The snowmelt timing is a major factor controlling plant phenology in alpine regions. Presently, the warming is pushing forward snowmelt timing which may influence species’ seasonal cycle throughout ...the alpine landscape of Himalaya. Nevertheless, very few studies have studied the response of species’ phenology to advanced snowmelt in the Himalayas. The present study investigated different alpine species’ responses to early snowmelt present in different alpine communities. Five communities were identified and two sites were selected in each community (early snowmelt: ES, late snowmelt: LS) with a 50 × 50 m plot marked permanently for species monitoring. The observations for phenophase initiation and durations of all species were recorded fortnightly. Kruskal–Wallis test was performed to examine species-specific differences in phenophase durations. Pairwise differences were tested with Dunn’s post hoc test. The present study hypothesized early snowmelt advances and lengthens phenophases timing and duration in all alpine species. The results showed that phenophases initiations and duration were earlier and longer in ES sites for the majority of species but no significant relationship was found between snowmelt timing and species’ phenophase duration. Many species showed two distinctive phenophases (reproductive and fruiting). The divergence was higher in the reproductive phenophase than in other phenological stages. Hence, it seems that the early snowmelt is an important driver influencing the early spring phenology of herb species, the species-specific effects of already happening phenological adjustment for higher reproductive success in the current warming of alpine meadows points towards other limiting factors too that remain to be better understood.
The snow duration in high-altitude ecosystems is under pressure due to the rapid warming in Himalaya, thus bringing changes to the snowmelt regime. This study aims to assess the impact of early ...snowmelt on species composition, diversity and phenology in different alpine communities
.
Based on snowmelt timing (7–14 days), two sites, viz. early snowmelt and late snowmelt, were identified in five selected communities each, and within each site, 50 × 50 m permanent plot was marked. Twenty-five, 1 × 1 m quadrats were randomly laid within the plot to record the data on abundance and phenology of species. A total of 80 species were recorded across the sites. The early snowmelt sites had higher species diversity than late snowmelt sites in all communities. Similarly, plant density was higher in early snowmelt sites (61–527 individuals m
−2
) than in late snowmelt sites (52–548 individuals m
−2
). The initiation and duration of vegetative and reproductive phenophases of a majority of species have advanced and lengthened over the past few decades in the study area. Early snowmelt appears to influence early growing herb species’ vegetative and reproductive phenology. Some species have already advanced and lengthened their vegetative and flowering phenophases, especially those germinating immediately after the beginning of snowmelt, which could be due to the warming of meadows and less difference in diurnal changes in temperature.
Traditional knowledge (TK) in Ladakh encapsulates a repository of experimental wisdom cultivated over millennia. Despite this cultural wealth, dwindling interest among the younger generations in the ...region's age-old practices underscores the urgency to document TK. The current study investigates the diverse usage of plants in Surru, Wakha and Lower Indus valleys of Western Ladakh exploring the influence of socioeconomic and ecological factors.
A stratified random sample approach was adopted to select 540 respondents for gathering information of useful plants through interviews and questionnaires. Participant observation, questionnaires, open-ended and semi-structured interviews were conducted for data collection. Free listing was done to create an extensive list of plants and their uses. Ethnobotanical metrics such as relative frequency of citation (RFC), relative importance index (RI), cultural value (CV) index and cultural importance (CI) index were computed to assess species applicability. Additionally, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was utilized to discern significant differences in knowledge levels based on valleys, gender, education and religion using TK as a response variable.
Altogether, we recorded 246 plant species under various ethnobotanical uses from Western Ladakh. These include medicinal (126), fodder (124), wild ornamentals (86), food (81), fuel wood (54), dye (20), religious (31) and others (34). Novel plant reports include Berberis brandisiana Ahrendt and Dactylorhiza kafiriana Renz. The dominant plant family is Asteraceae with 35 species. Suru valley exhibits the highest number of cited plants followed by Wakha-chu and Lower Indus valleys (192, 168 and 152 species, respectively).
Disparities in plant use understanding are evident among different groups, prompting further investigation through intercultural comparisons. Plants such as Arnebia euchroma, Juniperus semiglobosa, and Artemisia species emerge with cultural importance. Gender, valley affiliation, religious background and the remoteness of a village all influence local plant knowledge. These variations are linked to socioeconomic disparities among communities.
The Sowa-rigpa system of traditional healing has been practiced from time immemorial in western Ladakh but its existence is in jeopardy today. Documentation of information on various aspects of this ...system such as treatment methods, materials used for medicine and socio-cultural aspects is needed to ensure the long-term survival of this system.
Extensive field surveys were conducted from March 2009 to June 2011 in three different Valleys of the Kargil district. Interviews with traditional healers, village heads and local people were conducted using semi-structured questionnaires and participatory observations to assess the current status of traditional medicine system. Plant specimens were collected from the field for identification and herbarium preparation which were later deposited in herbaria for future reference.
160 plants were recorded to be used by traditional healers of Western Ladakh. Traditional healing system (THS) is taking care of 30% of public healthcare. Only 36 traditional healers are left in this region of which 67% was found along the Wakha-chu Valley, followed by the Lower Indus Valley (17%) and the SuruValley (16%). The transfer of knowledge to the next generation is very low (25%) in Kargil. Low income and continuously deteriorating social status of healers has contributed to the decline of this system.
Lack of interest in young generation in adopting this system may pose a threat to the survival of Sowa-rigpa. Integration of this system with the modern healthcare system and more government support may prove effective to enhance its deteriorating conditions.
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The present study attempts to investigate the phenological changes of herbaceous plant species in early snowmelt microsite and late snowmelt microsite in treeline ecotone (3200-3300 m asl) at ...Tungnath, western Himalaya. Four sites, each with two microsites (early snowmelt: ES and late snowmelt: LS) were selected and within each microsite, 3 quadrats (1x1m each) were permanently laid and studied for phenology. Eighty-six species were recorded, of which the proportion of perennial forbs, hemicryptophytes and natives was 90, 84 and 70%, respectively. The early phenophase was noticed in the majority of species in ES microsite than that of LS microsite and the timing of different phenophases varied among microsites. The vegetative phase peaked July (75.6%), while flowering, fruiting and seed maturation phases peaked in August (72.1% and 23.3%, respectively) and 71% species attained the senescence during September. This indicates that species might adapt to the different adaptation to a warming climate. Immediately after the snowmelt 10 species were observed in flowering, while 11 species were in the bud development phase. Comparing 13 common species of the present study with those of past in same or similar study areas indicates that timing and duration of vegetative and flowering phenophase (77% and 69%, respectively) have advanced and lengthened, while fruiting and seed maturation have shortened. Furthermore, phenophase initiation has advanced for flowering (69% species), fruiting (46% species) and senescence (38% species) phases. It seems that the early snowmelt influences spring phenology of herb species on the microsite level and may continue to influence the overall phenology of species for the whole growing season in timberline.
The rapid warming in Himalaya has begun to impact ice and snow and high elevation ecosystems, of which alpine treelines and meadows are particularly affected. The main objective of this study is to ...find out the impact of early snowmelt on herb communities of treeline ecotone (3200–3300 m elevations) located in Tungnath, Uttarakhand Himalaya. The focus is on species composition, species diversity and phenology. For this, we have followed two research approaches: first, comparing the herb communities of sites and microsites differing in the timing of snowmelt and the amount of snow cover, and second, comparing the phenology of common herb species with the past studies undertaken at the same and similar sites. We sampled several microsites which differed in the timing of snowmelt and were accordingly divisible into early snowmelt and late snowmelt microsites, the difference between them being of 3–5 days. Of the 86 species recorded across the sites, 84% were hemicryptophytic perennial forbs, and about 70% of them were native. Both herb species richness and species diversity were significantly higher in early snowmelt microsites than in late snowmelt microsites, both in high snow cover and low snow cover habitats. The total plant density ranged between 82–626 individuals m–2 in early snowmelt microsites and 69–288 individuals m–2 in late snowmelt microsites. It seems that the early snowmelt in a warming climate would promote species diversity and plant density. Comparison to the past studies indicates that because of climatic warming species have advanced and lengthened their vegetative and flowering phenophases. We could not assess whether migration of species from lower elevations contributed to high species richness of early snowmelt microsites. However, it cannot be ruled out, given that continent-wide species enrichments near mountain summits have been recorded elsewhere.
Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve (NDBR) was declared as the first Himalayan Biosphere Reserve owing to its unique biological and cultural wealth. Its core zones, Nanda Devi National Park and Valley of ...Flowers National Park, are a UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site. In spite of lying at a high altitude, interplay of factors such as unique geographical location, climate, topography and wide altitudinal variations have endowed NDBR with a rich and diverse flora. Proportionately high percentage of endemic and near endemic plants makes NDBR a very important protected area from conservation point of view. However, its floristic wealth is facing unprecedented threats in the form of climate change and growing anthropogenic pressure. Hence, a need was felt to assess the directionality, quality and sufficiency of past and ongoing research for the conservation of floral and ethnobotanical wealth of NDBR in the absence of any such previous attempt. Based on an extensive review of more than 150 plant studies on NDBR, this communication provides a detailed account of the current state of knowledge and information gaps on flora, vegetation ecology, rare, endangered, threatened (RET) and endemic plants and ethnobotany. Priority research areas and management measures are discussed for the conservation of its unique floral wealth. Incomplete floral inventorization, lack of biodiversity monitoring, meagre studies on lower plant groups, population status of medicinal plants, habitat assessment of threatened taxa and geo-spatial analysis of alpine vegetation were identified as areas of immediate concern.
Forage selection decisions of herbivores are often complex and dynamic; they are modulated by multiple cues, such as quality, accessibility and abundance of forage plants. To advance the ...understanding of plant–herbivore interactions, we explored foraging behavior of the alpine lagomorph Royle's pika (Ochotona roylei) in Kedarnath Wildlife Sanctuary, India. Pika bite counts on food plants were recorded through focal sampling in three permanently marked plots. Food plant abundance was recorded by traditional quadrat procedures; forage selection was estimated with Jacob's selection index. Multiple food-choice experiments were conducted to determine whether forage selection criteria would change with variation in food plant composition. We also analyzed leaf morphology and nutrient content in both major food plants and abundantly available non-food plants. Linear regression models were used to test competing hypotheses in order to identify factors governing forage selection. Royle's pika fed primarily on 17 plant species and each forage selection decision was positively modulated by leaf area and negatively modulated by contents of avoided substances (neutral detergent fiber, acid detergent fiber, acid detergent lignin and tannin) in food plants. Furthermore, significance of the interaction term “leaf size×avoided substance” indicates that plants with large leaves were selected only when they had low avoided substance content. The forage selection criteria did not differ between field and laboratory experiments. The parameter estimates of best fit models indicate that the influence of leaf size or amount of avoided substance on pika forage selection was modulated by the magnitude of predation risk.
Pastoralism plays an important role in the ecology of alpine habitats and the economy of rural people in some regions of India. The pastoralists move from lower altitudes of the Himalayas to higher ...alpine regions in summer and return back to lower altitude villages with the onset of autumn. The forested areas along the routes of transhumant pastoralists are affected by anthropogenic pressures, viz. grazing by livestock and tree lopping by the herders for fuelwood. To demarcate such areas and evaluate the effect of anthropogenic disturbances, a preliminary documentation of the routes is needed. Interviews were conducted using semi-structured questionnaires to elucidate the information from herders visiting Niti valley, Western Himalayas. The interviews found that most of these herders had common stopovers following a similar route to the valley from their respective villages. More than 70% of herders made their transit camps at Niti village and adjoining areas. They stay there for a few days and then the majority move on to higher alpine pastures of Geldung. The rest either stay back at alpine areas near Niti or in the alpine areas adjoining Gamsali village. These stopovers are areas which experience maximum anthropogenic pressure during livestock migrations, and the vegetation is the most affected. Documentation of migration routes will help identify such areas of high pressure and develop management plans to minimize the disturbances.
This paper deals with the floristic structure and plant-community composition in relation to environmental gradients in the Tso Kar basin, an ∼300 km2 area of the Changthang plateau. A total of 131 ...sites covering various landscape units—namely, sandy plains, marsh meadows, moist meadows, scrub steppe, fell-fields, and stream courses—were intensively sampled by using random quadrats of 1 m2. In addition, these sites were searched for the presence of other vascular plants. In all, 232 species of vascular plants belonging to 38 families and 101 genera were collected and recorded from the study area. Poaceae (39 species), Asteraceae (27 species), Cyperaceae (25 species), Brassicaceae (14 species), Fabaceae (12 species), and Ranunculaceae (12 species) are the dominant families. It is interesting to note that the study area has a very high monocot:dicot ratio (1:2). Analysis of Raunkiaer's life-forms reveals that the area is dominated by two growth forms—namely, 57% hemicryptophytes (perennial grasses and sedges) and 24% chamaephytes (dwarf herbs and matted shrubs). The density of stems ranges from 28 to 744 plants per square meter. Species richness varies from 4 to 15, and diversity values are from 0.143 to 1.679. Among communities, the highest similarity (57.5%) is between Scirpus-Carex and Scirpus-Kobresia-Ranunculus. Conservation implications of the findings and the need for a participatory approach of the rangeland management are discussed.
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