Distribution Pattern, Conservation Status, and Associated Flora of the Genus Juniperus in Subalpine Pastures of the Kashmir Himalayas
Juniperus is an evergreen gymnosperm genus with a broad geographical distribution in the Northern Hemisphere. Juniperus constitutes important vegetation associations in the Himalayan highlands that have significant ecological and socioeconomic importance. This research investigated the distribution...
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International Mountain Society
2017
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Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1659/MRD-JOURNAL-D-16-00119.1 https://doaj.org/article/d18e382b90df41fe909bc7fcf7947f9e |
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fttriple:oai:gotriple.eu:oai:doaj.org/article:d18e382b90df41fe909bc7fcf7947f9e 2023-05-15T18:01:40+02:00 Distribution Pattern, Conservation Status, and Associated Flora of the Genus Juniperus in Subalpine Pastures of the Kashmir Himalayas Hamayun Shaheen Shahzad Naseer Awan Shamshad Aziz 2017-11-01 https://doi.org/10.1659/MRD-JOURNAL-D-16-00119.1 https://doaj.org/article/d18e382b90df41fe909bc7fcf7947f9e en eng International Mountain Society doi:10.1659/MRD-JOURNAL-D-16-00119.1 0276-4741 1994-7151 https://doaj.org/article/d18e382b90df41fe909bc7fcf7947f9e undefined Mountain Research and Development, Vol 37, Iss 4, Pp 487-493 (2017) Juniperus communis Juniperus excelsa regeneration subalpine Kashmir envir geo Journal Article https://vocabularies.coar-repositories.org/resource_types/c_6501/ 2017 fttriple https://doi.org/10.1659/MRD-JOURNAL-D-16-00119.1 2023-01-22T19:27:53Z Juniperus is an evergreen gymnosperm genus with a broad geographical distribution in the Northern Hemisphere. Juniperus constitutes important vegetation associations in the Himalayan highlands that have significant ecological and socioeconomic importance. This research investigated the distribution pattern, community structure, and ecosystem services provided byJuniperus -dominated subalpine vegetation in the upper Neelum Valley, Pakistan. Vegetation attributes and geographical characteristics were systematically recorded at 4 selected sites. Two species of Juniperus, Juniperus communis L. and J. excelsa M. Bieb., were found to have average importance values of 23.4 and 20.02%, respectively. J. excelsa showed an average basal area of 0.30 m2 ha−1 and an average stem density of 46.95 ha−1; J. communis had an average basal area of 0.25 m2 ha−1 and an average stem density of 33.21 ha−1. A total of 56 Juniperus-associated plant species from 29 families were recorded, with Asteraceae as the dominant family, followed by Lamiaceae, Polygonaceae, Rosaceae, Caryophyllaceae, and Apiaceae. Predominant associated species included Thymus linearis, Aster falconeri, Rosa webbiana, Berberis lyceum, Anagallis arvensis, Rumex nepalensis, Poa alpina, Bistorta affinis, and Iris hookeriana. The calculated average values were Shannon's diversity, 3.07; Simpson's diversity, 0.94; species richness, 1.11; species evenness, 0.90; and maturity index, 45.90. Hemicryptophytes were the dominant lifeform in the area (57.14%), and microphylls (46.42%) were the dominant leaf type. Overgrazing and fuelwood cutting were identified as serious threats to both Juniperus species. Restoration of the degraded juniper stands through collective efforts by government and local communities and regular monitoring is recommended. Article in Journal/Newspaper Poa alpina Unknown Mountain Research and Development 37 4 487 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Unknown |
op_collection_id |
fttriple |
language |
English |
topic |
Juniperus communis Juniperus excelsa regeneration subalpine Kashmir envir geo |
spellingShingle |
Juniperus communis Juniperus excelsa regeneration subalpine Kashmir envir geo Hamayun Shaheen Shahzad Naseer Awan Shamshad Aziz Distribution Pattern, Conservation Status, and Associated Flora of the Genus Juniperus in Subalpine Pastures of the Kashmir Himalayas |
topic_facet |
Juniperus communis Juniperus excelsa regeneration subalpine Kashmir envir geo |
description |
Juniperus is an evergreen gymnosperm genus with a broad geographical distribution in the Northern Hemisphere. Juniperus constitutes important vegetation associations in the Himalayan highlands that have significant ecological and socioeconomic importance. This research investigated the distribution pattern, community structure, and ecosystem services provided byJuniperus -dominated subalpine vegetation in the upper Neelum Valley, Pakistan. Vegetation attributes and geographical characteristics were systematically recorded at 4 selected sites. Two species of Juniperus, Juniperus communis L. and J. excelsa M. Bieb., were found to have average importance values of 23.4 and 20.02%, respectively. J. excelsa showed an average basal area of 0.30 m2 ha−1 and an average stem density of 46.95 ha−1; J. communis had an average basal area of 0.25 m2 ha−1 and an average stem density of 33.21 ha−1. A total of 56 Juniperus-associated plant species from 29 families were recorded, with Asteraceae as the dominant family, followed by Lamiaceae, Polygonaceae, Rosaceae, Caryophyllaceae, and Apiaceae. Predominant associated species included Thymus linearis, Aster falconeri, Rosa webbiana, Berberis lyceum, Anagallis arvensis, Rumex nepalensis, Poa alpina, Bistorta affinis, and Iris hookeriana. The calculated average values were Shannon's diversity, 3.07; Simpson's diversity, 0.94; species richness, 1.11; species evenness, 0.90; and maturity index, 45.90. Hemicryptophytes were the dominant lifeform in the area (57.14%), and microphylls (46.42%) were the dominant leaf type. Overgrazing and fuelwood cutting were identified as serious threats to both Juniperus species. Restoration of the degraded juniper stands through collective efforts by government and local communities and regular monitoring is recommended. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Hamayun Shaheen Shahzad Naseer Awan Shamshad Aziz |
author_facet |
Hamayun Shaheen Shahzad Naseer Awan Shamshad Aziz |
author_sort |
Hamayun Shaheen |
title |
Distribution Pattern, Conservation Status, and Associated Flora of the Genus Juniperus in Subalpine Pastures of the Kashmir Himalayas |
title_short |
Distribution Pattern, Conservation Status, and Associated Flora of the Genus Juniperus in Subalpine Pastures of the Kashmir Himalayas |
title_full |
Distribution Pattern, Conservation Status, and Associated Flora of the Genus Juniperus in Subalpine Pastures of the Kashmir Himalayas |
title_fullStr |
Distribution Pattern, Conservation Status, and Associated Flora of the Genus Juniperus in Subalpine Pastures of the Kashmir Himalayas |
title_full_unstemmed |
Distribution Pattern, Conservation Status, and Associated Flora of the Genus Juniperus in Subalpine Pastures of the Kashmir Himalayas |
title_sort |
distribution pattern, conservation status, and associated flora of the genus juniperus in subalpine pastures of the kashmir himalayas |
publisher |
International Mountain Society |
publishDate |
2017 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.1659/MRD-JOURNAL-D-16-00119.1 https://doaj.org/article/d18e382b90df41fe909bc7fcf7947f9e |
genre |
Poa alpina |
genre_facet |
Poa alpina |
op_source |
Mountain Research and Development, Vol 37, Iss 4, Pp 487-493 (2017) |
op_relation |
doi:10.1659/MRD-JOURNAL-D-16-00119.1 0276-4741 1994-7151 https://doaj.org/article/d18e382b90df41fe909bc7fcf7947f9e |
op_rights |
undefined |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1659/MRD-JOURNAL-D-16-00119.1 |
container_title |
Mountain Research and Development |
container_volume |
37 |
container_issue |
4 |
container_start_page |
487 |
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1766171174131204096 |