Community Structure and Distribution Pattern of Woody Vegetation in Response to Soil properties in Semi-Arid Lowland District Kasur Punjab, Pakistan

Muhammad Waheed, Fahim Arshad, Muhammad Majeed, Sammer Fatima, Naila Mukhtar, Robina Aziz, Wali Muhammad Mangrio, Hussein Almohamad (), Ahmed Abdullah Al Dughairi, Motrih Al-Mutiry and Hazem Ghassan Abdo
Additional contact information
Muhammad Waheed: Department of Botany, University of Okara, Okara 56300, Pakistan
Fahim Arshad: Department of Botany, University of Okara, Okara 56300, Pakistan
Muhammad Majeed: Department of Botany, University of Gujrat, Hafiz Hayat Campus, Gujrat 50700, Pakistan
Sammer Fatima: Department of Botany, University of Gujrat, Hafiz Hayat Campus, Gujrat 50700, Pakistan
Naila Mukhtar: Department of Botany, University of Okara, Okara 56300, Pakistan
Robina Aziz: Department of Botany, Government College, Women University, Sialkot 51310, Pakistan
Wali Muhammad Mangrio: Department of Zoology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Shah Abdul Latif University, Khairpur 66111, Pakistan
Hussein Almohamad: Department of Geography, College of Arabic Language and Social Studies, Qassim University, Buraydah 51452, Saudi Arabia
Ahmed Abdullah Al Dughairi: Department of Geography, College of Arabic Language and Social Studies, Qassim University, Buraydah 51452, Saudi Arabia
Motrih Al-Mutiry: Department of Geography, College of Arts, Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh 11671, Saudi Arabia
Hazem Ghassan Abdo: Geography Department, Faculty of Arts and Humanities, University of Tartous, Tartous P.O. Box 2147, Syria

Land, 2022, vol. 11, issue 12, 1-18

Abstract: Plant diversity is lower in arid regions around the world. However, semi-arid regions have very high species richness and are notable in terms of vegetation structure and plant diversity. The major goal of this study was to assess the composition and diversity of woody species with respect to edaphic properties in semi-arid lowlands of Kasur, Punjab Pakistan. Comprehensive field surveys were conducted to study the botanical diversity of woody vegetation in Kasur district (Punjab) during 2020–2022. Based on geography and vegetation richness, 120 sampling sites were selected, with each site comprising 05 transects of 500 m 2 randomly. Therefore, from each sampling site, 25 quadrats were taken for exploring the biological assortment of woody vegetation. Soil samples were collected at a depth of 9 to 12 cm and placed in a polythene bag. The soil samples were tested for soil pH, EC, OM, macronutrients (N, P, and K), and cation exchange capacity (CEC). A total of 86 woody species belonging to 61 genera and 26 families were documented from diverse habitats of semi-arid lowland of Kasur, Punjab, Pakistan. The leading family was Leguminosae having 13 genera and 21 species, followed by Moraceae, including four genera and nine species, and Bignoniaceae with seven genera and 09 species. Overall, five woody plant communities were renamed by means of the maximum indictor-valued plant species, such as those listed below; 1. EDM: Eucalyptus - Dalbergia - Morus community; 2. PBM: Populus - Bombax - Morus community; 3. ZTZ: Ziziphus - Tamarix - Ziziphus community; 4. PAP: Prosopis - Acacia - Prosopis community, and 5. BCR: Broussonetia - Conocarpus - Ricinus community. The CCA ordination makes it apparent that appropriate edaphic aspects, such as pH, organic matter, N, P, K, soil texture (silt, sand, and clay), and cation exchange capacity (CEC), have a significant influence on how woody species are distributed. The current effort provides a fundamental layout to realize the influences of environmental variables on the arrangement, variety, and relations of woody vegetation, which is useful to improve the conservation and management events for the ecological restoration of degraded habitation in the studied district.

Keywords: biological richness; distribution patterns; woody vegetation; geography; Punjab (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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