Picea Smithiana Research Articles

Degradation Potential of Trichoderma Isolated from Rhizospheric Soil on Picea smithiana Litter in the Himalayan Range of North Western Kashmir

Degradation Potential of Trichoderma Isolated from Rhizospheric Soil on Picea smithiana Litter in the Himalayan Range of North Western Kashmir

Tree species composition, growing stock and biomass carbon dynamics of the major timber species in Hindu Kush regions of Pakistan.

Using inventory data, this study evaluates the species composition, growing stock volume (GSV), and biomass carbon (BMC) of the five major timber species in the sub-tropical, and temperate/sub-alpine regions of Pakistan. It was found that the stem density varies between 50 and 221 trees ha -1, with a mean of 142 trees ha-1 (13.68 million trees for entire forest area). Among the species, Pinus wallichiana showed a high species composition (27.80%) followed by Picea smithiana (24.64%). The GSV was found in the range of 67.81 to 425.94 m3 ha-1, with a total GSV value of 20.68 million m3 for the entire region. Similarly, The BMC ranged from 27.04 to 169.86 Mg ha-1, with a mean BMC value of 86.80 Mg ha-1. The total amount of stored carbon was found at 8.69 million tons for a total of 95842 ha of commercially managed forest. Furthermore, the correlation analysis between the basal area (BA) and GSV and BMC showed that BA is the best predictor of GSV and BMC. The findings provide insights to the policy makers and forest managers regarding the sustainable commercial forest management as well as forest carbon management in the recent global carbon management for climate change mitigation.

Recent pollen spectra from Shimla water catchment sanctuary, Kufri (HP): Implications to interpret Holocene pollen records

A better understanding on the connection between pollen assemblages and the vegetation that produced them is crucial to reconstruct past habitats and vegetation. Hence, it is necessary to comprehend the level of representation of plants in the modern pollen rain in a given study area. To ascertain the composition of pollen deposited on the surface sediments, palynological analysis of 19 surface soil (SS) samples and moss cushions (MSs) taken from various sites on the surface of the Shimla Water Catchment Wildlife Sanctuary (SWCWS), Kufri, Himachal Pradesh (India) was used in the current study. The dominance of arboreal pollen (trees and shrubs) over the non-arboreal pollen (herbs) was observed. Among the trees, conifers such as Cedrus deodara, Pinus wallichiana, Picea smithiana and Abies pindrow were found in MSs as well as in SS samples. The representation of these taxa corresponds with their factual presence in the forest floristics in the region. The moist and shady habitats loving broad-leaved tree elements such as Quercus and Rhododendron were also found in good numbers. Two multivariate statistical methods, cluster analysis and principal components analysis, were used to study the associations of studies pollen taxa and the variability among them. All the 19 samples were clustered into four. This analysis will help to interpret the palaeodata whether the landscape was influenced by anthropogenic activities or not in the recent past.

Lepiota albofloccosa, a new species in sect. Lepiota (Agaricaceae, Agaricales) from Northwestern Himalayas of Jammu and Kashmir, India

Lepiota albofloccosa is proposed here from India based on morphological characteristics and phylogenetic analyses of the nuclear rDNA internal transcribed spacer and large subunit of rDNA region. The combination of morphological and molecular data confirmed the novelty of this species and its infrageneric placement within Lepiota sect. Lepiota. This species was found in the debris under Picea smithiana and is characterized by a snow white to milky white pileus with pale yellow to brownish yellow umbo, a scaly to cottony pileus surface with floccose velar remnants, fusiform to cylindrical, slightly thick-walled, dextrinoid basidiospores, and pileus covering a trichoderm composed of elongated hyphae. A detailed description, illustrations, and comparisons with morphologically similar and related taxa are provided here.

Bio-fabrication of zinc oxide nanoparticles from Picea smithiana and their potential antimicrobial activities against Xanthomonas campestris pv. Vesicatoria and Ralstonia solanacearum causing bacterial leaf spot and bacterial wilt in tomato.

Due to an inevitable disadvantage of chemical or physical synthesis routes, biosynthesis approach to nanoparticles, especially metallic oxide is attractive nowadays. Metallic oxides nanoparticles present a new approach to the control of plant pathogens. ZnO nanoparticles (ZNPs) have very important role in phytopathology. In current study, biosynthesized ZNPs were tested against two devastating bacterial pathogens including Xanthomonas campestris pv. vesicatoria and Ralstonia solanacearum causing bacterial leaf spot and bacterial wilt in tomato. ZNPs were produced using a new extract from the plant Picea smithiana using an environmentally friendly, cost-effective and simple procedure. Zinc acetate was added to P. smithiana extract, stirred and heated to 200°C. The white precipitation at the bottom were clear indication of synthesis of nanoparticles, which were further dried by subjecting them at 450°C. X-ray diffraction pattern determined that the ZNPs had a crystallite size of about 26nm, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy indicated a peak between 450 and 550cm-1 and the particle size estimated by dynamic light scattering was about 25nm on average. Scanning electron microscopic analysis indicated that the particles were hexagonal in shape 31nm in diameter. Antibacterial tests showed ZNPs synthesized by P. smithiana resulted in clear inhibition zones of 20.1 ± 1.5 and 18.9 ± 1.5mm and 44.74 and 45.63% reduction in disease severity and 78.40 and 80.91% reduction in disease incidence in X. compestris pv. vesicatoria and R. solanacearum respectively at concentration of 100µg/ml. Our findings reveal that the concentration of ZNPs was important for their efficient antibacterial activity. Overall, the biosynthesized ZNPs have been found to have effective antimicrobial activities against bacterial wilt and bacterial leaf spot in tomato.

Spatial Distribution and Population Structure of Himalayan Fir (Abies pindrow (Royle ex D.Don) Royle) in Moist Temperate Forests of the Kashmir Region

Abies pindrow is a keystone tree species of temperate forests in the Himalayan range with immense ecological significance. The current study was designed to investigate the spatial distribution, population structure, associated flora, and sustainability of Abies pindrow in the temperate forests of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), Pakistan. Vegetation data were collected from 48 forest sites distributed in six districts of AJK with respect to the geography, microclimates, and vegetation structure by employing a systematic quadrate-based methodology. Abies pindrow populations were characterized by an average stem density of 183.9 trees/ha with an average basal area cover of 789 cm. A. pindrow populations showed a regeneration value of 555.6 seedlings/ha. A digital elevation model revealed that A. pindrow exhibited a large extent of distribution in an altitudinal range of 1800–3400 m. GIS analysis identified that north-facing slopes with a moderate degree of slope steepness constitutes the preferred habitat of the species in the Kashmir mountains. A floristic analysis revealed that a total of 282 species from 74 plant families comprised the associated flora of A. pindrow-dominated forests with Pinus wallichiana, Picea smithiana, Aesculus indica, and Viburnum grandiflorum as codominant companion species. A. pindrow forests exhibited significant levels of species diversity and richness with average values of Simpson’s diversity as 0.94, Shannon’s diversity as 3.09, species richness as 1.45, and maturity index value as 45.9%. The A. pindrow populations in the study area were found to be subjected to significant deforestation pressure along with overgrazing and erosion impacts. Results provide valuable scientific information for the conservation management of A. pindrow populations, ensuring the sustainability of temperate forest ecosystems in the Western Himalayan region of Kashmir.

Morphological and molecular data reveal a new species of Amanita section Vaginatae (Amanitaceae) from India

Amanita sharmae, a new species of A. sect. vaginatae is described from India based on 2-gene phylogenetic analyses and morphological data. It is characterized by a small to medium-sized basidiomata, dark grey to olive grey pileus, broadly ellipsoid to ellipsoid basidiospores (10‒14 × 7‒10 μm), the presence of clamp connections, and its occurrence under Abies pindrow and Picea smithiana in coniferous forest.

Microstrobilinia castrans, a new genus and species of the Sclerotiniaceae parasitizing pollen cones of Picea spp.

The fungal pathogens of spruce are well known in Europe and elsewhere. Therefore, it was surprising to discover a new fungal species and genus in Central Europe that attacks the pollen cones of three spruce species. The new ascomycete forms apothecia on stromatized pollen cones of Norway spruce (Picea abies) and Serbian spruce (Picea omorika) in mountain areas and on West Himalayan spruce (Picea smithiana) planted in urban lowland regions of Switzerland, Germany, and Italy. It was also detected in France, based on metabarcode sequences deposited in the GlobalFungi database. Its sudden appearance and the different origins of the host trees in Europe and Asia leave the origin of the fungus unclear. The new fungus might be a neomycete for Europe. A phylogenetic analysis using SSU, LSU, ITS, RPB2, and TEF1 sequences classified the fungus as a member of Sclerotiniaceae (Helotiales, Leotiomycetes). However, it differs morphologically from the other genera of this family in having an ascus without apical apparatus containing four mainly citriform spores with 16 nuclei each. Furthermore, it is the only known cup fungus that parasitizes pollen cones of conifers by stromatizing their tissue and infecting pollen grains. The fungus does not seem to cause major damage to the spruce populations, as only a few pollen cones per tree are affected. All this leads us to describe the newly discovered fungus as the new species and new genus Microstrobilinia castrans, the fungus that castrates pollen cones of spruce.

Genetic Diversity Within and Among Populations of Picea smithiana (Wall.) Boiss. from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan Revealed by RAPD Markers

Genetic Diversity Within and Among Populations of Picea smithiana (Wall.) Boiss. from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan Revealed by RAPD Markers

Regional tree-ring oxygen isotope deduced summer monsoon drought variability for Kumaun-Gharwal Himalaya

The precipitation in the Kumaun-Gharwal (Uttarakhand) Himalaya (KGH) is predominantly regulated by the Indian summer monsoon (ISM) and has been declining over the last century. However, because of limited historical data, it is difficult to place this recent decreasing trend in the context of pre-anthropogenic influences and understand a fuller range of hydroclimate scenarios for the region. Thus, we developed a 508-year regional tree-ring stable oxygen isotope (δ18OTR) record for multiple coniferous taxa (Abies spectabilis, Cedrus deodara and Picea smithiana) for the KGH, which spanned 1508–2015 CE. The δ18OTR record explained 35.8% of instrumental June–August Palmer Drought Severity Index (JJAPDSI) variance modelled from a nearby meteorological station. The JJAPDSI reconstruction shows regional coherency with both instrumental and proxy-based independent hydroclimatic records providing confidence that it is a reliable proxy to assess the long term hydroclimatic variability of the region. We identified decreasing strength of JJAPDSI reconstruction in KGH during recent decades indicating intensified drought. This is in the context of pre-anthropogenic influences and understand a fuller range of hydroclimate scenarios for the region. The δ18OTR also has coherency with Pacific and Indian Ocean sea surface temperature variability illustrating the broader teleconnections that influence the regional hydroclimate.

Assessing Households’ Fuel Wood Sources and Tree Species Preference in Foot Hills of North-Western Himalayas

The present investigation was carried out, during the year 2019-2021 to investigate the primary sources and preferred species for fuelwood consumption among the local people of Kashmir Himalayas, India. The sample of study area was drawn by multi-stage random sampling technique. The data were collected through personal interviews of respondents using well-structured pre-tested interview schedule and non-participant observations. The study revealed that people extract enormous quantity of fuelwood mostly from forests and utilize maximum portion of extracted fuelwood for cooking and heating. Fuelwood collection was mainly done by women along with children. Winter season consumption was more than summer season consumption. Consumption of fuelwood was maximum at high elevation (>2000m) and minimum at middle and low elevation (1900-2000m and <1900m) respectively. Forests were the primary source of fuelwood resulting in huge pressure on forests thereby creating deforestation and degradation. A total of 12 species belonging to 8 families were found preferred species for fuelwood. Cedrus deodara, Salix spp., Populus spp. and Robinia pseudoacacia was the most preferred species while the Picea smithiana, Ailanthus altissima and Aesculus indica was the least preferred species.

The Climate-Growth Relationship between Picea smithiana (Wall.) Boiss. and Abies pindrow (Royle ex D.Don) Royle along the Latitudinal Gradient in Northern Pakistan

A changing climate and global warming have adversely affected Pakistan’s moist and dry temperate vegetation. Abies pindrow (fir) (Royle ex D.Don) Royle and Picea smithiana (spruce) Wall.) Boiss are the two major representative species of the moist and dry temperate forests in Northern Pakistan. The dendroclimatic study of both species is crucial for the assessment of climate variability at various spatial and temporal scales. This study examined the dendroclimatology of fir and spruce, and analyzed the growth–climate relationship along the latitudinal gradient. Two hundred and nineteen samples (ring cores) of the two species were collected from five different sites (Shogran (SHG), Upper Dir (UDS), Bahrain Swat (BSG), Astore Gilgit (NPKA), and Sharan Kaghan (SHA)) in Northern Pakistan. The cores were cross-dated, and chronologies were generated for the species and climatic data (precipitation, temperature, and Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI)) correlated with radial growth. The interspecies correlations for fir were calculated as 0.54, 0.49, 0.52, 0.60, and 0.48 for SHG, UDS, BSG, NPKA, and SHA, respectively, whereas in the case of spruce, the interspecies correlations were 0.44 for SHG, 0.55 for UDS, and 0.49 for BSG. Climate variability was observed in the samples of both species, which showed significant drought and humid years at specific intervals. With respect to the correlation between tree-ring width and climatic factors, a positive correlation was observed between fir growth and summer season precipitation, mean temperature, and PDSI in the spring, summer, and autumn seasons. Similarly, the growth of spruce was positively correlated with precipitation (in February, September, and May) and PDSI (in the summer and autumn seasons); however, no correlation was observed between monthly temperature and spruce growth. The relationship of fir and spruce growth with seasonal precipitation and PDSI showed a change from a negative to a positive correlation after 1980, following rapid warming. During the winter and spring, the correlation coefficient between fir radial growth and seasonal temperature showed an initial upward trend followed by a progressive decrease along with increasing latitude. Seasonal variations were observed regarding the correlation coefficient between spruce radial growth and increasing latitude (increasing in winter; a decreasing trend in spring and summer; an initial increase and then a decrease in autumn). In the same way, the correlation of seasonal temperature and PDSI with the radial growth of both species showed increasing trends with increasing latitude, except in the autumn season.

Assisted migration and the rare endemic plant species: the case of two endangered Mexican spruces.

BackgroundIn the projected climate change scenarios, assisted migration might play an important role in the ex situ conservation of the threatened plant species, by translocate them to similar suitable habitats outside their native distributions. However, it is unclear if such habitats will be available for the Rare Endemic Plant Species (REPS), because of their very restricted habitats. The aims of this study were to perform a population size assessment for the REPS Picea martinezii Patterson and Picea mexicana Martínez, and to evaluate the potential species distributions and their possibilities for assisted migration inside México and worldwide.MethodsWe performed demographic censuses, field surveys in search for new stands, and developed distribution models for Last Glacial Maximum (22,000 years ago), Middle Holocene (6,000 years ago), current (1961–1990) and future (2050 and 2070) periods, for the whole Mexican territory (considering climatic, soil, geologic and topographic variables) and for all global land areas (based only on climate).ResultsOur censuses showed populations of 89,266 and 39,059 individuals for P. martinezii and P. mexicana, respectively, including known populations and new stands. Projections for México indicated somewhat larger suitable areas in the past, now restricted to the known populations and new stands, where they will disappear by 2050 in a pessimistic climatic scenario, and scarce marginal areas (p = 0.5–0.79) remaining only for P. martinezii by 2070. Worldwide projections (based only on climate variables) revealed few marginal areas in 2050 only in México for P. martinezii, and several large areas (p ≥ 0.5) for P. mexicana around the world (all outside México), especially on the Himalayas in India and the Chungyang mountains in Taiwan with highly suitable (p ≥ 0.8) climate habitats in current and future (2050) conditions. However, those suitable areas are currently inhabited by other endemic spruces: Picea smithiana (Wall.) Boiss and Picea morrisonicola Hayata, respectively.ConclusionsAssisted migration would only be an option for P. martinezii on scarce marginal sites in México, and the possibilities for P. mexicana would be continental and transcontinental translocations. This rises two possible issues for future ex situ conservation programs: the first is related to whether or not consider assisted migration to marginal sites which do not cover the main habitat requirements for the species; the second is related to which species (the local or the foreign) should be prioritized for conservation when suitable habitat is found elsewhere but is inhabited by other endemic species. This highlights the necessity to discuss new policies, guidelines and mechanisms of international cooperation to deal with the expected high species extinction rates, linked to projected climate change.

Seedling ectomycorrhization is central to conifer forest restoration: a case study from Kashmir Himalaya

Over the past few decades, many countries have attempted to carry out forest landscape restoration over millions of hectares of degraded land. Such efforts, however, have met with limited success because of several factors, including a lack of adequate emphasis on ectomycorrhization of the nursery seedlings. A similar scenario is seen in the Kashmir Himalaya, where the natural regeneration of degraded forests is poor despite ample restoration efforts by forest managers. To overcome this challenge, we identified two promising ectomycorrhizal species, namely Clitocybe nuda and Cortinarius distans, for their use in ectomycorrhization of seedlings of three common conifers, namely Abies pindrow, Cedrus deodara, and Picea smithiana. Laboratory studies were carried out to investigate the requirements for optimum mycelial growth of these ectomycorrhizal fungi. Best ECM mycelial growth was obtained in the basic MMN medium containing glucose as the source of carbon and nitrogen in ammonium form. C. distans showed higher growth than C. nuda across all the treatments and also proved significantly more effective in enhancing the survival and growth of the conifer host plant seedlings. The present study resulted in standardizing the requirements for mass inoculum production of the two mycobionts which could help in successful forest restoration programmes.

Floristic Association of Moist Temperate Forests of Shangla District, Delineated by a Multivariate Approach

Multivariate analysis was conducted to explore the moist temperate forests of the Shangla district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The prime objective was to quantitatively describe and differentiate the vegetation groups and the factors that determine the boundaries and composition of plant communities in the Shangla district. This was achieved by sampling all common species in a complex vegetation mosaic coinciding with local gradients in topography and soil distribution. Ward’s clustering dendrogram demonstrated four significant vegetation clusters with respect to environmental effects. These four major groups of the tree vegetation were superimposed on the ordination plane: 1. Pinus wallichiana, the dominant group associated with Abies pindrow; 2. Abies pindrow and the Picea smithiana group; 3. Dominant Cedrus deodara associated with the Pinus wallichiana, Abies pindrow, Picea smithiana, and Quercus baloot group; 4. Pinus roxberghii pure group. The key controlling factors for each group were the environmental characteristics (i.e., edaphic factors, topographic factors, soil physical properties, and soil nutrients). The results revealed elevation (p <0.001) to be the prominent factor in the composition of plant communities. Furthermore, pH, soil moisture, maximum water holding capacity, and soil physical properties (sand, silt, and clay) also showed a significant (p < 0.05) relationship with vegetation. The other environmental factor did not show a significant relationship with vegetation. Ward’s cluster dendrogram of understory species also demonstrated four groups. Group 1 comprises two subgroups, a and b, with the highest number of species, i.e., Digeteria sanguinalis, Fragaria nubicola, Verbascum Thapsus, Pinus wallichiana seedlings, and Polygonatum multiflorium, respectively. The second large group contains twenty-five species out of eight stands, and the dominant species was Tagetis minuta. Eighteen species out of six stands were found in group 3, which was considered the smallest group. Group 4 consisted of seven stands containing twenty-four species of ground flora, with Anaphalis scopulosa followed by Adiantum venustum as the dominant species. The environmental characteristics of the understory vegetation showed a resemblance with the tree communities. With the exception of elevation, the other factors did not show a significant correlation.

Regeneration status and soil site characteristics of Spruce (Picea smithiana Wall. Boiss) dominated forest along altitudinal gradient in North Indian Himalaya

The present study carried out at three altitudes in Daksum range of Anantnag Forest division aimed to study the variation in floristic composition, community structure, regeneration status, soil characteristics and soil seed bank of Spruce dominated forests. A total of 47 plant species belonging to 41 genera and 29 families were reported. The number of species decreased with increasing altitude. Abies pindrow, Acer caesium and Pinus wallichiana were main tree associates of Picea smithiana. The regeneration of Spruce at all the sites was low and did not show any definite trend along the altitudinal gradient. There was a decrease in availability of OC, N, P, K, Fe and Zn with increase in soil depth at all the three altitudes. However, soil pH showed the reverse trend. There was an increase in availability of OC, N, P, K and Zn while decrease in pH and available Fe in soil with the increase in altitude. The viability of soil seed bank of spruce was found to be very low (15.36 to 18.18%). The study is a pioneer in this region in many aspects and hence shall be a benchmark for further management and conservation of this important species.

Natural Regeneration status of conifers along Altitudinal Gradient in Shopain Forest Range of J&K, India

Natural regeneration of conifers is essential for preservation and maintenance of biodiversity. Therefore present study was conducted to study natural regeneration status of conifers in Shopain Forest Range of J&K. To assess the natural regeneration of conifers, at three elevations along altitudinal gradient (Aj, 1800–2100 m amsl; A2, 2100–2400 m amsl; A3, 2400–2700 m amsl), the vegetation analysis was carried out by stratified random sampling. Quadrates of 2 x 2 m were laid at all the three sites. The regeneration status of the tree species was determined for recruits, un-established regeneration, established regeneration and regeneration success was determined. The maximum number of recruits (3521.58/ha), unestablished (1983.33/ha) and established regeneration (600.00/ha) was recorded for Pinus wallichiana at altitude A2 while as the minimum number of recruits (666.67/ha), unestablished (350.00/ha) and established regeneration (100.00/ha) was recorded for Picea smithiana at altitude A3. The maximum regeneration success percent was recorded for Pinus wallichiana at middle altitude with 41.23% and minimum regeneration success was recorded for cedrus deodara at lower altitude with 4.18% The study conducted revealed that maximum regeneration percentage of Pinus wallichiana and Cedrus deodara was recorded at middle altitude while as that of Abies pindrow and Picea smithiana was at upper altitude. The assessment of natural regeneration of conifers also envisaged that Pinus wallichiana has the highest regeneration percentage and Picea smithiana gave the lowest regeneration success percentage.

Dynamics of carbon storage and status of standing vegetation in temperate coniferous forest ecosystem of north western Himalaya India.

Natural ecosystems, which operate as a sink, play an important role in determining the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere and have a large storage capacity, assisting in mitigation of problem that has a negative impact on the human population. Forests are one of the most important carbon sinks in the terrestrial ecosystem, with the best example being the Western Himalaya, where healthy and sustainable vegetation is prized. Standard methodology was adopted for assessing the different parameters of carbon related information to enumerate the status of carbon storage and its trend in sustaining the ecosystem of the area. The current research displays the annual increment and carbon dynamics in various vegetation components and levels. Trees, shrubs, and herbs help to fix atmospheric carbon in a variety of forms, including AGC, BGC, and TC. The concentration of carbon-fixing potential was measured on an annual and seasonal basis, with herbs having the highest mean annual increment, followed by shrubs and trees. Pinus wallichiana had the largest annual carbon stock change among trees, followed by Cedrus deodara, Picea smithiana, and Abies pindrow. P. wallichiana topped the increase percentage with 60.58%, followed by C. deodara 33.35%, P. smithiana 5.61%, and A. pindrow 0.45%. Litter was also investigated as a potential source of mitigation, with the best results observed during the autumn months. Natural coniferous forests provide a regulating ecological service in the region by maintaining carbon dioxide levels in the form of biomass, according to the study.

Extraction, Utilization Pattern and Prioritization of Fuel Resources for Conservation in Hydro-electric Power Project Areas in Kullu District, Himachal Pradesh, Northwestern Himalaya

In hilly areas, fuelwood is the major source of the energy and it provides almost all of the cooking energy requirements. There are millions of people living inside the protected and unprotected areas with dependencies on these areas for essential services. Among these, fuelwood and fodder are two important and critical components of the village economy especially in the hills and the annual wood consumption is very high. Information on fuelwood resources, their extraction and availability are very scanty. Therefore, the present study was carried out to study the diversity of fuelwood species, annual collection, preference, and availability of fuel species in the forests. Forty six species (33 Trees and 13 Shrubs) were extracted for fuel by the inhabitants. Species preference ranged from 0.05-0.55 Probability Use (PU) and was highest for Cedrus deodara (0.55), followed by Picea smithiana, Pinus wallichiana and Quercus leucotrichophora (0.50, each), Alnus nitida, Quercus floribunda and Ulmus wallichiana (0.45, each) and Ulmus villosa (0.40). Use pressure ranged from 1.35-826.65 Resource Use Index (RUI and was highest for Cedrus deodara (826.65), followed by Picea smithiana (675.00), Quercus leucotrichophora (630.00), Pinus wallichiana (558.00) and Quercus floribunda (348.30). Therefore, immediate actions are suggested to sustain the current and future demand for fuelwood. Awareness among the villagers and mass multiplication through conventional and in-vitro methods for the species facing high anthropogenic pressures and their establishment and maintenance in the in-situ and ex-situ conditions may help in the conservation and management of these species.

Modern pollen and non-pollen palynomorphs along an altitudinal transect in Jammu and Kashmir (Western Himalaya), India

Pollen and non-pollen palynomorphs were analysed from 35 modern moss cushions collected along an altitudinal gradient (2225–2552 m a.s.l.) from the Baramulla District of Jammu and Kashmir State (Western Himalaya), India. The selected sampling altitude is at the elevation of appearance of blue pine (Pinus wallichiana) and West Himalayan spruce or morinda spruce (Picea smithiana). We used cluster analysis and principal component analysis (PCA) to reveal trends and characteristics in the modern pollen and non-pollen palynomorph composition within this zone. Tree taxa mainly correlated positively with the altitudinal gradient, i.e. tree pollen is more abundant at higher altitudes. The presence of West Himalayan spruce pollen increased significantly above 2490 m a.s.l., which coincides with its increased abundance in the area. Poaceae, Cerealia, Ranunculaceae, Caryophyllaceae, Asteroideae and Cichorioideae, indicating open land and human agricultural activities, are more characteristic of higher locations. Greater relative abundance of dung spores was characteristic of lower elevations, indicating human-related grazing activities. While tropical deciduous plants grow only at lower elevations away from the study area, their pollen was present at higher altitudes, suggesting long-distance pollen dispersal, beyond the growing localities.