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SPATIO-PERSISTENCE DYNAMICS OF PLANT SPECIES ON METAL CONTAMINATED SOILS AROUND NULLAH LEH OF RAWALPINDI, ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN

A. RASHID^*, J. GUL¹, M. ARSHAD², T. MAHMOOD³, AND M. KHALID⁴

Abstract: The metal contaminants in soil can influence the natural dynamism in plant populations. Different sources of metal contaminants were considered that had raised the soil toxicity level affecting plant distribution on a small scale. The course of natural succession was then monitored based on site specific conditions and comparative account was highlighted to reveal the metal toxicity threshold. It seems that contaminated areas, where regional persistence is governed by the processes of patchy colonization are leading to an ill-defined mosaic of suitable and unsuitable habitat. Overall, species richness is on a decline and spatially extended plant populations are essentially a simple extension of local dynamics occupying a small tract of suitable habitat. Although a range of forms of local spatial dynamics exists, these are qualitatively different from the forms of population structure at regional level. This shows the impact of metal pollutants on landscape, which is in fact a reflection of measurements made of (i) plant diversity across the landscape (including both contaminated and reference sites) and of (ii) spatial heterogeneity. In the present study, an important ecological relevance is structured among influence of heavy metal pollutants on soil system and ecological functioning of plants.

*Department of Plant Sciences, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan

¹Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan

²Department of Botany, University of Arid Agriculture, Rawalpindi, Pakistan

³Department of Agronomy, University of Arid Agriculture, Rawalpindi, Pakistan

⁴Institute of Soil & Environmental Sciences, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan.