Spatiotemporal Distribution Patterns of Climbers along an Abiotic Gradient in Jhelum District, Punjab, Pakistan
Climber–abiotic parameter interactions can have important ramifications for ecosystem’s functions and community dynamics, but the extent to which these abiotic factors influence the spatial distributions of climber communities in the western Himalayas is unknown. The purpose of this study was to exa...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-08-01
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| Series: | Forests |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/13/8/1244 |
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| author | Muhammad Majeed Linlin Lu Sheikh Marifatul Haq Muhammad Waheed Hakim Ali Sahito Sammer Fatima Robina Aziz Rainer W. Bussmann Aqil Tariq Israr Ullah Muhammad Aslam |
| author_facet | Muhammad Majeed Linlin Lu Sheikh Marifatul Haq Muhammad Waheed Hakim Ali Sahito Sammer Fatima Robina Aziz Rainer W. Bussmann Aqil Tariq Israr Ullah Muhammad Aslam |
| author_sort | Muhammad Majeed |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Climber–abiotic parameter interactions can have important ramifications for ecosystem’s functions and community dynamics, but the extent to which these abiotic factors influence the spatial distributions of climber communities in the western Himalayas is unknown. The purpose of this study was to examine the taxonomic diversity, richness, and distribution patterns of climbers in relation to abiotic variables in the Jhelum District. The data were collected from 120 random transects between 2019 and 2021, from 360 sites within triplet quadrats (1080 quadrats), and classification and ordination analyses were used to categorize the sample transects. A total of 38 climber species belonging to 25 genera and 11 families were recorded from the study area. The Convolvulaceae were the dominant family (26.32%), followed by the Apocynaceae (21.05%), and Leguminosae (15.79%). The majority of the climbers were herbaceous in nature (71.05%), followed by woody (23.68%). Based on the relative density, the most dominant species was <i>Vicia sativa</i> (12.74). The majority of the species flowered during the months of March–April (28.04%), followed by August–September (26.31%). Abiotic factors have a significant influence on the distribution pattern and structure of climbers in the study area. The results show that the climbers react to the biotic environment in different ways. The findings will serve as the foundation for future botanical inventories and will be crucial for understanding the biological, ecological, and economic value of climbers in forest ecosystems. This will help forest management, conservation, and ecological restoration in the Himalayas. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T09:57:33Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-90a5b974a59149128770e2cae01b8169 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1999-4907 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T09:57:33Z |
| publishDate | 2022-08-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Forests |
| spelling | doaj.art-90a5b974a59149128770e2cae01b81692023-12-01T23:41:35ZengMDPI AGForests1999-49072022-08-01138124410.3390/f13081244Spatiotemporal Distribution Patterns of Climbers along an Abiotic Gradient in Jhelum District, Punjab, PakistanMuhammad Majeed0Linlin Lu1Sheikh Marifatul Haq2Muhammad Waheed3Hakim Ali Sahito4Sammer Fatima5Robina Aziz6Rainer W. Bussmann7Aqil Tariq8Israr Ullah9Muhammad Aslam10Department of Botany, University of Gujrat, Hafiz Hayat Campus, Gujrat 50700, PakistanKey Laboratory of Digital Earth Science, Aerospace Information Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100094, ChinaClybay Research Private Limited, Bangalore 560114, IndiaDepartment of Botany, University of Okara, Okara 56300, PakistanDepartment of Zoology, Shah Abdul Latif University, Khairpur 66020, PakistanDepartment of Botany, University of Gujrat, Hafiz Hayat Campus, Gujrat 50700, PakistanDepartment of Botany, Government College, Women University Sialkot, Sialkot 51310, PakistanDepartment of Ethnobotany, Institute of Botany, Ilia State University, 0105 Tbilisi, GeorgiaState Key Laboratory of Information Engineering in Surveying, Mapping and Remote Sensing, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430079, ChinaDivision of Earth Sciences and Geography, RWTH Aachen University, 52062 Aachen, GermanySchool of Computing Engineering and Physical Sciences, University of West of Scotland, Paisley G72 0LH, UKClimber–abiotic parameter interactions can have important ramifications for ecosystem’s functions and community dynamics, but the extent to which these abiotic factors influence the spatial distributions of climber communities in the western Himalayas is unknown. The purpose of this study was to examine the taxonomic diversity, richness, and distribution patterns of climbers in relation to abiotic variables in the Jhelum District. The data were collected from 120 random transects between 2019 and 2021, from 360 sites within triplet quadrats (1080 quadrats), and classification and ordination analyses were used to categorize the sample transects. A total of 38 climber species belonging to 25 genera and 11 families were recorded from the study area. The Convolvulaceae were the dominant family (26.32%), followed by the Apocynaceae (21.05%), and Leguminosae (15.79%). The majority of the climbers were herbaceous in nature (71.05%), followed by woody (23.68%). Based on the relative density, the most dominant species was <i>Vicia sativa</i> (12.74). The majority of the species flowered during the months of March–April (28.04%), followed by August–September (26.31%). Abiotic factors have a significant influence on the distribution pattern and structure of climbers in the study area. The results show that the climbers react to the biotic environment in different ways. The findings will serve as the foundation for future botanical inventories and will be crucial for understanding the biological, ecological, and economic value of climbers in forest ecosystems. This will help forest management, conservation, and ecological restoration in the Himalayas.https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/13/8/1244climbersdistribution patternsecological restorationabiotic variables |
| spellingShingle | Muhammad Majeed Linlin Lu Sheikh Marifatul Haq Muhammad Waheed Hakim Ali Sahito Sammer Fatima Robina Aziz Rainer W. Bussmann Aqil Tariq Israr Ullah Muhammad Aslam Spatiotemporal Distribution Patterns of Climbers along an Abiotic Gradient in Jhelum District, Punjab, Pakistan Forests climbers distribution patterns ecological restoration abiotic variables |
| title | Spatiotemporal Distribution Patterns of Climbers along an Abiotic Gradient in Jhelum District, Punjab, Pakistan |
| title_full | Spatiotemporal Distribution Patterns of Climbers along an Abiotic Gradient in Jhelum District, Punjab, Pakistan |
| title_fullStr | Spatiotemporal Distribution Patterns of Climbers along an Abiotic Gradient in Jhelum District, Punjab, Pakistan |
| title_full_unstemmed | Spatiotemporal Distribution Patterns of Climbers along an Abiotic Gradient in Jhelum District, Punjab, Pakistan |
| title_short | Spatiotemporal Distribution Patterns of Climbers along an Abiotic Gradient in Jhelum District, Punjab, Pakistan |
| title_sort | spatiotemporal distribution patterns of climbers along an abiotic gradient in jhelum district punjab pakistan |
| topic | climbers distribution patterns ecological restoration abiotic variables |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/13/8/1244 |
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