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An Updated Taxonomic Inventory of Flora of Srinagar City (Kashmir Himalaya) India, Using Herbarium Reconstruction Approach

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Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, India Section B: Biological Sciences Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The historical collections in herbaria are increasingly used for documentation of biodiversity. The use of herbarium reconstruction in the Himalayan biodiversity hotspot, using a case study from Srinagar city in Kashmir Himalaya has been shown. During the present investigation, a comprehensive and updated biodiversity database of 937 plant taxa has been developed, which is based on expert investigation of ca. 45,000 plant specimens deposited in the herbarium of University of Kashmir, and careful supplementation of field records in the study area made over the last one decade. The results indicate a clear dominance of herbaceous growth form as 602 species were herbs. Majority of the plant species possess perennial life span, as 610 plant species fall under this category. Inspite of being a rapidly urbanising centre, Srinagar city owing to its location in the global biodiversity hotspot of Himalayas exhibits a clear dominance of wild-growing plant species. In the database, 20 species fall under different threat categories. The present study is the documentation of plant biodiversity of this eco-fragile mountainous region and clearly demonstrates the precious value of biological collections in bridging the knowledge gaps in global biodiversity hotspots, including Himalayas. Looking ahead, the biodiversity database can serve as a baseline in the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity; and more importantly, the database can provide the reference framework in assessing and monitoring the impending impacts of land use and climate change on the biodiversity of this Himalayan city.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are highly thankful to the Honorary Director, Centre for Biodiversity and Taxonomy (CBT) for providing necessary facilities during the course of present study. They greatly acknowledge the kind help rendered by the scholars and supporting staff of CBT, University of Kashmir and preparation of map by Muzafer A. Wani, Department of Geography, University of Kashmir. The insightful suggestions made by two anonymous reviewers which improved the quality of the manuscript are highly acknowledged.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Biodiversity and Taxonomy, University of Kashmir, Srinagar, J & K, 190 006, India

    Gousia Mehraj, Anzar A. Khuroo, Insha Muzafar & Akhtar H. Malik

  2. Department of Botany, University of Kashmir, Srinagar, J & K, 190 006, India

    Irfan Rashid

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  1. Gousia Mehraj
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  2. Anzar A. Khuroo
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Correspondence to Anzar A. Khuroo.

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All the authors hereby declare that there is no conflict of interests in submitting this manuscript to the journal.

Electronic supplementary material

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

Supplementary material 1

Standard terminology for wild and cultivated status, growth form and life span categories. (DOCX 18 kb)

Supplementary material 2

Database of flora of Srinagar arranged alphabetically by family name. (Taxa in the database include the accepted plant name, popular synonyms, English name, wild/cultivated status, growth form and life span. ABBREVATIONS USED: W- Wild, C-Cultivated, CW: Cultivated as well as wild, H-Herb, S-Shrub, T: Tree, G: Graminoid, Ss- Subshrub, V: Vine, A: Annual, B: Biennial, P: Perennial, Syn: Synonym) (DOCX 137 kb)

Supplementary material 3

Plant species with unresolved names recorded from Srinagar and excluded from the database. (DOCX 18 kb)

Supplementary material 4

Occurrence localities of the taxa listed in the checklist of flora of Srinagar, their Accession number (s) in the KASH herbarium and first year of report in Srinagar [NA=Not available] (DOCX 114 kb)

Supplementary material 5

Photographs of threatened plant species (pdf 615 kb)

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Mehraj, G., Khuroo, A.A., Muzafar, I. et al. An Updated Taxonomic Inventory of Flora of Srinagar City (Kashmir Himalaya) India, Using Herbarium Reconstruction Approach. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci., India, Sect. B Biol. Sci. 88, 1017–1023 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40011-017-0840-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40011-017-0840-5

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