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Pak. J. Bot., 47(SI): 93-104, 2015.

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PHYTOGEOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS AND DIVERSITY OF GRASSES AND SEDGES (POALES) OF NORTHERN PAKISTAN

ZAHID ULLAH1*, MUSHTAQ AHMAD2 HASSAN SHER1, HAMAYUN SHAHEEN3 AND SHUJAUL MULK KHAN2*
 

Abstract: The monocot order Poales is one of the largest (ca. 20,000 species), and economically and ecologically most important group of flowering plants. Exploring this important component of the biodiversity is of paramount significance in conservation of species and developing climate change models. Northern Pakistan occupies a unique biogeographic position at the summit of the planet’s three highest mountain ranges i.e.Himalaya, Hindukush and Karakurum.These ranges contain the hot spots of floral and faunal diversity with high proportions of endemic and rare species.The studies revealed 117 species belonging to 30 genera in three families of the order Poales. Juncaceae is represented by single genus Juncuswith four species, Cyperaceae by 5 genera and 27 species, and Poaceae being the dominant family with 25 genera and 86 species. Carexand Poaare the largest genera having 21 and 16 species respectively. Phytogeographic analysis of the Poalesof temperate and alpine regions of Northern Pakistan shows twelve different phytogeographic elements. The highest percentage of species (30%) belongs to the western Himalayan floristic region (near endemics), with cosmopolitan elements (19%), Central Asian elements (17%) and Eurasian elements (12%) being the other significant elements. The proportion of Endemic species (8%) is less apparent, while the rest of the seven categories are poorly represented. The Two Way Cluster Analysis (TWCA) divided the sixteen districts into two major groups, and four subgroups based on environmental gradients of altitude, latitude and longitude. TWCA classified the data matrix including 114 species into seven clusters based on presence/absence data and elevation from mean sea level. Species in each cluster can be attributed to similar habitat conditions and altitudinal ranges. Hence it is clear that climatic characters associated with each category control the species
distribution pattern.

Key Words: Phytogeography, Floristic elements, Diversity, Grasses, Sedges, Northern Pakistan

1Center for Plant Sciences and Biodiversity, University of Swat, Pakistan
2Department of Plant Sciences, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan
3Department of Botany, University of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan
*Corresponding author’s e-mail: zahidmatta@gmail.com, shuja60@gmail.com