Environmental Feedbacks of the Subalpine Ecotone Species in the Langtang National Park, Central Nepal Himalaya

0465142 - ÚVGZ 2017 RIV PK eng J - Journal Article
Bhatta, K. P. - Rokaya, Maan Bahadur - Münzbergová, Z.
Environmental Feedbacks of the Subalpine Ecotone Species in the Langtang National Park, Central Nepal Himalaya.
Pakistan Journal of Botany. Roč. 47, č. 6 (2015), s. 2115-2125. ISSN 0556-3321. E-ISSN 2070-3368
Institutional support: RVO:67179843
Keywords : Ecological amplitude/niche * Ecotone vegetation * Indicator species * Species response curve * Multivariate analysis * Nepal Himalaya
Subject RIV: EH - Ecology, Behaviour
Impact factor: 0.658, year: 2015

An acute sensitivity of ecotone vegetation to environmental changes makes ecotone vegetation dynamics as one of the
prime aspects in vegetation ecology. Understory vegetation of ecotone can indicate the changing environmental conditions
of the region by showing its own growth pattern, abundance, and assemblages. Our study aims at investigating the
compositional pattern of herbaceous species of a subalpine ecotone in Langtang National Park, central Nepal and analyzing
their responses to the different environmental factors. We performed multivariate analyses to study species composition, and
for analyzing individual plant species responses logistic regression was used.
It was observed that profound variation in the canopy cover and soil organic carbon along the ecotone significantly
influenced the species composition of the herbaceous vegetation. Response curve analysis showed the most significant
response of eleven least tolerance species to the environmental variables. Gentiana argentea, Geranium donianum, Kobresia
sp., Potentilla griffithii, Rubia wallichiana, Rubus nepalensis, Thalictrum chelidonii and Thalictrum cultratum were
particularly important because these species had narrow amplitude to both the studied environmental variables - canopy
cover and soil organic carbon. As these species could be critically sensitive to even minor fluctuation in the environmental
factor(s), can be regarded as potential indicator species of the respective environmental variable. These indicator species
could be vital in understanding community dynamics of the vulnerable ecotone vegetation within the National Park via their
use in long-term assessment of the habitat conditions. Replicated studies at broader scales would further be important for
understanding the dynamics of the other ecotone plant communities of Nepal Himalaya.
Permanent Link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0263830