia mahogany is 119.69, and they both have the same

relative density of 50%. Both species of trees have a total absolute density of 239.38. The absolute

dominance for the Gmelina arborea is 115,072.29, and for the Swietenia mahogani is 22,246.20.

The Gmelina arborea has a relative dominance of 0.8086, and the Swietenia mahogany has a

relative dominance of 0.1914. Both species of trees have a total absolute dominance of 142,318.49.
The number of Gmelina arborea sampled is 10, and the number of Swietenia mahogany sampled

is also 10, and as such they both have the same relative frequency of 0.5 or 50%. The relative

parameters of each species were added to calculate the importance value of these species. The

importance value of the Gmelina arborea is 1.8086, and the importance value of the Swietenia

mahogany is 1.1914.

Table 2. Data Calculations for the Parameters

Point Quadrat Species Diameter Area Point- Circumference Basal
at Breast Covered to-plant (cm) Area
Height (m2) distance (cm2)
(cm) (m)
1 Swietenia mahogani 27.85 25 5.12 87.50 609.17
1 2 Gmelina arborea 34.92 25 5.00 109.7 957.72
3 Gmelina arborea 45.84 25 2.44 144.0 1650.4
4 Gmelina arborea 31.35 25 3.40 98.50 721.91
1 Swietenia mahogani 18.33 0 7.18 57.60 263.89
2 2 Gmelina arborea 31.77 25 1.25 99.80 792.73
3 Gmelina arborea 14.77 25 4.75 46.40 171.34
4 Swietenia mahogani 15.41 0 6.83 48.40 186.51
1 Gmelina arborea 49.47 25 4.90 157.0 1961.1
3 2 Swietenia mahogani 17.19 25 3.95 54.00 232.08
3 Swietenia mahogani 21.17 25 5.66 66.50 351.99
4 Gmelina arborea 31.89 0 8.20 100.2 798.23
1 Gmelina arborea 24.67 25 2.05 77.50 478.00
4 2 Swietenia mahogani 8.63 0 5.96 27.10 58.49
3 Gmelina arborea 40.90 25 3.75 128.5 1313.9
4 Gmelina arborea 31.29 25 2.00 98.30 768.96
1 Swietenia mahogani 16.23 25 3.84 51.00 206.88
5 2 Swietenia mahogani 13.46 25 2.92 42.30 142.29
3 Swietenia mahogani 12.16 25 1.82 38.20 116.13
4 Swietenia mahogani 11.78 25 2.53 37.00 108.99

From the table above, it can be seen that there were ten Swietenia mahogani, and ten

Gmelina arborea found in the sampling area. It can be also seen that Swietenia mahogani has the

smallest diameter at breast height with 8.63 centimeters, and that Gmelina arborea has the largest
diameter at breast height with 49.47 centimeters. The same Swietenia mahogani individual also

had the smallest basal area with 58.49 cm2, and also the same Gmelina arborea individual had the

largest basal area with 1961.1 cm2.

 DISCUSSION

From the results, both the Swietenia mahogani and Gmelina arborea have the same

absolute density, which is 119.69, and in turn both have the same relative densities within the

sampling area. This means that both species are equally likely to be found within the sampling

area, as both are equally dense. The absolute dominance of Swietenia mahogani, which is

22,246.20, is lower than the absolute dominance of Gmelina arborea, which is 115,072.29, and in

turn Gmelina arborea is more relatively dominant than Swietenia mahogani in the sampling area.

The absolute dominance of each species is calculated by using the basal area of the trees. A higher

basal area means a higher absolute dominance. Since basal area is calculated by using the radius

of the trees at breast height, it can be implied that Gmelina arborea has a higher growth rate than

Swietenia mahogani because the radius of Gmelina arborea is typically larger than that of

Swietenia mahogani. Factors affecting the growth of trees may include temperature, moisture,

exposure to light, presence of pests, soil factors, and air pollution (Fazio, n.d.). Although these

factors affect all trees, Gmelina arborea may be more tolerant to these factors or the factors present

in the sampling site may favor the growth of Gmelina arborea more. One more factor that affect

the growth of trees, which in turn affects the basal area and absolute dominances, is the maturity

of these trees. Swietenia mahogani takes roughly about 25 years to reach maturity at a height of

about 50 feet (McCullen, n.d.). Meanwhile, Gmelina arborea takes only 10-12 years before being

harvested for log production (Vikaspedia, n.d.). From this, it can be said that Gmelina arborea has

a relatively faster growth rate than Swietenia mahogani. Both species are also equally found within

the sampling site, with ten (10) individuals per species. They are equally frequent in the sampling

site.
 The importance value of Gmelina arborea, which is 1.8086, is higher than the importance

value of Swietenia mahogani, which is 1.1914. Importance value measures how much a species is

dominant within an area or community (Shao, 2016). Since, Gmelinaa arborea is a dominant

species within the sampling area, it can be said that the removal or addition, or basically the

fluctuation of the population of this species will drastically affect the functions of the community

in which it thrives, or it will affect the functions provided by the community. A study conducted

by Wiryani, Murningsih, and Jumari (2018) measured the abundance and importance value of the

various trees in the spring called “Sendang Kalimah Toyyibah” and its surroundings, and its

implication to the spring. The trees with the highest importance values dominated the spring and

its surroundings. These species represented and played a part in the ecosystem function in

infiltration, filtration, and absorption of water, which was required for the spring ecosystem. From

this, it can be said that the importance value of a species is directly related to how a community

functions.

It can be concluded that Gmelina arborea is more ecologically important than Swietenia

mahogani because of its higher importance value. Both species contributes to the stability and

maintaining of the community found in the sampling site, as well as the functions within the

community, but Gmelina arborea contributes more.

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