PJB-2017-136
RELATIONSHIP OF FOREST VEGETATION AND ENVIRONMENTAL GRADIENTS (ADAPHIC, TOPOGRAPHIC AND SOIL NUTRIENTS) FROM SOME FROSTED AREAS OF HIMALAYAN, HINDU KUSH AND KARAKORAM RANGES OF GILGIT-BALTSITAN, PAKISTAN- (A MULTIVARIATE APPROACH)
MUHAMMAD AKBAR, MOINUDDIN AHMED, FAISAL HUSSAIN, MUHAMMAD FAHEEM SIDDIQUI, GHULAM RAZA, SUJJAD HYDER AND NAEEM ABBAS
Abstract
The present study was conducted to investigate the relationship between forest vegetation and environmental gradients from some forested area of Himalayan, Hindu Kush and Karakoram ranges of Pakistan. Forty stands were sampled from three districts of Gilgit-Baltistan. Ward’s cluster analysis for classification and Detrended Correspondence Analysis (DCA) for ordination were applied to seek the vegetation distribution and composition. Ward’s cluster analysis when applied on tree species data and understory species data each give five groups and these five groups distinctly distributed on ordination plan. In cluster groups of trees Group I (a) and Group II are dominated by Pinus wallichiana, Group I (b) mono specific group of Pinus wallichiana, Group III Picea smithiana, Group IV Betula utilis and group V is consist on two mono specific stands of Abies pindrow and Juniperus macropoda. In cluster of ground flora Group I dominated by Potentilla anserine, Group II Urtica dioica, Group III Viola rupestris, and Fragaria nubicola, Group IV Cicer songaricum and Group V Bergenia stracheyi consequently. The groups of tree and understory vegetation are readily superimposed on DCA ordination plane. Classification and ordination showed similar distribution pattern of tree species as well as understory vegetation. Relationships between the ordination axes with topographic (elevation and slope) and edaphic variables (pH, TDS, Salinity, conductivity and water holding capacity) also employed. In case of tree vegetation data cluster groups among the environmental factors only edaphic factor salinity (P < 0.05) and soil nutrient K+ (P < 0.05), (P < 0.05) showed positively correlated with axes 1, and axes 2, 3 correspondingly while in case of understory data cluster groups between the topographic variables elevation (P < 0.05) was found positively correlated with axes 1. While among the edaphic factors only pH (P < 0.05), (P < 0.01) was showed positively correlated with axes 2 and 3 respectively. Whereas among the soil nutrients only Fe++ was recorded (P < 0.05) positively correlated with ordination axes 3. Both cases most of the environmental variables did not show significant correlation this may due to the anthropogenic disturbances however further studies are needed to explore the rest of parts of the said regions.
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