Patterns of plant species richness and diversity across treelines in Himachal Pradesh, Western Himalaya.
Saved in:
| Title: | Patterns of plant species richness and diversity across treelines in Himachal Pradesh, Western Himalaya. |
|---|---|
| Authors: | Sharma, Rohit1 (AUTHOR) rohit.sharma2613@gmail.com, Uniyal, Sanjay Kr.2 (AUTHOR) suniyal@ihbt.res.in, Kaur, Shalinder3 (AUTHOR) shalinder@pu.ac.in |
| Source: | Journal of Mountain Science. May2025, Vol. 22 Issue 5, p1586-1599. 14p. |
| Subject Terms: | *Plant species diversity, *Timberline, *Life sciences, *Plant diversity, *Environmental sciences |
| Geographic Terms: | Himalaya Mountains |
| Abstract: | Treelines are ecologically unique, fragile, and rich in natural resources. They harbour high species diversity and at the same time are under threat due to anthropogenic activities. Recognizing this, the present study has been framed to document the patterns of species richness and diversity in the state of Himachal Pradesh, western Himalaya. A total of six treeline sites (three disturbed and three undisturbed) were identified for vegetation sampling. Trees, shrubs, and herbs were sampled at each site using nested plots of 10 m2, 5 m2, and 1 m2, respectively. The study exhibits the rich diversity of treeline communities, the patterns of which varied between treeline sites. Altogether, 221 species of vascular plants belonging to 47 families and 140 genera were recorded from the area. Amongst families, Asteraceae was the dominant family followed by Apiaceae and Ranunculaceae. The study also revealed the presence of threatened species like Aconitum heterophyllum, Angelica glauca, Bergenia stracheyi, Dactylorhiza hatagirea, Picrorhiza kurroa, and Trillium govanianum etc. at treeline. Moreover, species composition revealed high densities of Betula utilis followed by the under canopy of Rhododendron campanulatum and R. anthopogon at treeline sites. Overall, species richness of herbs, shrubs, and trees were higher at undisturbed site as compared to disturbed one. The diversity indices of herbs and shrubs varied significantly between treeline sites while that of trees was non-significant. At the same time, soil properties showed distinct patterns wherein pH and available nitrogen significantly varied between treeline sites. Present study provides detailed insights into the floristic and ecological aspects of treeline communities from the unexplored ecoregion of western Himalaya. The treelines in the area are anthropogenically depressed and continued land-use activities might result in habitat fragmentation and displacement of plant communities in the near future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| Database: | Energy & Power Source |
| FullText | Links: – Type: pdflink Text: Availability: 0 |
|---|---|
| Header | DbId: enr DbLabel: Energy & Power Source An: 185303258 AccessLevel: 6 PubType: Academic Journal PubTypeId: academicJournal PreciseRelevancyScore: 0 |
| IllustrationInfo | |
| Items | – Name: Title Label: Title Group: Ti Data: Patterns of plant species richness and diversity across treelines in Himachal Pradesh, Western Himalaya. – Name: Author Label: Authors Group: Au Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Sharma%2C+Rohit%22">Sharma, Rohit</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<i> rohit.sharma2613@gmail.com</i><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Uniyal%2C+Sanjay+Kr%2E%22">Uniyal, Sanjay Kr.</searchLink><relatesTo>2</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<i> suniyal@ihbt.res.in</i><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Kaur%2C+Shalinder%22">Kaur, Shalinder</searchLink><relatesTo>3</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<i> shalinder@pu.ac.in</i> – Name: TitleSource Label: Source Group: Src Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Journal+of+Mountain+Science%22">Journal of Mountain Science</searchLink>. May2025, Vol. 22 Issue 5, p1586-1599. 14p. – Name: Subject Label: Subject Terms Group: Su Data: *<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Plant+species+diversity%22">Plant species diversity</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Timberline%22">Timberline</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Life+sciences%22">Life sciences</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Plant+diversity%22">Plant diversity</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Environmental+sciences%22">Environmental sciences</searchLink> – Name: SubjectGeographic Label: Geographic Terms Group: Su Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Himalaya+Mountains%22">Himalaya Mountains</searchLink> – Name: Abstract Label: Abstract Group: Ab Data: Treelines are ecologically unique, fragile, and rich in natural resources. They harbour high species diversity and at the same time are under threat due to anthropogenic activities. Recognizing this, the present study has been framed to document the patterns of species richness and diversity in the state of Himachal Pradesh, western Himalaya. A total of six treeline sites (three disturbed and three undisturbed) were identified for vegetation sampling. Trees, shrubs, and herbs were sampled at each site using nested plots of 10 m2, 5 m2, and 1 m2, respectively. The study exhibits the rich diversity of treeline communities, the patterns of which varied between treeline sites. Altogether, 221 species of vascular plants belonging to 47 families and 140 genera were recorded from the area. Amongst families, Asteraceae was the dominant family followed by Apiaceae and Ranunculaceae. The study also revealed the presence of threatened species like Aconitum heterophyllum, Angelica glauca, Bergenia stracheyi, Dactylorhiza hatagirea, Picrorhiza kurroa, and Trillium govanianum etc. at treeline. Moreover, species composition revealed high densities of Betula utilis followed by the under canopy of Rhododendron campanulatum and R. anthopogon at treeline sites. Overall, species richness of herbs, shrubs, and trees were higher at undisturbed site as compared to disturbed one. The diversity indices of herbs and shrubs varied significantly between treeline sites while that of trees was non-significant. At the same time, soil properties showed distinct patterns wherein pH and available nitrogen significantly varied between treeline sites. Present study provides detailed insights into the floristic and ecological aspects of treeline communities from the unexplored ecoregion of western Himalaya. The treelines in the area are anthropogenically depressed and continued land-use activities might result in habitat fragmentation and displacement of plant communities in the near future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| PLink | https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=enr&AN=185303258 |
| RecordInfo | BibRecord: BibEntity: Identifiers: – Type: doi Value: 10.1007/s11629-024-8965-5 Languages: – Code: eng Text: English PhysicalDescription: Pagination: PageCount: 14 StartPage: 1586 Subjects: – SubjectFull: Plant species diversity Type: general – SubjectFull: Timberline Type: general – SubjectFull: Life sciences Type: general – SubjectFull: Plant diversity Type: general – SubjectFull: Environmental sciences Type: general – SubjectFull: Himalaya Mountains Type: general Titles: – TitleFull: Patterns of plant species richness and diversity across treelines in Himachal Pradesh, Western Himalaya. Type: main BibRelationships: HasContributorRelationships: – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Sharma, Rohit – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Uniyal, Sanjay Kr. – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Kaur, Shalinder IsPartOfRelationships: – BibEntity: Dates: – D: 01 M: 05 Text: May2025 Type: published Y: 2025 Identifiers: – Type: issn-print Value: 16726316 Numbering: – Type: volume Value: 22 – Type: issue Value: 5 Titles: – TitleFull: Journal of Mountain Science Type: main |
| ResultId | 1 |
