Composition, richness and floristic diversity along an elevational gradient in a semi-disturbed treeline ecotone, Bhaderwah, Jammu and Kashmir
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Abstract
The paper deals with plant species richness - diversity relationship along the rising elevation in a semi-disturbed tree line ecotone in upper Bhaderwah, a part of lesser Himalaya. 253 plant species distributed over 170 genera and 62 families were recorded during the intensive field surveys carried during May 2014 to September 2016. These included 11 trees, 29 shrubs and 213 herb species with 247 angiosperms and 6 gymnosperms. Family Asteraceae with 37 species dominated the study area. Maximum richness (179) was observed at sub-alpine zone (Site IV) while the trees (H'=1.74) and shrubs (H'=2.48) revealed maximum diversity at Site III and herbs at Site IV (H'=4.60). The maximum evenness for trees, shrubs and herbs was exhibited by sites III (J'=0.79), V (J'=0.87) and VI (J'=0.94), respectively. The diversity and evenness showed an incremental rise along the rising elevation reaching maxima at the mid elevation with Site-IV being the species rich and Site-VII species deficit, which implies that sub-alpine and alpine forests need effective monitoring and conservation.
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Keywords
Diversity, Elevation, Extreme environment, Monitoring and conservation, Richness, Sub-alpine, Vegetation composition
References
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Kumar A, Ram J. (2005). Anthropogenic disturbances and plant biodiversity in forests of Uttaranchal, Central Himalayas. Biodiversity Conservation, 14: 309-331.
Kumar, A. (1987). Phytosociological and productivity studies of Bhaderwah forests, Jammu (J and K). Ph.D Thesis. University of Jammu, Jammu, India.
Kumar, K. (1997). Studies on plant diversity of Patnitop and adjoining area and impact of biotic activities. Ph.D Thesis. University of Jammu, Jammu, India.
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Menhinick, E. F. (1964). A comparison of some Species Diversity Indices applied to Samples of Field Insects. Ecology, 45: 858-862.
Pacifici, M., Foden, W.B., Visconti, .P, Watson, J.E.M., Butchart, S.H.M., Kovacs, K.M (2015). Assessing species vulnerability to climate change. Nature Climate Change. 5(3):215–24. https://doi.org/10.1038/ nclimate2448
Parmesan, C., Duarte, C., Poloczanska, E., Richardson, A.J., Singer, M.C (2011) Overstretching attribution. Nature Climate Change. 1(1):2–4.
Pielou, E. C. (1966). The measurement of diversity in different types of biological collections. Journal Theoretical Biology, 13:131-144.
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Raina, A. K., Kumar, R. (2011). Floristic composition, life form classification and biological spectrum of the Biological spectrum of the catchment of Rattle H.E. project, District Kishtwar- JandK. Environ. Conserv. J., 12(3): 1-6.
Richardson, A.D., Andy Black. T., Ciais, P., Delbart, N., Friedl, M.A., Gobron, N. (2010) Influence of spring and autumn phenological transitions on forest ecosystem productivity. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London B: Biological Sciences, 365(1555):3227–46. https://doi.org/10.1098/ rstb.2010.0102 PMID: 20819815
Rochefort, R., Little, R.L., Woodward, A. and Peterson, D. L. (1994). Changes in sub-alpine tree distribution in western North America: A review of climatic and other causal factors. The Holocene 4(1): 89-100.
Shannon, C. E. and Wener, W. (1963). The Mathematical Theory of Communication, University of Illinois Press, Urbana, 117.
Sharma, A. (2018). Vegetation composition, pattern and diversity of riparian forest communities along Neeru stream, Bhaderwah, JandK. Ph.D Thesis. University of Jammu, Jammu, India.
Sharma, C. M., Suyal, S., Gairola, S., and Ghildiyal, S. K. (2009). Species richness and diversity along an altitudinal gradient in moist temperate forest of Garhwal Himalaya. Journal of American Science, 5(5): 119-128.
Sharma, N. and Raina, A. K. (2013). Composition, structure and diversity of tree species along an elevational gradient in Jammu province of north-western Himalayas, Jammu and Kashmir, India. Journal of Biodiversity and Environmental Sciences, 3(10):12-23
Sharma, N., Najeeb, A. and Singh, D. (2016). Vegetational diversity and distribution along an elevational gradient on both sides of Chattergalla ridge, Bhaderwah, Jammu and Kashmir, India. Indian Forester. 142(9): 820-826.
Simpson, E. H. (1949). Measurement of diversity. Nature, 163: 688.
Singh, S. K. and Rawat, G. S. (2000). Flora of Great Himalayan National Park. Bishen Singh Mahendra Pal Singh, Dehradun, 304 p.
Sykes, M. T. (2009) Climate Change Impacts: Vegetation. In: Encyclopedia of Life Sciences (ELS). John Wiley and Sons, Ltd: Chichester. DOI: 10.1002/9780470015902.a0021227
Vila, M. and Ibanez,I. (2011). Plant invasions in the landscape. Landscape Ecol. 26(4):461–72. https://doi.org/ 10.1007/s10980-011-9585-3
Wardle, P. (1974). Alpine timberlines. In: Ives, J. D. and R. G. Barry (Ed) Arctic and Alpine Environment, Methuen, London: pp371-402
Whittaker R. H. (1972). Evolution and Measurement of Species Diversity. Taxon, 21(2/3): 213-251.
Butchart, S.H.M., Walpole, M., Collen, B., van Strien, A., Scharlemann, J.P.W., Almond, R.E.A. (2010) Global Biodiversity: Indicators of Recent Declines. Science. 2010; 328(5982):1164–8. https://doi.org/10.1126/ science.1187512 PMID: 20430971
Cairns, D. M. (1998). Modeling controls on pattern at alpine treeline. Geographical and Environmental Modeling, 2(1):43-63.
Cairns, D.M. and Malanson G.P. (1997). Examination of the Carbon Balance Hypothesis of Alpine Treeline Location in Glacier National Park, Montana. Physical Geography, 18(2): 125-145.
Cairns, D.M. and Malanson G.P. (1998). Environmental variables influencing the carbon balance at the alpine treeline: a modeling approach. Journal of vegetation science, 9(5): 679-692.
Champion, H. G. and S. K. Seth (1968). A revised survey of the forest types of India. Manager of Publications, Govt. of India, New Delhi.
Chapin III, Erika, F.S., Zavaleta, S., Eviner, V. T., Naylor, R. L., Vitousek, P. M., Reynolds, H. L., Hooper, D. U., Lavorel, S., Sala, O. E., Hobbie, S. E., Mack, M. C. And Diaz S. (2000). Consequences of changing biodiversity. Nature, 405: 234-242.
Chawla, A., Rajkumar S., Singh, K. N., Brij. L. and Sigh, R. D. (2008). Plant species Diversity along Altitudinal Gradient of Bhabha Valley in Western Himalayas. Journal of Mountain. Science, 5: 157-177.
Dutt, H. (2005). Ecological studies and conservation of medicinal plants of Neeru watershed (J and K). Ph.D thesis. University of Jammu, Jammu, India.
Elourard, C., Pascal, J. P., Pelissier, R., Ramesh, B. R., Houllier, F., Durand, M, Aravajy, S, Moravie, M. A., Gimaret-Carpentier, C. (1997). Monitoring the structure and dynamics of a dense moist evergreen forest in the Western Ghats (Kodagu District, Karnataka, India). Tropical Ecolog, 38: 193-214.
Grytnes, J, A. and Beaman, J. H. (2006). Elevational species richness pattern for vascular plants on Mount Kinabalu, Borneo. Journal of biogeography, 33: 1838-1849.
Grytnes, J. A. and Vetaas, O. R. (2002). Species richness and altitude: A comparison between null models and interpolated plant species richness along the Himalayan altitudinal gradient, Nepal. American Naturalist, 159: 294-304.
Habib, T., Malik, Z., Hussain, M. and Khan, M. (2011). Plant species diversity along the altitudinal gradient at Garhi Dopatta Hills, Muzaffarabad. Journal of Medicinal Plants Research, 5(20): 5194-5196.
Hall, H. P. and Daniel B. Fagre (2003). Modeled climate-induced glacier change in Glacier National Park, 1850-2100. Bioscience, 53(2) 131-140.
Holtmeier, F. K. (2003). Mountain Timberlines: Ecology, Patchiness, and Dynamics, Kluwer Academic Publishers, Netherlands: 384.
Holtmeier, F.-K. and Broll, G. (1992). The Influence of Tree Islands and Microtopography on Pedogeological Conditions in the Forest-Alpine Tundra Ecotone on Niwot Ridge, Colorado Front Range, U.S.A. Arctic and Alpine Research, 24(3): 216-228.
Kosanic ,A., Anderson, K., Harrison, S., Turkington, T., Bennie, J (2018). Changes in the geographical distribution of plant species and climatic variables on the West Cornwall peninsula (South West UK). PLoS ONE 13(2): e0191021. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0191021
Kessler, M. (2000). Elevational gradients in species richness and endemism of selected plant groups in the central Bo-Livian Andes. Plant Ecology, 149: 181-193.
Kharkwal, G., Mehrotra, P., Rawat, Y. S. and Pangtey, Y. P. S. (2005). Phytodiversity of growth form in relation to altitudinal gradient in the Central Himalayan (Kumaun) region of India. Current Science, 89 (5): 873-878.
Kour, I. (2001). Phytodiversity and impact of tourism on the vegetation of Trikuta Hills (J and K). Ph.D Thesis. University of Jammu, Jammu, India.
Kumar A, Ram J. (2005). Anthropogenic disturbances and plant biodiversity in forests of Uttaranchal, Central Himalayas. Biodiversity Conservation, 14: 309-331.
Kumar, A. (1987). Phytosociological and productivity studies of Bhaderwah forests, Jammu (J and K). Ph.D Thesis. University of Jammu, Jammu, India.
Kumar, K. (1997). Studies on plant diversity of Patnitop and adjoining area and impact of biotic activities. Ph.D Thesis. University of Jammu, Jammu, India.
Margalef, R. (1968). Perspectives in ecological theory. University of Chicago Press. pp 111.
Menhinick, E. F. (1964). A comparison of some Species Diversity Indices applied to Samples of Field Insects. Ecology, 45: 858-862.
Pacifici, M., Foden, W.B., Visconti, .P, Watson, J.E.M., Butchart, S.H.M., Kovacs, K.M (2015). Assessing species vulnerability to climate change. Nature Climate Change. 5(3):215–24. https://doi.org/10.1038/ nclimate2448
Parmesan, C., Duarte, C., Poloczanska, E., Richardson, A.J., Singer, M.C (2011) Overstretching attribution. Nature Climate Change. 1(1):2–4.
Pielou, E. C. (1966). The measurement of diversity in different types of biological collections. Journal Theoretical Biology, 13:131-144.
Polunin, O. and Stainton, A. (1984). Flowers of Himalaya. Oxford University Press New Delhi. 580.
Raina, A. K., Kumar, R. (2011). Floristic composition, life form classification and biological spectrum of the Biological spectrum of the catchment of Rattle H.E. project, District Kishtwar- JandK. Environ. Conserv. J., 12(3): 1-6.
Richardson, A.D., Andy Black. T., Ciais, P., Delbart, N., Friedl, M.A., Gobron, N. (2010) Influence of spring and autumn phenological transitions on forest ecosystem productivity. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London B: Biological Sciences, 365(1555):3227–46. https://doi.org/10.1098/ rstb.2010.0102 PMID: 20819815
Rochefort, R., Little, R.L., Woodward, A. and Peterson, D. L. (1994). Changes in sub-alpine tree distribution in western North America: A review of climatic and other causal factors. The Holocene 4(1): 89-100.
Shannon, C. E. and Wener, W. (1963). The Mathematical Theory of Communication, University of Illinois Press, Urbana, 117.
Sharma, A. (2018). Vegetation composition, pattern and diversity of riparian forest communities along Neeru stream, Bhaderwah, JandK. Ph.D Thesis. University of Jammu, Jammu, India.
Sharma, C. M., Suyal, S., Gairola, S., and Ghildiyal, S. K. (2009). Species richness and diversity along an altitudinal gradient in moist temperate forest of Garhwal Himalaya. Journal of American Science, 5(5): 119-128.
Sharma, N. and Raina, A. K. (2013). Composition, structure and diversity of tree species along an elevational gradient in Jammu province of north-western Himalayas, Jammu and Kashmir, India. Journal of Biodiversity and Environmental Sciences, 3(10):12-23
Sharma, N., Najeeb, A. and Singh, D. (2016). Vegetational diversity and distribution along an elevational gradient on both sides of Chattergalla ridge, Bhaderwah, Jammu and Kashmir, India. Indian Forester. 142(9): 820-826.
Simpson, E. H. (1949). Measurement of diversity. Nature, 163: 688.
Singh, S. K. and Rawat, G. S. (2000). Flora of Great Himalayan National Park. Bishen Singh Mahendra Pal Singh, Dehradun, 304 p.
Sykes, M. T. (2009) Climate Change Impacts: Vegetation. In: Encyclopedia of Life Sciences (ELS). John Wiley and Sons, Ltd: Chichester. DOI: 10.1002/9780470015902.a0021227
Vila, M. and Ibanez,I. (2011). Plant invasions in the landscape. Landscape Ecol. 26(4):461–72. https://doi.org/ 10.1007/s10980-011-9585-3
Wardle, P. (1974). Alpine timberlines. In: Ives, J. D. and R. G. Barry (Ed) Arctic and Alpine Environment, Methuen, London: pp371-402
Whittaker R. H. (1972). Evolution and Measurement of Species Diversity. Taxon, 21(2/3): 213-251.
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Composition, richness and floristic diversity along an elevational gradient in a semi-disturbed treeline ecotone, Bhaderwah, Jammu and Kashmir. (2019). Journal of Applied and Natural Science, 11(1), 23-34. https://doi.org/10.31018/jans.v11i1.1973
