This paper deals with the floristic structure and plant-community composition in relation to environmental gradients in the Tso Kar basin, an ∼300 km2 area of the Changthang plateau. A total of 131 sites covering various landscape units—namely, sandy plains, marsh meadows, moist meadows, scrub steppe, fell-fields, and stream courses—were intensively sampled by using random quadrats of 1 m2. In addition, these sites were searched for the presence of other vascular plants. In all, 232 species of vascular plants belonging to 38 families and 101 genera were collected and recorded from the study area. Poaceae (39 species), Asteraceae (27 species), Cyperaceae (25 species), Brassicaceae (14 species), Fabaceae (12 species), and Ranunculaceae (12 species) are the dominant families. It is interesting to note that the study area has a very high monocot:dicot ratio (1:2). Analysis of Raunkiaer's life-forms reveals that the area is dominated by two growth forms—namely, 57% hemicryptophytes (perennial grasses ...

Four communities, formed as a result of locally varying site conditions, were identified and studied along the timberline ecotone in part of Kedarnath Wildlife Sanctuary (KWS). Communities on the vicinity of pilgrimage site and along gentler slopes were highly disturbed having sharp timberlines, while those located far and in the steep slopes were less affected, forming a little broader transition. The tree density ranged from 340 to 780 trees/ha, while the basal cover of communities varied greatly and ranged from 6.4 to 55.1 m 2 /ha. Birch dominated community had lowest basal area among all the communities, while mixed community had the highest. In all the respective communities, from subalpine zone, density and basal area was higher than that of timberline zone. The Importance Value Index (IVI), which used to determine the overall importance of each species in the community structure, of dominant species at timberline was more than 200 in all the communities, except in the mixed community. Influence of the anthropogenic disturbances was apparent on the regeneration performance of all the studied tree species. Rhododendron campanulatum was the dominant shrub species of the area and formed krummholz, while distribution of other species varies greatly with forest type. The shrub density decreased from high to low disturbance, while the herbaceous species density increased with prevalence of a few species favoring the high disturbance (grazing). The shrub and herb species richness was higher in the ecotone zone. Some uncommon species like Balanophora involucrata and Aralia cissifolia were also found at timberline. Three species of Lady's Slipper orchid were reported together from Betula utilis community at timberline ecotone.

The Himalayan region is one of the global biodiversity hotspots. However, its biodiversity and ecosystems are threatened due to abiotic and biotic drivers. One of the major biotic threats to biodiversity in this region is the rapid spread of Invasive Alien Species (IAS). Natural forests and grasslands are increasingly getting infested by IAS affecting regeneration of native species and decline in availability of bio-resources. Assessing the current status of IAS and prediction of their future spread would be vital for evolving specific species management interventions. Keeping this in view, we conducted an in-depth study on two IASs, viz.,Ageratina adenophoraandLantana camarain the Indian part of Kailash Sacred Landscape (KSL), Western Himalaya. Intensive field surveys were conducted to collect the presence ofA.adenophora(n= 567) andL.camara(n= 120) along an altitudinal gradient between 300 and 3000 m a.s.l. We performed Principal Component Analysis to nullify the multi-colinearity effects of the environmental predictors followingMaxEntspecies distribution model in the current and future climatic scenarios for both the species. All current and future model precision (i.e., Area Under the Curve; AUC) for both species was higher than 0.81. It is predicted that under the current rate of climate change and higher emission (i.e., RCP 8.5 pathway),A.adenophorawill spread 45.3% more than its current distribution and is likely to reach up to 3029 m a.s.l., whereas,L.camarawill spread 29.8% more than its current distribution range and likely to reach up to 3018 m a.s.l. Our results will help in future conservation planning and participatory management of forests and grasslands in the Kailash Sacred Landscape–India.

Located in the extended buffer zone of Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve in Western Himalaya, Niti valley represents a cold arid region. The reserve has been extensively surveyed in terms of floral diversity by various workers, albeit highly confined to the core zones. The current survey recorded 495 species belonging to 267 genera and 73 families of vascular plants through systematic collection in the years 2011, 2012 and 2014. Of the recorded species, 383 were dicots, 93 monocots, 9 pteridophytes and 10 gymnosperms. Asteraceae was most diverse family (32 genera with 58 species), followed by Poaceae (22 genera with 41 species), Lamiaceae (15 genera with 19 species) Fabaceae (14 genera with 22 species), Brassicaceae (12 genera with 12 species) and Rosaceae (11 genera with 36 species). The present survey also updates the existing flora of Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve (801 species) with addition of 167 species. This study reveals that the Niti valley forms a transition zone, as the floral elements have affinity with Trans as well as Greater Himalaya.