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CANONICAL CORRESPONDENCE ANALYSIS OF THE RELATIONSHIPS
OF ROADSIDE VEGETATION TO ITS EDAPHIC FACTORS: A CASE STUDY OF LAHORE-ISLAMABAD MOTORWAY (M-2)
SHEIKH SAEED AHMAD*
Abstract: A survey
of roadside vegetation and soils along Lahore-Islamabad motorway (M-2)
was undertaken and the data were subjected to Canonical Correspondence
Analysis to investigate the vegetation structure and its relationships
to the selected edaphic variables. In addition, the patterns of plant
species distribution in the whole study area and its different regions
were also determined. CCA ordination was performed on a matrix
containing % age cover value for all species (n = 227 species) on 397
sampled plots. This relationship was determined by ordination
analysis. The environmental variables selected for analysis were
organic matter, sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, total nitrogen
and trace elements like lead, zinc, nickel, cadmium, chromium and
iron. In CCA analysis of all the quadrats, chromium, zinc, lead,
nickel, sodium and potassium were the most important variables
influencing the quadrats distribution. The study also provides basic
information for the implementation of conservation oriented planning
and management to preserve and improve the road verges of M-2.
Department
of Environmental Sciences, Fatima Jinnah Women
University, Rawalpindi, Pakistan.
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