Lower plants of Tungnath-Chopta timberline zone, Garhwal Himalaya
- Author:
- Singh P., Joshi V., Rawal R., Bhandari M., Tripathi M., Kholia B.S. & Negi G.C.S.
- Year:
- 2023
- Journal:
- In: Singh S.P., Reshi Z.A. & Joshi R. (eds.), Ecology of Himalayan Treeline Ecotone
- Pages:
- p. 361–376, Springer, Cham
- Url:
- https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-4476-5_14
This study was carried out in Pothivasa-Tungnath-Chopta area of Garhwal Himalaya, India to enumerate the occurrence of lower plants (Pteridophytes, Bryophytes and Lichens) along an elevation belt of 2100–2850 masl, encompassing NW and SW aspects and habitat types ranging from dense forests to timberline and alpine meadow in peak growing season in September 2020. We recorded a total of 54 species of Pteridophytes (species richness varied from 9 to 25 among these sites), 27 Lichen species (species richness 5–14) and 51species of Bryophytes, including 17 liverworts, 2 hornworts and 32 mosses. Across these sites, beta diversity was the highest for Pteridophytes (3.2), followed by Lichens (1.85) and Bryophytes (1.43). Along the elevation gradient species richness was almost invariant for bryophytes, it tended to be lower in the upper part of the altitudinal transect than the lower one for lichens, and it was highest for Pteridophytes at the highest altitude across the altitudinal transect. The entire elevational segment is rich in lower plant taxa and needs to be protected and intensively explored.
Keywords: Bryophytes · Lichens · Phytodiversity · Pteridophytes · Sub-timber line Garhwal Himalaya.
- Id:
- 36309
- Submitter:
- zpalice
- Post_time:
- Monday, 26 February 2024 00:29