Pattern of species richness and floristic spectrum along the elevation gradient: A case study from western Himalaya, India

Abstract The floristic life-form spectrum of any area unveils the prevailing phytoclimatic conditions, helps in understanding the species-environment relationship and can be applied to compare the vegetation pattern of one eco-zone to another. We scrutinized the pattern of species richness (SR) and floristic spectrum along the elevation gradient in a biodiversity-rich eco-zone of western Himalaya (western Ramganga valley, Uttarakhand, India) between 1200 m (river bank) to 3100 m a.s.l. (summit). The elevation range was classified into six elevation bands (i.e. 2700 m), to prepare the presence (1)/ absence (0) species data matrix using local distribution (elevation range) of each species to estimate the SR of various growth-forms and life-forms for the particular elevational band. The findings suggest that the correlation of SR with elevation is not linear as the species richness peaks at the middle elevation (humped-back shape relationship). The forest cover is large and continues up to the summit; thus, the correlation of tree and shrub SR with elevation is not clear; though, a partly positive correlation was observed between elevation and herb SR while negative correlation between climber SR and elevation. The percentage of phanerophytes and therophytes in total life-forms decreased significantly with increase in elevation while inverse trend was shown by hemicryptophytes and cryptophytes. The pattern of phytoclimate in the area varied from phanero-therophytic at the lower elevation to phanero-hemicryptophytic at the middle and hemicrypto-phanerophytic at the upper elevation. The present contribution is an attempt to fill the knowledge gap in pattern of growth-form, life-form and phytoclimate within the forest-covered montane zone of western Himalaya. It will be helpful in understanding the vegetation dynamics in mountain ecosystems and serve as a ready reference to planners in any future conservation strategy for the area.