South Asian Journal of Life Sciences

Research Article
S. Asian J. Life Sci. 4(2): 40-50
Http://dx.doi.org/10.14737/journal.sajls/2016/4.2.40.50
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Kishwar Ali1, Nasrullah Khan2, Inayat Ur Rahman2*, Husan Ara Begum3, Stephen Jury1, Habib Ahmad4

Department of Plant Sciences, School of Biological Sciences, University of Reading, UK; 2Department of Botany University of Malakand Chakdara, Dir Lower, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan; 3Department of Botany, Abdul Wali Khan University, Mardan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan; 4Department of Genetics, Hazara University, Mansehra, Pakistan.

Abstract | The preliminary requirement of conservation ecology is the exploration of the natural vegetation, identification and quantification. Swat Distract located in Hindukush mountains ranges is considered as one of the most important biodiversity hotspot which is severely affected by the anthropogenic activities in the recent past. The studied area is rapidly losing its biodiversity and there is an urgent need to explore the species and to quantify them and protect them in their habitats. In order to explore the present floral diversity in the region, multiple Phyto-ecological indices and multivariate approaches were used. Hierarchical clustering analysis was also carried out for both location-location interaction and species-species interaction using SPSS version 18 (PASW). Vegetation sampling was carried out at twenty-three different locations in the area. Some results of the biodiversity indices clearly differentiate in the vegetation structure and thus confirm the presence of microclimatic niches in the Swat district. Some locations within the district were found to be extremely poor in floristic diversity and require a special attention for its biodiversity enhancement. Among the several indices Equitability index provides a good measure of understanding evenness as it is independent of the combined effect of average population size and number of organisms and also portray a reasonable picture of the biodiversity when used in conjunction with Simpson’s and Shannon indices. Based on the results, it was concluded that the vegetation of district Swat is severely affected by human intervention and there is an urgent need to take initiatives by introducing new trespassing laws, community mobilisation and public education along with the provision of basic requirements to the local inhabitants.
 

 

Keywords | Phyto-ecological indices, Biodiversity, Cluster analysis, Hindukush ranges, Swat valley