PJB-2018-362
VEGETATION PATTERNS AND COMPOSITION OF MIXED CONIFEROUS FORESTS ALONG AN ALTITUDINAL GRADIENT IN THE WESTERN HIMALAYAS OF PAKISTAN
Shehzadi Saima
Abstract
The present study was conducted to quantify the diversity of species, boundaries of the plant communities along the altitudinal gradient and correlation between environmental factors and plant assemblage as little is known about the diversity and overall vegetation pattern of the study area. The study sites were located inside the Western Himalayan mixed coniferous forest at latitude ranging between 34°54′22″N 73°38′58″E in the Kaghan Valley (Pakistan). Altitude of the study sites ranges from 2100-3000m a.s.l. The study area is characterized by having extensive development of coniferous species which follows a typical structural sequence along the altitudinal gradient. Vegetation parameters were recorded from twenty sites during field survey. Soil samples from each site were collected for determining soil physical and chemical properties. Classification and ordination was used to simplify the complex data set and to know the nature of boundaries of plant communities. Axes 1 and 2 of the Detrended Correspondence analysis (DCA) were used for data interpretation of both sites and species. Four diverse groups of plant species: 1 (down slope basiophyte communities), 2 (transitional communities), 3 (upslope subalpine communities), 4 (Hill top krummholz communities) were identified. Spearman’s Rank Correlation Coefficient was used to detect relationship between environmental, soil variables and distribution of species in groups. The study suggests that the assemblage and distribution of the species are largely regulated by the altitude and concomitant changes in climatic and edaphic factors.
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