Introduction

The Oxford
dictionary defines the word Population as “All the inhabitants of a particular place”. In the biological context a group of organisms
belonging to the same species and occupying a specified area comprises a
population. The individual in a population usually displays a great extent of
both genetic and phenotypic variability. The phenotypic variation observed is
the outcome of the amalgamation of both ecological factors and genetic
differences. Thus, there is a need to study how a population behaves in the
ecological framework; which is conducted in the field of Population Ecology.

 In this dissertation, the population dynamics
of Oxalis corniculata L. has been
studied in and around Delhi University, New Delhi at three sites with emphasis
on seed dispersal.

Taxonomy

The family Oxalidaceae belongs to Oxalidales. Oxalidales, Celastrales and Malphigiales are the
COM clade and is placed in the clade Fabids of Rosids(APG IV
classification,2016). Huaceae, Connaraceae, Oxalidaceae, Cunoniaceae,
Elaeocarpaceae, Cephalotaceae, Brunelliaceae are the seven families in
Oxalidales.

Oxalidaceae commonly known as the
wood sorrel family consists of 5 genus and a few hundred species. The type
genus Oxalis comprise of around 300
to 400 species most of which are herbaceous. The only exception is Oxalis gigantea, which has a shrub
habit. Majority of the species are from the
Southern Hemisphere, typically native to South America and South Africa. Characteristics
common to all members of Oxalis are the
presence of aboveground herbaceous stems; absence of bulbs;; trifoliate leaves,
the leaflets all sessile, wider than long, and either obcordate, bifid, or
obdeltoid with a slight apical notch; homo- or heterostylous flowers, usually
yellow.