Available online at www.ijpab.com Vidyashree et al Int. J. Pure App. Biosci. 6 (5): 339-345 (2018) ISSN: 2320 – 7051 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.18782/2320-7051.6750 ISSN: 2320 – 7051 Int. J. Pure App. Biosci. 6 (5): 339-345 (2018) Review Article Diversity of Fern Flora for Ecological Perspective – A Review Vidyashree1, Chandrashekar, S. Y.2*, Hemla Naik, B.3, Jadeyegowda, M.4 and Revanna Revannavar5 1Department of Floriculture and Landscape Architecture, College of Horticulture, Mudigere, Karnataka, India 2University of Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences, Shivamogga, India 3Department of Natural Resource Management, College of Forestry, Ponnampet, Karnataka, India 4Department of Floriculture and Landscape Architecture, College of Horticulture, Mudigere, Karnataka, India *Corresponding Author E-mail: [email protected] Received: 29.07.2018 | Revised: 26.08.2018 | Accepted: 3.09.2018 ABSTRACT One of the important cut foliage and indoor potted plant grown for its attractive foliages is fern. The foliage of fern is highly valued in the international florist greenery market because of its long post-harvest life, low cost, year round availability and versatile design qualities in form, texture and colour. Ferns (Pteridophytes) are the seedless vascular plants, dominated the vegetation on earth about 280-230 million years ago. Although they are now largely replaced by the seed bearing vascular plants in the existing flora today, yet they constitute a fairly prominent part of the present day vegetation of the world. India with a highly variable climate has a rich diversity of its flora and Pteridophytic flora greatly contributes to its diversity. Pteridophytes also form an interesting and conscious part of our national flora with their distinctive ecological distributional pattern. There are about 12,000 species of pteridophytes occur in the world flora, of which 1,000 species belonging to 70 families and 192 genera occur in the different parts of the present Indian political boundary. Western Himalaya and Western Ghats supported 399 and 349 pteridophytes species of fern and fern allies in India, respectively. Hence, it is need of the hour for documenting the available fern diversity and selection of superior genotypes. Key words: Ferns, Pteridophytes, Diversity, Pollution. INTRODUCTION since long time. Due to ornamental nature of Ferns are one of the important cut foliage and the fronds of Drypteris, Adiantum, indoor potted plant grown for its attractive Nephrolepis, the potted plants of these species foliages. The foliage of fern is highly valued in find place in the terrace of houses, hotels, the international florist greenery market gardens, etc.10. Ferns are the most diverse because of its long post-harvest life, low cost, group and the oldest lineage of vascular plants year round availability and versatile design and the second-most speciose after qualities in form, texture and colour25. The angiosperms with approximately 12,000 ornamental use of ferns has been practiced species. Cite this article: Vidyashree, Chandrashekar, S.Y., Hemla Naik, B., Jadeyegowda, M. and Revannavar, R., Diversity of Fern Flora for Ecological Perspective – A Review, Int. J. Pure App. Biosci. 6(5): 339-345 (2018). doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.18782/2320-7051.6750 Copyright © Sept.-Oct., 2018; IJPAB 339 Vidyashree et al Int. J. Pure App. Biosci. 6 (5): 339-345 (2018) ISSN: 2320 – 7051 But, currently many pteridophytes extinction region, and the Cape region. Endemicity in are fragmentation, degradation and habitat ferns was found to be lower than that of seed destruction, commercial collection, pathogens, plants due to the higher dispersability of fern predators and invasive species, climate change spores. The distance between operational and pollution. These ferns are not only geographical units seemed to be the main taxonomic oddities but those are plants with predictor of the number of endemic fern dynamic relationship to their environment. The species these areas contained. Western Ghats of peninsular India is of great Dudani et al.12 stated that the major phyto-geographical importance which families of pteridophytes found in the Western constitutes one of the 34 global biodiversity Ghats are Aspleniaceae, Polypodiaceae, hotspot centers, on account of exceptional Thelypteridaceae, Selaginellaceae, levels of plant endemism because of its Pteridaceae, etc. Whereas, on the generic level, diversified topography and varied climatic maximum diversity was observed in the genus conditions. Recently Fraser Jenkins13 reviewed Asplenium, Selaginella, Pteris, Athyrium, pteridophytic numbers to be 1000 species in Diplazium, etc. The Western Ghats also India.Western Himalaya and Western Ghats harbors endemic species like Polystichum supported 399 and 349 pteridophytes species manickamii, Cyathea nilgiriensis, Bolbitis of fern and fern allies in India, respectively. In semicordata, Selaginella radicata, etc. Many Central Western Ghats, Karnataka region endangered pteridophytes like Psilotum houses richest pteridophytic diversity. About nudum, Tectaria zeylanica, Lindsaea 26 species of Pteridophytes are listed in the malabarica, Cheilanthes rufa, etc. may soon forests around Mudigere taluk, in face the brunt of extinction. Chikkamagaluru district of Central Western Singh et al.30 studied the pteridophytic Ghats20. Ecological study of ferns is important flora of Nokrek Biosphere Reserve, as it forms baseline data for the distribution of Meghalaya. Sixty nine species under 38 genera plant species or communities and their and 24 families has been provided. Among relationship with the physical environment of these 14 species were new records for the the particular area. Meghalaya State, while 41 species extend their Diversity of fern flora distribution from Khasi and Jaintia hills to Baishya and Rao4 studied the terrestrial, Garo hills district. Ecologically 36 species lithophilic, and epiphytic ferns. The pterido- recorded growing in terrestrial condition while phytes comprised of 256 species in 91 genera, 26 were epiphytic and seven species were a rich and diverse flora. lithophytes. Muktesh Kumar19 documented 159 Iltaf et al.14 described a total of 36 fern species from Munnar forest division. Among species belonging to 18 genera and 13 families them 109 species were terrestrial and 50 ethno botanically and taxonomically which epiphytic. A checklist of rare and endangered were collected from Punjab. Dryopteridaceae species found in different forests of Munnar was found to be the largest family with 7 were also provided. species and 3 genera, whereas Adiantaceae Aldasoro et al.1 concluded that the was the second largest family with 4 species. distribution of ferns in Africa has been A dichotomous key was prepared for influenced by refuges, which allowed many characterization and identification of the species to recolonize the neighbouring areas families, genera and species on the basis of after the extinctions of the Pleistocene. Three morphological characteristics of the plant body major components were detected in the with special reference of sporangium and African flora: Guinea-Congolian spores. thermophilous, cold-tolerant Afro-montane, Shukla and Chakravart28 documented and Southern drought-tolerant elements. These the status of fern diversity, biomass and are related to the three main refuge areas, i.e., carbon accumulation at Chilapatta Reserve the Gulf of Guinea area, the eastern tropical Forest in Cooch Behar Wildlife Division, Copyright © Sept.-Oct., 2018; IJPAB 340 Vidyashree et al Int. J. Pure App. Biosci. 6 (5): 339-345 (2018) ISSN: 2320 – 7051 West Bengal. Nineteen fern species were Adiantaceae and Aspleniaceae each with three recorded. Identified species were of eight species. Pteris is reported as a largest genus families and nine genera. Highest and lowest including eight species in study area. frequency recorded were 25.44 and 0.19 Arachniodes sledge Fraser-Jenk. Is followed while relative frequency varied from 3.16 to by Pteris biaurita L., Tectaria coudunata 12.25. Fern density ranged from 93 to 13,403 (Wall. Ex Hook. &ex Grev.) C. Chr., individuals ·ha−1. Most of the species were Odontosoria tenuifolia (Lam.) J. Sm. and widely distributed. IVI values ranged from Thelypteris caudipinna Ching the most 7.54 to 37.45. The above ground portion of densely populated with highest Importance ferns accumulated the major portion of value index in the study area. The Shannon’s biomass and carbon. diversity index value (H1) 2.97 and Simpson’s Singh et al.29 documented the diversity (D) =0.269 values for Pteridophytic checklist consists of 113 taxa (98 ferns, 15 species in Kemmangundi forest evidencing the fern allies), of which 25 species were newly pteridophytes richness of the area. reported for the Meghalaya State (Selaginella Deepa et al.8 documented thirty one involvens, Selaginella semicordata, species of Pteridophytes belonging to twenty Selaginella subdiaphana, Selaginella two families with their Diversity index in tenuifolia, Asplenium gueinzianum, Asplenium Kigga forest of Chikmagalur district located in perakanse, Microlepia hancei, Microlepia central Western Ghats. Aleuritopteris anceps rhomboidea, Dicranopteris linearis, (Blanf.) Panigrahi. was the most abundant Coniogramme procera, Bolbitis sinensis, species and has highest IVI and density. The Loxogramme chinensis, Lygodium Shannon's diversity index value (H1) 2.81 and microphyllum, Lemmaphyllum microphyllum, Simpson's diversity (D) =0.084 values for Lemmaphyllum rostratum, Pleopeltis