DIVERSITY OF WOODY PLANTS IN A NATURAL FOREST IN PHUOC VINH COMMUNE, TAY NINH PROVINCE

Abstract

Natural forests play an essential role in climate regulation, carbon storage, water resource maintenance, and biodiversity conservation. Within these ecosystems, woody plant diversity is closely linked to ecological functions and the resilience of the ecosystem to the impacts of climate change and human activities. On this basis, this study aims to assess species diversity and analyze the community structure of woody plants in an evergreen broad-leaved forest (766.9 ha) in Phuoc Vinh commune, Tay Ninh province. Data were collected from eight standard plots (1,000 m² each) in a poor forest stand, recording 882 individuals belonging to 59 species, 56 genera, and 40 families. The species accumulation curve reached saturation at 58 species, indicating that the sampling intensity provided high representativeness. The Shannon index (2.2 - 2.8) and Pielou’s evenness index (0.8 - 0.9) indicate high diversity and evenness. Analysis of the Importance Value Index (IVI) revealed two dominant species: longan (Dimocarpus longan, IVI = 18.6) and Grewia tomentosa (IVI = 18.5). Multivariate analyses (HCA, NMDS) and a PERMANOVA test showed clear differentiation between two communities (F = 3.39; p = 0.0189; R² = 0.36), each characterized by specific indicator species reflecting differences in disturbance history. In addition, 11 plant species listed as threatened or rare according to the IUCN Red List and the Vietnam Red Data Book were recorded, most of which belong to the Dipterocarpaceae family. These findings provide an important scientific basis for in-situ conservation and sustainable forest management in the context of increasingly complex climate change.