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EVALUATION OF ECOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF ROADSIDE VEGETATION AROUND HAVALIAN CITY USING MULTIVARIATE TECHNIQUES

SHEIKH SAEED AHMED^1*, SAIMA FAZAL¹, EHSAN ELAHI VALEEM^2*, ZAFAR IQBAL KHAN³, GHULAM SARWAR⁴ AND ZAFAR  IQBAL⁴

Abstract: A survey of Abbottabad roadsides vegetation and soil was undertaken. The floristic data were analyzed by using multivariate analysis techniques i.e. Detrended Correspondence Analysis (DCA) and Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA). A total of 63 plant species and 5 major communities were recognized along 5 major roadsides as demarcated by DCA and CCA. The study also investigated the vegetation structure and its relationships to selected environmental factors. This relationship was determined by CANOCO analysis. The most important factors influencing the roadside vegetation were found to be lead and copper, and zinc to some extent. This study provides the basic information to preserve and improve the roadside vegetation, for reservation of native flora.

¹Deptt. of Environmental Sci., Fatima Jinnah Women University, Rawalpindi, Pakistan.

²Department of Biological Sciences, University of Sargodha, Sargodha, Pakistan.

³Public Private Partnership Unit (PPPU), Planning and Development Department, Government of Sindh, Karachi-74200, Pakistan.

⁴Univeristy College of Agriculture, University of Sargodha, Sargodha, Pakistan