Unraveling Vegetation Diversity and Environmental Influences in the Sultan Khail Valley, Dir Upper, Pakistan: An Advanced Multivariate Analysis Approach

Both environmental and edaphic variables play an important role in the structure, composition, and distribution of plant communities. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the major plant associations along the altitudinal gradient and the effects of various topographic and edaphic variables on the distribution of vegetation in the Sultan Khail Valley in the Hindu Kush range of Pakistan. The data was collected between 2017 and 2019. For field data collection, the valley was divided into various ecological zones based on altitude, aspect, physiognomy, and geographical coordinates. Two hundred vineyards were established for the data collection. The canopy cover and the number of vascular plant species were determined using the Braun-Blanquet scale. Soil samples were collected and analyzed for various physicochemical properties. In the JUICE host program, the modified Two Way Indicator Species Analysis (TWINSPAN) was used to do a multivariate analysis of vegetative data. To emphasize diagnostic, constant, and dominant species, a threshold of 40% was set for the fidelity, frequency, and cover of species in each association. For vegetation ordination, DCA ordination was performed using R Project version 3.6.1. Modified TWINSPAN results in the formation of 5 associations of vegetation: i. Abies- Picea- Sibbaldia Association (APS), ii. Pinus- Wikstroemia- Galium association (PWG), iii. Ajuga-Artemisia-Quercus association (AAQ), iv. Cotoneaster- Quercus- Indigofera association (CQI), and v. Conyza- Juglans- Dicliptera association (CJD). The results of DCA ordering showed that elevation, slope angle, clay content (%), potassium, and pH of the soil were the most important factors for the distribution of species in different associations in the Sultan Khail Valley of Pakistan. The soils in the study area were loamy, silty-loamy to loamy-sandy, alkaline to acidic. and contained varying amounts of lime, organic matter, as well as nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. In conclusion, the study successfully employed advanced multivariate analysis techniques to uncover the complex relationship between vegetation diversity and environmental conditions in the Sultan Khail Valley of Pakistan, a part of the Hindu Kush Range. The detailed analysis of the study revealed the complex interplay of numerous environmental variables and provided important insights for the conservation and sustainable management of this ecologically important region.

Journal

POLISH JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES

Year

2025

Volume

34

Issue

1

Pages

777-789

ISSN

1230-1485

eISSN

2083-5906

DOI

10.15244/pjoes/186619

WoS UID

WOS:001388105000010