Ecology of Eastern Himalaya

Abstract

AbstractThe Indian parts of the Eastern Himalayas extend over 5,24,190 km2 and have >52% contribution to the whole Eastern Himalayas. The vegetation is broadly dominated by evergreen broadleaved forests with a dense canopy cover. Its complex physiography supports the rich diversity of about 5800 species in India with trees and shrubs accounting for >55% of its total species pool. Herbs are abundant representing >34% of its total plant population (Panda (2018) Environmental determinants of plant richness in Indian Himalaya. Ph.D. Thesis, submitted to Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, p 218). Several studies have been done to understand the underlying causes of rich species diversity of the Eastern Himalayas. Most of the studies focus on the overall plant richness pattern along an elevation gradient (Grytnes and Vetaas, Am Nat 159:294−304, 2002; Bhattarai et al. J Biogeogr 31:389−400, 2004; Behera et al. For Ecol Manage 207(3):363–384, 2005; Behera and Kushwaha, Biodivers Conserv 16:851−865, 2007; Chettri et al. (2010) Biodiversity in the Eastern Himalayas: status, trends and vulnerability to climate change. International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD); Acharya et al. Acta Oecol 37(4):329–336, 2011; Sharma et al. Biodivers Conserv 28(8):2085–2104, 2019). A little emphasis is given to understanding life-form richness (Manish et al., 2017). No study accounts for unraveling the causes of species-environmental relationships of the Indian Eastern Himalayas involving climate, physiognomy, soil, and disturbance, simultaneously. A distinctive study on the relationships between water-energy dynamics and environmental heterogeneity of plant life-forms of the Indian Eastern Himalayas is rarely attempted. Therefore, a study that disentangles the plant-environmental relationships of the Indian Eastern Himalayas has great ecological significance. It is crucial for good management and conservation practices of this mountain ecosystem.Keywords Disturbance Herbs Generalized additive model Life forms Plant richness Structural equation model Soil Woody species