Biodiversity of the Bharathiar university campus, India: A floristic approach

Abstract

A total of 335 vascular plant species represented by 222 genera belonging to 67 different families were recorded, of which only one species was represented by gymnosperms. The Poaceae, Fabaceae, Mimosaceae, Caesalpiniaceae and Amaranthaceae were the dominant families of the vascular floristic composition of the study region. The occurrence of invasive alien species is detrimental as they have started invading the campus flora. Though the exotic species should be allowed to grow, introducing and adding new species should be avoided in the campus as they are affecting the survival of the native plant diversity.   Key words: Floristic diversity, exotic plants, habitat destruction, Bharathiar University, Tamil Nadu.