Abstract
The relative effects of climate warming with grazing on medicinally important plants are not fully understood in Hindukush-Himalaya (HKH) region. Therefore, we combined the indigenous knowledge about culturally important therapeutic plants and climate change with experimental warming (open-top chambers) and manual clipping (simulated grazing effect) and compared the relative difference on aboveground biomass and percent cover of plant species at five alpine meadow sites on an elevation gradient (4696 m-3346 m) from 2016-2018. Experimental warming increased biomass and percent cover throughout the experiment. However, the interactive treatment effect (warming x clipping) was significant on biomass but not on percent cover. These responses were taxa specific. Warming induced an increase of 1 ± 0.6% in Bistorta officinalis percent cover while for Poa alpina it was 18.7 ± 4.9%. Contrastingly, clipping had a marginally significant effect in reducing the biomass and cover of all plant species. Clipping treatment reduced vegetation cover & biomass by 2.3% and 6.26%, respectively, but that was not significant due to the high variability among taxa response at different sites. It was found that clipping decreased the effects of warming in interactive plots. Thus, warming may increase the availability of therapeutic plants for indigenous people while overgrazing would have deteriorating effects locally. The findings of this research illustrate that vegetation sensitivity to warming and overgrazing is likely to affect man-environment relationships, and traditional knowledge on a regional scale.
Highlights
Climate change is modifying the structure and function of high elevation ecosystems
Climate warming may benefit the growth of medicinal plants in absence of herbivory of livelihood in HKH (Hindukush-Himalaya) is inherent to mountain specificities
The current study was conducted at the Khunjerab National Park (KNP) which is situated in the HKKH (Hindukush-Karakoram-Himalaya) mountain ranges near the border with China (36.37 ̊ N, 74.41 ̊E)
Summary
Climate change is modifying the structure and function of high elevation ecosystems. Mountains are splendidly diverse ecosystems that hold high proportions of endemic species [1,2,3,4,5]. These systems are exceptionally vulnerable to climate change with most species distribution models projecting drastic changes in community composition and distribution range [6]. Climate warming may benefit the growth of medicinal plants in absence of herbivory
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