Diversity of Medicinal Plants among Different Tree Canopies
Muhammad Zubaira b✉, Akash Jamila b, Syed Bilal Hussainc, Ahsan Ul Haqd, Ahmad Hussaine, Din Muhammad Zahida b, Abeer Hashemf, Abdulaziz Abdullah Alqarawig, Elsayed Fathi Abd Allahg
- aDepartment of Forestry and Range Management, FAS&
- bT, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan 60000, Pakistan
- cInstitute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan 60000, Pakistan
- dDepartment of Forestry and Range Management, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad 38040, Pakistan
- eDepartment of Forestry and Wildlife Management, University of Haripur, Haripur 22620, Pakistan
- fBotany and Microbiology Department, College of Science, King Saud University, P.O. Box. 2460, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
- gPlant Production Department, College of Food and Agricultural Sciences, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2460, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
- ✉Corresponding author
Papers open inside SciRah from the original publisher or repository; SciRah never hosts them.
Abstract
The moist temperate forests in Northern Pakistan are home to a variety of flora and fauna that are pivotal in sustaining the livelihoods of the local communities. In these forests, distribution and richness of vegetation, especially that of medicinal plants, is rarely reported. In this study, we carried out a vegetation survey in District Balakot, located in Northeastern Pakistan, to characterize the diversity of medicinal plants under different canopies of coniferous forest. The experimental site was divided into three major categories (viz., closed canopy, open spaces, and partial tree cover). A sampling plot of 100 m2 was established on each site to measure species diversity, dominance, and evenness. To observe richness and abundance, the rarefaction and rank abundance curves were plotted. Results revealed that a total of 45 species representing 34 families were available in the study site. Medicinal plants were the most abundant (45%) followed by edible plants (26%). Tree canopy cover affected the overall growth of medicinal plants on the basis of abundance and richness. The site with partial canopy exhibited the highest diversity, dominance, and abundance compared to open spaces and closed canopy. These findings are instrumental in identifying the wealth of the medicinal floral diversity in the northeastern temperate forest of Balakot and the opportunity to sustain the livelihoods of local communities with the help of public/private partnership.
TL;DRThese findings are instrumental in identifying the wealth of the medicinal floral diversity in the northeastern temperate forest of Balakot and the opportunity to sustain the livelihoods of local communities with the help of public/private partnership. (Semantic Scholar)