VEGETATION PATTERNS IN RELATION TO TOPOGRAPHY AND WATER AVAILABILITY IN DAPCHA WATERSHED OF KAVREPALANCHOWK, NEPAL
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.3126/jist.v31i1.84942Keywords:
Hydrology, Proximity to springs, Regeneration, Slope aspect, Species composition, SpringsAbstract
Watersheds in the mid-hills of Nepal support diverse forest ecosystems and provide critical ecological services including water regulation and slope stabilization. Vegetation patterns in these watersheds are shaped by interactions among topographic and hydrological factors. This study examined vegetation structure and composition along gradients of aspect and distance from spring sources under the environmental variables such as aspect, elevation, canopy cover, invasive species coverage and human disturbance in the Dapcha Watershed, Kavrepalanchowk, Nepal. Nested quadrat sampling was used to measure vegetation structural parameters including tree height and diameter at breast height (DBH). Abundance of trees, saplings and seedlings were measured from elevations ranging from 887 to 1800 masl across the 37 km² watershed. Species composition pattern in terms of environmental variables was analysed using non-metric multidimensional scaling. The findings revealed significant differences between north- and south-facing slopes. North-facing slopes supported higher species richness (38 species) and Shannon diversity (H' = 2.76) compared to south-facing slopes (18 species, H' = 1.03). Tree density was significantly higher on north-facing slopes (350 stems/ha) compared to south-facing slopes (304 stems/ha). Pinus roxburghii dominated with the highest Importance Value Index (IVI) of 99.04 followed by Schima wallichii (41.07) and Alnus nepalensis (29.78). Distance from springs significantly influenced tree height with taller trees occurring near water sources. Similarly, PERMANOVA test was used to determine the significant drivers affecting vegetation which revealed elevation, canopy cover and invasive species coverage plays a significant role. Regeneration analysis showed that 49.15% of species exhibited fair regeneration while poor regeneration pattern was observed in 33.90%. This study concludes that microtopographic factors, particularly aspect gradient and proximity to water sources in watersheds are key determinants of forest structure and composition.
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