Floristic composition and phytosociology of various forage-based land-use systems in the Himalayas over an altitudinal gradient

Abstract

Systematic sampling method was used to study ground vegetation diversity and phytosociology of chir pine silvipasture (SPCP), mixed-trees silvipasture (SPM), ban oak silvipasture (SPBO) and grasslands (Gr) in the western Himalaya, India along an altitudinal gradient viz., E1 (< 850 m), E2 (851–1150 m), E3 (1151–1450 m), E4 (1451–1750 m) and E5 (>1751 m). Ground vegetation belonging to 36 families, 106 genera, and 122 species were recorded, of which 68.85% of species belong to herbs and 31.15% belong to shrubs. Shannon-Wiener and Shannon evenness indices varied from 1.51 (Gr at E2) to 2.86 (SPM at E5), 0.46 (Gr at E2) to 0.80 (SPM at E4), for herbs; 1.91 (Gr at E1) to 2.78 (SPM at E5), 0.79 (SPCP at E1) to 0.92 (SPM at E3), for shrubs, respectively. The density and basal area of herbs were higher in grassland as compared to silvipasture systems, while it was vice-versa in the case of shrubs. These phytosociological characteristics of herbs and shrubs typically declined with elevation in all the land-use systems. Thus, silvipasture systems showed higher ground species diversity than grasslands. The phytosociological parameters of herbs were better in grasslands as compared to silvipastures. However, shrubs showed better growth parameters under silvipasture systems as compared to grasslands.