Phytosociological and edaphic parameters of Actaea kashmiriana assemblages in Kashmir Himalaya

Abstract

Phytosociological analysis and soil physicochemical properties provide the baseline data to understand the overall vegetation composition and structure. In this study, we investigated the species composition and diversity of vegetation assemblages of an endemic plant species Actaea kashmiriana along with the edaphic parameters. We laid randomly selected sampling quadrats across five different sites in Kashmir Himalaya. We employed multiple Pearson's correlation and principal component analysis to investigate the interaction between phytosociological and edaphic parameters. The results revealed that 90 plant species are associated with A. kashmiriana, and Asteraceae, Rosaceae and Lamiaceae were the dominant families. Fragaria nubicola (36.59), Dryopteris blanfordii (34.72), Viola odorata (39.83), Galium aparine (23.70), Trifolium pratense (16.19), Cynodon dactylon (16.94), Urtica dioica (15.29) and Taraxacum officinale (14.25) showed higher Importance Value Index (IVI) and were found to be dominant in A. kashmiriana assemblages. The IVI of A. kashmiriana ranged from 11.24 to 13.76 across the study sites. We found a positive co-occurrence of A. kashmiriana with Viburnum grandiflorum, Arisaema jacquemontii, Bistorta amplexicaulis, Taraxacum officinale, Fragaria nubicola, and Urtica dioica. The soil physicochemical properties significantly correlated with the species diversity indices, with the site having nutrient-rich soils and less disturbance possessing higher species richness and diversity. The findings of our study can help in developing better strategies for effective conservation and habitat restoration of this plant species endemic to Kashmir Himalaya, with learnings for elsewhere in the world.