INVENTORYING AND MONITORING OF ALPINE SPECIFIC GENERA AND SPECIES OF HARAMOSH AND BAGRAOTE VALLEYS., (KARAKORAM RANGE) GILGIT-BALTISTAN, PAKISTAN

Abstract

Inventorying and monitoring work on alpine specific flora of Haramosh and Bagrote valleys (Gilgit-Baltistan) was done for fourteen years from 2001-2014. The fourteen years inventorying revealed a rich alpine exclusive species consisting of 105 species in 52 genera and 21 families of Angiosperms. The Alpine zone had 13 genera with 3 or more alpine exclusive species; Potentilla and Carex with 9 species each were the largest genera of this zone, followed by and Draba (8 species) Rhodiola 5 species etc. Genera containing 9 or 10 species occurred only in Alpine zone which are specific to extreme alpine habitat. The exclusive Alpine flora of both valleys formed 45.25% of the total alpine flora. Although the total number of species was the highest in the Sub-alpine zone, but in the species specific to any one zone, the Alpine zone had the highest number, that is, 105 of the total 232 species were exclusively found in this zone only. Like species, 22 genera out of 52 were exclusively found in alpine zone only. The Alpine zone was characterized by herbs and low shrubs, with Potentilla species as the dominants. A clear trend of migration of certain species both from lower to higher latitudes and altitudes was observed. Bistorta affinis and Potentilla species were observed that are grazing resistant and drought resistant species of the alpine zone were upward shifted from subalpine zone in both valleys during the last fourteen years. Beside these dominant and grazing resistant species some other species like Saussurea simpsoniana, Corydalis spp., Pulsatilla wallichiana, Anemone rupicola, Allium spp., Silene gonosperma, Aconogonon spp., Primula spp., were upward shifted within the alpine zone and some are completely shifted from subalpine zone. Anemone rupicola, Pulsatilla wallichina and Aconogonon spp. were completely shifted from lower zone to alpine zone of both valleys. The species richness index of Alpine zone however showed increasing trend probably due to species migrations towards the alpine zone.