Floristic Association of Moist Temperate Forests of Shangla District, Delineated by a Multivariate Approach
Multivariate analysis was conducted to explore the moist temperate forests of the Shangla district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The prime objective was to quantitatively describe and differentiate the vegetation groups and the factors that determine the boundaries and composition of plant communities in the...
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MDPI AG
2022-07-01
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| Series: | Agronomy |
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| author | Javed Iqbal Nasiruddin Shaikh Moinuddin Ahmed Wajid Zaman Adam Khan Asma Ayaz Diaa O. El-Ansary Hanoor Sharma Hosam O. Elansary SeonJoo Park |
| author_facet | Javed Iqbal Nasiruddin Shaikh Moinuddin Ahmed Wajid Zaman Adam Khan Asma Ayaz Diaa O. El-Ansary Hanoor Sharma Hosam O. Elansary SeonJoo Park |
| author_sort | Javed Iqbal |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Multivariate analysis was conducted to explore the moist temperate forests of the Shangla district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The prime objective was to quantitatively describe and differentiate the vegetation groups and the factors that determine the boundaries and composition of plant communities in the Shangla district. This was achieved by sampling all common species in a complex vegetation mosaic coinciding with local gradients in topography and soil distribution. Ward’s clustering dendrogram demonstrated four significant vegetation clusters with respect to environmental effects. These four major groups of the tree vegetation were superimposed on the ordination plane: 1. <i>Pinus wallichiana,</i> the dominant group associated with <i>Abies pindrow</i>; 2. <i>Abies pindrow</i> and the <i>Picea</i> <i>smithiana</i> group; 3. Dominant <i>Cedrus</i> <i>deodara</i> associated with the <i>Pinus</i> <i>wallichiana,</i> <i>Abies pindrow</i>, <i>Picea</i> <i>smithiana,</i> and <i>Quercus baloot</i> group; 4. <i>Pinus</i> <i>roxberghii</i> pure group. The key controlling factors for each group were the environmental characteristics (i.e., edaphic factors, topographic factors, soil physical properties, and soil nutrients). The results revealed elevation (<i>p</i> <0.001) to be the prominent factor in the composition of plant communities. Furthermore, pH, soil moisture, maximum water holding capacity, and soil physical properties (sand, silt, and clay) also showed a significant (<i>p</i> < 0.05) relationship with vegetation. The other environmental factor did not show a significant relationship with vegetation. Ward’s cluster dendrogram of understory species also demonstrated four groups. Group 1 comprises two subgroups, a and b, with the highest number of species, i.e., <i>Digeteria sanguinalis, Fragaria nubicola, Verbascum Thapsus, Pinus wallichiana seedlings</i>, and <i>Polygonatum multiflorium</i>, respectively. The second large group contains twenty-five species out of eight stands, and the dominant species was <i>Tagetis minuta</i>. Eighteen species out of six stands were found in group 3, which was considered the smallest group. Group 4 consisted of seven stands containing twenty-four species of ground flora, with <i>Anaphalis scopulosa</i> followed by <i>Adiantum venustum</i> as the dominant species. The environmental characteristics of the understory vegetation showed a resemblance with the tree communities. With the exception of elevation, the other factors did not show a significant correlation. |
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| spelling | doaj.art-41a385f43ecb4ce4b6ed1e710b0010d32023-12-01T21:47:58ZengMDPI AGAgronomy2073-43952022-07-01127172310.3390/agronomy12071723Floristic Association of Moist Temperate Forests of Shangla District, Delineated by a Multivariate ApproachJaved Iqbal0Nasiruddin Shaikh1Moinuddin Ahmed2Wajid Zaman3Adam Khan4Asma Ayaz5Diaa O. El-Ansary6Hanoor Sharma7Hosam O. Elansary8SeonJoo Park9Department of Botany, Government College University Hyderabad, Sindh 71000, PakistanDepartment of Botany, Government College University Hyderabad, Sindh 71000, PakistanDepartment of Earth and Environmental Systems, Indiana State University, Terre Haute, IN 47809, USADepartment of Life Sciences, Yeungnam University, Gyeongsan 38541, KoreaDepartment of Botany, University of Lakki Marwat, Lakki Marwat 28420, PakistanState Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Hubei University, Wuhan 430062, ChinaPrecision Agriculture Laboratory, Department of Pomology, Faculty of Agriculture (El-Shatby), Alexandria University, Alexandria 21545, EgyptSchool of Microbiology and Immunology, Wright State University, Dayton, OH 45435, USAPlant Production Department, College of Food and Agriculture Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi ArabiaDepartment of Life Sciences, Yeungnam University, Gyeongsan 38541, KoreaMultivariate analysis was conducted to explore the moist temperate forests of the Shangla district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The prime objective was to quantitatively describe and differentiate the vegetation groups and the factors that determine the boundaries and composition of plant communities in the Shangla district. This was achieved by sampling all common species in a complex vegetation mosaic coinciding with local gradients in topography and soil distribution. Ward’s clustering dendrogram demonstrated four significant vegetation clusters with respect to environmental effects. These four major groups of the tree vegetation were superimposed on the ordination plane: 1. <i>Pinus wallichiana,</i> the dominant group associated with <i>Abies pindrow</i>; 2. <i>Abies pindrow</i> and the <i>Picea</i> <i>smithiana</i> group; 3. Dominant <i>Cedrus</i> <i>deodara</i> associated with the <i>Pinus</i> <i>wallichiana,</i> <i>Abies pindrow</i>, <i>Picea</i> <i>smithiana,</i> and <i>Quercus baloot</i> group; 4. <i>Pinus</i> <i>roxberghii</i> pure group. The key controlling factors for each group were the environmental characteristics (i.e., edaphic factors, topographic factors, soil physical properties, and soil nutrients). The results revealed elevation (<i>p</i> <0.001) to be the prominent factor in the composition of plant communities. Furthermore, pH, soil moisture, maximum water holding capacity, and soil physical properties (sand, silt, and clay) also showed a significant (<i>p</i> < 0.05) relationship with vegetation. The other environmental factor did not show a significant relationship with vegetation. Ward’s cluster dendrogram of understory species also demonstrated four groups. Group 1 comprises two subgroups, a and b, with the highest number of species, i.e., <i>Digeteria sanguinalis, Fragaria nubicola, Verbascum Thapsus, Pinus wallichiana seedlings</i>, and <i>Polygonatum multiflorium</i>, respectively. The second large group contains twenty-five species out of eight stands, and the dominant species was <i>Tagetis minuta</i>. Eighteen species out of six stands were found in group 3, which was considered the smallest group. Group 4 consisted of seven stands containing twenty-four species of ground flora, with <i>Anaphalis scopulosa</i> followed by <i>Adiantum venustum</i> as the dominant species. The environmental characteristics of the understory vegetation showed a resemblance with the tree communities. With the exception of elevation, the other factors did not show a significant correlation.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/12/7/1723floraenvironmental variablemultivariate analysissoil moistureShangla districtPakistan |
| spellingShingle | Javed Iqbal Nasiruddin Shaikh Moinuddin Ahmed Wajid Zaman Adam Khan Asma Ayaz Diaa O. El-Ansary Hanoor Sharma Hosam O. Elansary SeonJoo Park Floristic Association of Moist Temperate Forests of Shangla District, Delineated by a Multivariate Approach Agronomy flora environmental variable multivariate analysis soil moisture Shangla district Pakistan |
| title | Floristic Association of Moist Temperate Forests of Shangla District, Delineated by a Multivariate Approach |
| title_full | Floristic Association of Moist Temperate Forests of Shangla District, Delineated by a Multivariate Approach |
| title_fullStr | Floristic Association of Moist Temperate Forests of Shangla District, Delineated by a Multivariate Approach |
| title_full_unstemmed | Floristic Association of Moist Temperate Forests of Shangla District, Delineated by a Multivariate Approach |
| title_short | Floristic Association of Moist Temperate Forests of Shangla District, Delineated by a Multivariate Approach |
| title_sort | floristic association of moist temperate forests of shangla district delineated by a multivariate approach |
| topic | flora environmental variable multivariate analysis soil moisture Shangla district Pakistan |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/12/7/1723 |
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