Vegetation mapping and multivariate approach to indicator species of a forest ecosystem: A case study from the Thandiani sub Forests Division (TsFD) in the Western Himalayas |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Department of Botany, Hazara University, Mansehra, Pakistan;2. Department of Plant Sciences, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan;3. Department of Genetics, Hazara University, Mansehra, Pakistan;4. Department of Geography, University of Leicester, UK;1. Center for Biodiversity Conservation and Management, G.B. Pant National Institute of Himalayan Environment (NIHE), Kosi-Katarmal, Uttarakhand, India;2. Department of Forestry and Environmental Sciences, SSJ University, Almora, Uttarakhand, India;1. Department of Botany, University of Azad Jammu and Kashmir Muzaffarabad-13100, Pakistan;1. Centre for Biodiversity & Taxonomy, Department of Botany, University of Kashmir, Srinagar 190 006, J & K, India;2. Department of Botany, University of Kashmir, Srinagar 190 006, J & K, India;3. Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA;4. Forest Ecology Research Group, College of Life Sciences, Hebei University, Baoding 071002, China;5. GIS Centre, Forest Research Institute (FRI), PO New Forest, Dehradun 248006, India;6. Forestry and Ecology Division, National Remote Sensing Centre (ISRO), Hyderabad 500 625, India;7. Department of Ethnobotany, Institute of Botany, Ilia State University, 0105 Tbilisi, Georgia |
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| Abstract: | QuestionsDoes the plant species composition of Thandiani sub Forests Division (TsFD) correlate with edaphic, topographic and climatic variables? Is it possible to identify different plant communities in relation to environmental gradients with special emphasis on indicator species? Can this approach to vegetation classification support conservation planning?LocationThandiani sub Forests Division, Western Himalayas.MethodsQuantitative and qualitative characteristics of species along with environmental variables were measured using a randomly stratified design to identify the major plant communities and indicator species of the Thandiani sub Forests Division. Species composition was recorded in 10 × 2.5 × 2 and 0.5 × 0.5 m square plots for trees, shrubs and herbs, respectively. GPS, edaphic and topographic data were also recorded for each sample plot. A total of 1500 quadrats were established in 50 sampling stations along eight altitudinal transects encompassing eastern, western, northern and southern aspects (slopes). The altitudinal range of the study area was 1290 m to 2626 m above sea level using. The relationships between species composition and environmental variables were analyzed using Two Way Cluster Analysis (TWCA) and Indicator Species Analysis (ISA) via PCORD version 5.ResultsA total of 252 plant species belonging to 97 families were identified. TWCA and ISA recognized five plant communities. ISA additionally revealed that mountain slope aspect, soil pH and soil electrical conductivity were the strongest environmental factors (p ≤ 0.05) determining plant community composition and indicator species in each habitat. The results also show the strength of the environment-species relationship using Monte Carlo procedures.ConclusionsAn analysis of vegetation along an environmental gradient in the Thandiani sub Forests Division using the Braun-Blanquet approach confirmed by robust tools of multivariate statistics identified indicators of each sort of microclimatic zones/vegetation communities which could further be used in conservation planning and management not only in the area studied but in the adjacent regions exhibit similar sort of environmental conditions. |
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| Keywords: | Cluster analysis Indicator species analysis Plant community Species composition Two way cluster analysis Vegetation mapping Thandiani sub Forests Division (TsFD) |
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