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1 August 2016 Ecological Assessment of Plant Communities and Associated Edaphic and Topographic Variables in the Peochar Valley of the Hindu Kush Mountains
Aziz Ur Rahman, Shujaul Mulk Khan, Salman Khan, Ahmad Hussain, Inayat Ur Rahman, Zafar Iqbal, Farhana Ijaz
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Abstract

This study quantified the effect of environmental variables on plant species composition in the Peochar Valley, located in the Hindu Raj mountains of the Hindu Kush. A mixture of quadrat and transect methods were used. Quadrat sizes were 10 × 10 m, 2 × 5 m, and 1 m2 for trees, shrubs, and herbs, respectively, determined using the minimal area method. Twenty-seven stations were established along 6 elevation transects on slopes with various aspects. Density, cover, and frequency were recorded for all species in each quadrat. Aspect, elevation, rock types, soil nature, and grazing pressure were also considered as edaphic and topographic variables. Preliminary results showed that the Peochar Valley hosts 120 species. Presence/absence data for these species were analyzed with cluster and 2-way cluster techniques to elaborate species composition in the study area; this resulted in 4 plant communities. Species abundance and environmental data matrices were developed to evaluate the ecological gradient of vegetation through canonical correspondence analysis. Of the environmental variables, elevation, aspect, grazing pressure, soil depth, and rock type showed a significant effect on species composition and diversity. We also identified the dominant and rare plant species in each plant community based on their low importance value indexes. Conservation measures are recommended for all flora of this valley and for rare species in particular.

© 2016. Rahman et al. This open access article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Please credit the authors and the full source.
Aziz Ur Rahman, Shujaul Mulk Khan, Salman Khan, Ahmad Hussain, Inayat Ur Rahman, Zafar Iqbal, and Farhana Ijaz "Ecological Assessment of Plant Communities and Associated Edaphic and Topographic Variables in the Peochar Valley of the Hindu Kush Mountains," Mountain Research and Development 36(3), 332-341, (1 August 2016). https://doi.org/10.1659/MRD-JOURNAL-D-14-00100.1
Received: 1 September 2015; Accepted: 1 May 2016; Published: 1 August 2016
KEYWORDS
Canonical correspondence analysis
cluster analysis
conservation
Hindu Kush Mountains
Peochar Valley
plant composition
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