Herb stratum diversity and community structure in Gurez valley of Kashmir Himalaya: application of multivariate techniques in community analyses

In temperate forests, herbs comprise up to 90% of species richness yet received less attention, and their community structure, diversity patterns, and driving mechanisms still remain understudied. We provide a phytosociological overview of herb stratum to develop a vegetation model to characterize and designate vegetation groups and interpret their diversity and species distribution patterns. Multivariate analyses – classification (TWINSPAN) and ordination (indicator species analysis [ISA], non-metric multidimensional scaling [NMDS], and Canonical Correspondence Analysis [CCA]) were applied to data set collected from 32 plots across Gurez valley, Kashmir Himalaya to recognize the understory plant communities, determine the environmental predictors and highlight their significance. Altogether, 131 herbs from 38 families were recorded. TWINSPAN classified understory vegetation into three communities: Tanacetum multicule – Pedicularis pectinata – Aconitum heterophyllum (TPA), Taraxacum officinale – Trifolium repens – Plantago major (TTP), and Impatiens brachycentra – Tussilago farfara – Galium boreale (ITG). Diversity indices and species richness vary significantly, following the trend TTP>TPA>ITG. CCA revealed that disturbances, canopy, altitude, and moisture were the strongest parameters determining species differentiation. The study outlines a methodological workflow based on analytical methods and vegetation-plot data that describe vegetation groups and might be helpful in further in-depth vegetation classification syntheses and decision-making in conservation, global change issues, and management.