PJB-2021-697
Vegetation appraisal and effect of mining activities on the plant communities of Rohri hills
Vijesh Kumar
Abstract
Abstract Biodiversity is essential for ecosystem services. It has been diminishing due to biotic factors. Anthropogenic activities are threatening the vegetation of Rohri hills, thus an ecosystem analysis was conducted to determine the present status of the flora. The vegetation of Rohri hills was appraised by the quadrat method. The whole collected plants were processed by standard methods and voucher specimens were deposited at the Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation (CBC), Shah Abdul Latif University (SALU) Khairpur Sindh for imminent references. The study identified 66 vascular plant species of 56 genera and 31 families. Fabaceae, Poaceae, and Amaranthaceae were recorded as dominant families. More than 55% of the whole floristic composition was perennial. The vegetation was dominated by herbs followed by shrubs. The study confirmed Phanerophyte and Chamaephyte as common life-forms of species from the study area. Simpson diversity index value was 0.91. Species richness was found higher from disturbed sites. Natural sites were more similar in species composition. Fabaceae family and species Prosopis juliflora was recorded with higher cover, density, frequency, and IVI. This study also documented two regionally threatened species, Blepharis scindica (Acanthaceae) and Tecomella undulata (Bignoniaceae). Anthropogenic activities like mining have disturbed the vegetation of Rohri hills. Conservation measures are required to protect the declining population of threatened species. Keywords: Rohri hills, Floristic composition, Life form, mining, species richness
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