Chir Pine (Pinus roxburghii) and Blue Pine (P. wallichiana) forest in west Nepal: comparing associated plant species

0570338 - BÚ 2023 RIV NP eng J - Journal Article
Subedi, C. K. - Rokaya, Maan Bahadur - Gurung, J. - Timsina, B. - Bhandari, P. - Chaudhari, R. P.
Chir Pine (Pinus roxburghii) and Blue Pine (P. wallichiana) forest in west Nepal: comparing associated plant species.
Journal of Institute of Science and Technology. Roč. 27, č. 2 (2022), s. 13-21. ISSN 2467-9062. E-ISSN 2467-9240
R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GA17-10280S
Institutional support: RVO:67985939
Keywords : associated species * Himalaya * pine forests
OECD category: Ecology
Method of publishing: Open access
https://doi.org/10.3126/jist.v27i2.51214

Chir pine (Pinus roxburghii) and blue pine (P. wallichiana) are two dominant tree species in the mid-hill forests of Nepal that also contribute significantly to the country’s total forest area. The associated vegetation pattern in pine forests is influenced by environmental and edaphic factors. The objective of this study was to determine the correlation between soil chemical properties and the composition of associated plant species in two pine forests in the Kailash Sacred Landscape, Nepal. We used the quadrat sampling method to collect vegetation and soil data. Pearson’s correlation was used to determine the relationship between soil chemical properties, Generalized Linear Model (GLM) to assess the effect of soil properties on species richness, and Canonical Correlation Analysis (CCA) for species composition. Our analysis showed that soil pH was negatively correlated with soil chemical properties and species richness of associated species. There was a higher number of associated plant species in the blue pine forest than in chir pine forest. Associated plant species generally prefer high nitrogen and phosphorus content. Soil nutrients play an important role in determining the species richness and composition but may not be only factors affecting these patterns. Pine forests play an important role in the socio-economy from the national to community levels while the associated plant species have more significant functions in the livelihoods of local communities.
Permanent Link: https://hdl.handle.net/11104/0341637