Available online freely at www.isisn.org Bioscience Research Print ISSN: 1811-9506 Online ISSN: 2218-3973 Journal by Innovative Scientific Information & Services Network RESEARCH ARTICLE BIOSCIENCE RESEARCH, 2020 17(2): 815-826. OPEN ACCESS Phytosociological structure of Skyland forests at Wari, Dir Upper, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan Sharifullah1, Ali Hazrat1,2*, Amir Hasan Khan1*, Khan Sher1, Shaukat Ali1, Muhammad Abdul Aziz3, Ateeur Rahman1, Ahmad Hassan khan1, Khaleeq Ahmad1 and Muhammad Adnan3 1Department of Botany, Shaheed Benazir Bhutto University Sheringal, District Dir Upper Pakistan 2Department of Botany University of Malakand Chakdara, Dir Lower, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan 3Department of Botany, Kohat University of Science and Technology, Kohat-26000, Pakistan *Correspondence: [email protected], [email protected] Received 02-03-2020, Revised: 22-04-2020, Accepted: 26- 04-2020 e-Published: 01-06-2020 The recent study was carried out to evaluate the Phytodiversity of Skyland forests at tehsil Wari district Dir Upper Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. The field survey was carried out from October 2018 to June 2019. The random stratified sampling design was utilized and collected 89 relevés and pile up in the TURBOVEG database. Different community organized from releves by modifying TWINSPAN community categorization analysis. The characteristics of these communities evaluated by (TWINSPAN) Two way indicator species analysis utilizing the host JUICE Program and associated among topographic, edaphic, and environmental changeable through Dentrended Correspondence Analysis (DCA). On the base of edaphic factors five different communities, i.e. Pinus-Berberis community, Pinus- Viburnum community, Abies-Viburnum community, Pinus-Abies community and Abies-Picea community was set up in the Skyland forest. Approximately minimum 10m distance was kept between quadrates of the same formation. The large quantity/ tree cover of plant was estimated through braun-Blanquet Scale and evaluated various factor. Particularly the anthropogenic interruption is the main reason of disturbing of different communities in the study area of Skyland forest. Keywords: Phytosociology, Phytodiversity, Releve, Multivariate analysis, Skyland forests, Pakistan. INTRODUCTION association among the plant species and physical Vegetation is a component which holds environment (Allaby, 2004). For the vegetation distinctiveness in structure and physiognomy analysis, vegetation mapping, and preservation of adequately great sufficient to allow its separation biodiversity it give useful methods. (Rieley and from further such component (Hussain and Ilahi, Page, 1990; Ewald, 2003; Biondi, 2011). The 1991). The plants, soil and climate are linked to similar and dissimilar plant species in a plant one another. The variance in all of these units community is determined by the habitat may create a variation in the correlated further difference, time and biotic relations. (Khan et al., component. The survival and foundation of a 2013). The every ecosystem health, dependable community show the plant habitation state due to of plant biodiversity (Ruiz et al., 2008) and which they build up (Malik, 1986). The relationship therefore for the ecosystem managing and of phytosociology with plant, composition, conservation of biodiversity the vegetation classification, and development is due to strong classification is required. The different vegetation Sharifullah et al., Phytosociological structure of Skyland forests community type present in Dir, Swat and adjacent valley also. Two major crops maize and wheat areas. The Swat area was studded from time to are grown in the area. time (Beg and Khan, 1984; Hussain et al., 1992; Hussain et al., 1995; Peer et al., 2007; Ahmad et Phytosociological analysis and plant al., 2009; Sher and Al-Yameni, 2010; Ahmad et Vegetation surveys al., 2010; Rashid et al., 2011; Khan, 2012; Ilyas et Vegetation was examined from August 2017 al., 2012; Khan et al., 2011, 2013; Ahmad et al., to August 2018. Eighty-nine vegetation relevés of 2014; Haqet al., 2015; Sharifullah et al., 2016). 10 m× 10 m were put in stratified forested and There is a kumrat valley which has a dense sparingly wooded areas, sporadic to the extent vegetation of different community need to achievable yet limited by accessibility. research and document the vegetation. The aims Approximately minimum 10 m distance was kept of the present study to investigate and evaluate between quadrates of the similar formation. The the vegetation and recognized plant communities Braun-Banquet scale was used for the expected in the area. Furthermore to determine the Tree cover/plenty of vascular plants. Global potential ecological factors such as altitude and Positioning system (GPS) was utilized for the edaphic property of plant vegetation observing of height and coordinates of the study area. The subsequent scale used for tree cover/Abundance calculation. MATERIALS AND METHODS Cover/Abundance Scale: Cover < 5 % r 1-2 plants (rare). Study area + 1-5 (-10) plants (scarce). In 1996 the district Dir upper was declared as 1 > 10 plants (numerous, abundant), Cover > a separate district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. The 5 % longitudes of the study area is 71° 32’ to 72° 22’, 2 Cover 5-25 %. towards East while the latitudes is 35° 04’ to 35° 4 Cover 25-50 %. 46,’ toward North. Two sub-divisions in upper Dir 4 Cover 50-75 %. district, i.e. Dir and Wari. The two subdivisions 5 Cover 75-100%. are further divided and separated into five Tehsils, named are Kalkot, Wari, Barawal, Dir, and Tehsil Plants collections and identification Sheringal. (District health profile Upper Dir 2005). The collected samples of plants were in the north side the Chitral located, in the east compressed properly, dehydrated. Flora of district Swat, while the south with district Lower Pakistan used for the plant identification. The Dir and in the west with republic of Pakistan Plant Database was utilized for the plant Afghanistan.The total area of upper Dir district nomenclature 3,699 km². (Sharifullah et al., 2016). There are 5 (www.tropicos.0rg/Project/Pakistan). Hospitals, 11 Dispensaries, 2 Rural Health Centers, 34 Basic Health Units, 2 Maternal and Edaphology Child Healthcare Center, 1 Tuberculosis (TB) For the physical and chemical analysis of soil Clinic, 2 System Health Check (S.H.C) and 3 different site selected and sample samples were Leprosy Clinic in the Upper Dir district. (District collected from the study area via: PH, texture, profile report Upper Dir January 3, 2014). The organic matter, calcium carbonate, nitrogen, climate as typically continental type there are 4 potassium, calcium, phosphorus, silt, clay and seasons that are, winter, summer autumn and sand. spring. The winter season is comparatively long, sever and cold. (Hazrat et al., 2016). The Data storage and analysis common fauna of the research area are goats, 89 relevés was pile up in the TURBOVEG cows, sheep, jackals, monkeys, lizards, snakes, (V.2.101) database (Hennekens and Schaminee, sparrows, pigeon while the flora are Pinus 2001) and standard XML files exported to JUICE wallichiana, Juglan regia, Abie spindrow, Pinus (V. 7.0.99) (Tichy, 2002). The recorded data were roxburghii, Picea smithiana, Viburnum organized by modified TWINSPAN classification grandiflorum, Taxus baccatta, Quercus baloot, to find out the effective species associations in Olea ferruginea and Morus alba. The area is hilly host program JUICE. Rolecek et al., (2009).For and mountainous, but the agriculture is carried out the creating cluster 5 false species level (0, 2, 5, in the slopes of the hills and as well as in the 10 and 20) and jaccard difference was put as TWINSPAN parameters. Threshold level for all Bioscience Research, 2020 volume 17(2): 815-826 816 Sharifullah et al., Phytosociological structure of Skyland forests frequency and cover were place at 10/100 to reflecting the Fischer test and percentage determine the dominant, and constant species of frequencies. all relationship in the synoptic table at p> 0.05. For the determination of relationship between species, Ordination (Dentrended Correspondence ecological variable and plots Dentrended Analysis) Correspondence Analysis (DCA) R Project DCA ordination was implemented to find out the version R2.9.0 was used for the analysis relationship between the association and ecological variants. The size of the DCA axis-1 is RESULTS longer than DCA axis-2 as shown in the table. Clay, PH, CaCO3 and Nitrogen content are more Association: important along DCA axis-2. Dominant species, 5 species cut level (0, 2, 5, 10 and 20) and samples and environmental variables (Fig 2) utilized jaccard difference like classification along DCA axis-2 so that Viburnum and Berberis parameters. Below 5 groups were divided (Fig 1). relationship is powerfully and positively associated Small synoptic table of relations reflecting to clay, PH, CaCO3 and Nitrogen contents. reliability values of considerable species which are significant at P≤0.05. Later than Table 2 Figure 1: Cluster dendrogram of five associations of Skyland mountain tehsil Wari District, Upper Dir Table 1. Conclusion of Dentrended Correspondence analysis. DCA1. DCA2 DCA3. DCA4. Eigenvalues 0.6448 0.3588 0.3167 0.2434 Decorana values 0.7006 0.5101 0.2943 0.2317 Axis length 5.5439 3.8254 2.8517 2.4695 Bioscience Research, 2020 volume 17(2): 815-826 817 Sharifullah et al., Phytosociological structure of Skyland forests Table 2: percentage frequency measurement of the Synoptic table with