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Pak. J. Bot., 46(5): 1811-1827, 2014. |
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Updated: 16-10-14 | ||||
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FOLIAR AND SOIL NUTRIENT DISTRIBUTION IN CONIFER FORESTS OF MOIST TEMPERATE AREAS OF HIMALAYAN AND HINDUKUSH REGION OF PAKISTAN: A MULTIVARIATE APPROACH
MUHAMMAD FAHEEM SIDDIQUI1*, SYED SHAHID SHAUKAT2, MOINUDDIN AHMED2, IMRAN AHMED KHAN3 AND NASRULLAH KHAN4
Abstract: Foliar nutrient concentration for the dominant conifer species (Pinus wallichiana, Abies pindrow and Cedrus deodara) of moist temperate areas of Himalayan and Hindukush region of Pakistan was evaluated. Soils samples and conifer needles were collected from forests at 41 sites in the study area. Six macro and seven micronutrients were analyzed for both soils and tissue. The mean nutrient levels and variability for each species was evaluated. The gradients in tissue nutrients were exposed by means of correspondence analysis (CA) and canonical correspondence (CCA), for each species. The first CA axis of Pinus wallichiana data was significantly correlated with soil N, P and K (p<0.05). The second CA axis was correlated with P, B and Ca, while the third was correlated with K and Mg (p<0.05). The first CA axis of Abies pindrow was not correlated with any soil nutrients, but the second axis showed correlation with soil Ca (p<0.05) and the third with S, Fe and N (p at the most 0.05). Cedrus deodara CA axes were not markedly correlated with soil nutrients. Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) exposed the correlation structure between tissue nutrient and soil nutrient matrices with similar results thereby supporting the results of CA.
1Department of Botany, University of Karachi, Pakistan, 2Department of Botany, Federal Urdu University, Karachi75300, Pakistan 3Department of Geography, University of Karachi, Pakistan, 4Department of Botany, University of Malakand, Chakdara, Dir Lower, KPK, Pakistan, *Corresponding author e-mail: mfsiddiqui2011@yahoo.com |
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