Paper Details

PJB-2024-476

Soil nutrients control the ecological characteristics of the riparian vegetation

 

Shakil Ahmad Zeb, Abdullah Abdullah, Zeeshan Ahmad, Zahoor Ul Haq, Shahab Ali, Tufail Ahmad Zeb, Rabia Afza, Israr Ahmad, Tahira Jatt and Shujaul Mulk Khan
Abstract

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Evaluating an area's biological spectrum and phenological behavior is crucial for analyzing its vegetation and responses to climatic variations. This study aimed to assess the floral diversity, biological spectrum, and phenological patterns of the riparian vegetation along the river Panjkora. Data was collected using quadrat quantitative ecological techniques. The size of quadrats varied, with 1×1m², 5×5m² and 10×10m² established for herbs, shrubs, and trees, respectively. In total, 163 genera and 215 species were documented. The dominant class was herbs (82%), followed by trees (11%) and shrubs (7%). Asteraceae was the dominant family, comprising 27 plant species.  Based on life form spectra, therophytes were the most abundant, with 114 species out of 215, while nanophylls were the most dominant, with 91 species based on leaf spectra. Multivariate statistical analyses, such as canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) and detrended correspondence analysis (DCA), were used to determine relationships among environmental variables (EC, pH, TDS, K, Na, Ca, Mg, and Fe) and plant species. Our findings revealed that higher concentrations of EC, pH, TDS, K, Na, Ca, Mg, and Fe were associated with an increased abundance of Therophytes, Chamaephytes, Hemicryptophytes, and Geophytes. The study region exhibits high herb diversity, followed by trees and shrubs, with a substantial mid-domain impact on species and family richness. Furthermore, observations on leaf size and biological spectrum collectively reflect characteristics typical of a widely distributed temperate environment. This study concluded that various environmental and soil gradients influence riparian vegetation, which is clearly linked to the species' genetic processes and natural selection. Future research should explore additional factors affecting riparian vegetation abundance and diversity, such as hydrological dynamics or specific human pressures

To Cite this article: Zeb, S.A., A. Abdullah, Z. Ahmad, Z.U. Haq, S. Ali, T.A. Zeb, R. Afza, I. Ahmad, T. Jatt and S.M. Khan. 2026. Soil nutrients control the ecological characteristics of the riparian vegetation. Pak. J. Bot., 58(6): DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.30848/PJB2026-6(7)  
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