New Distributional Records of the Himalayan Yew in North Western Himalaya, India-A Consequence of Climate Change

Manohar Lal; S. S. Samant; Ashok Singh

doi:10.36808/if/2020/v146i12/156763

New Distributional Records of the Himalayan Yew in North Western Himalaya, India-A Consequence of Climate Change

Authors

Manohar Lal G.B. Pant National Institute of Himalayan Environment and Sustainable Development, Himachal Regional Centre, Mohal-Kullu-175 126, Himachal Pradesh
S. S. Samant Himalayan Forest Research Institute, Conifer Campus, Panthaghati, Shimla (Himachal Pradesh)
Ashok Singh CSIR-Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology, Palampur, Himachal Pradesh

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.36808/if/2020/v146i12/156763

Keywords:

Himalayan Yew, Distribution, Taxus wallichiana, Lahaul Valley.

Abstract

Biological and ecological responses are apparent throughout the globe on plants and animals. In Himalaya, climate change greatly affected distribution and abundance of plants along latitude and elevation because temperature increased 2-5 times more than global average rate. Many treeline, ecotone and community studies are evidence to it, climatic conditions shape the ranges and distribution of species in Himalaya. The Himalayan Yew (Taxus wallichiana Zucc.) is an endangered native high value medicinal plant, also shows the biological and ecological responses in the Himalayan region in context to global warming. The present study, investigated the distribution and abundance of Himalayan Yew in the Lahaul valley of the cold region.

References

Aswal B.S., Mehrotra B.N. (1994). Flora of Lahaul-Spiti (a cold desert in North-West Himalaya). Bishen Singh and Mahendra Pal Singh, Dehradun.

Bartkowiak S. (1978). Seed dispersal by Birds. In Bartkowiak et al. The Yew: Taxus baccata L. Warsaw, 139-146.

Bhutiyani M.R., Kale V.S. and Pawar N.J. (2007). Long-term trends in maximum, minimum and mean annual air temperatures across the Northwestern Himalaya during the twentieth century. Clim Change, 85: 159-177.

Bhutiyani M.R., Kale V.S. and Pawar N.J. (2010). Climate change and the precipitation variations in the northwestern Himalaya: 1866-2006. Int. J. Climatol., 30: 535-548.

Dhar U., Rawal R.S. and Samant S.S. (1997). Structural diversity and representativeness of forest vegetation in a protected area of Kumaun Himalaya, India: implications for conservation. Biodivers. Conserv., 6: 1045-1062.

Emanuel W.R., Shugart H.H. and Stevenson M.P. (1985). Climatic change and the broadscale distribution of terrestrial ecosystems complexes. Clim. Change, 7: 29-43.

Hijmans R.J., Cameron S.E., Parra J.L., Jones P.G. and Jarvis A. (2005). Very high resolution interpolated climate surfaces for global land areas. Int. J. Climatol., 25(15): 1965-1978.

Huntley B., Berry P.M., Cramer W. and McDonald A.P. (1995). Modelling present and potential future ranges of some European higher plants using climate response surfaces. J. Biogeogr., 22(6): 967-1001.

IszkuÅ‚o G. and BoratyÅ„ski A. (2004). Interaction between canopy tree species and European yew Taxus baccata (Taxaceae). Pol. J. Ecol., 52: 523-531.

Kappelle M., Van Vuuren M.M.I. and Baas P. (1999). Effects of climate change on biodiversity: a review and identification of key research issues. Biodivers. Conserv., 8: 1383-1397.

Liu X. and Chen B. (2000). Climatic warming in the Tibetan Plateau during recent decades. Int. J. Climatol., 20: 1729-1742.

Mandal A., Ramanathan A.L., Angchuk T., Soheb M. and Singh V.B. (2016). Unsteady state of glaciers (Chhota Shigri and Hamtah) and climate in Lahaul and Spiti region, western Himalayas: a review of recent mass loss. Environ. Earth Sci., 75: 17.

McCoy M. (2004). Lining up to make a cancer drug. Chem. Eng. News, 82(35): 12-14.

Mohapatra K.P., Sehgal R.N., Sharma R.K. and Mohapatra T. (2009). Genetic analysis and conservation of endangered medicinal tree species Taxus wallichiana in the Himalayan region. New Forests, 37: 109-121.

Mueller-Dombois D. and Ellenberge H. (1974). Aims and methods of vegetation ecology. John Willey and Sons, New York.

Murti S.K. (2001). Flora of cold deserts of Western Himalaya VolI. Botanical Survey of India, Calcutta.

Oldfield S., Lusty C., Mackinven A. (1998). The world list of threatened trees. World Conservation Press, Cambridge, UK 650pp.

Pant S. and Samant S.S. (2008). Population Ecology of connect the Endangered Himalayan Yew in Khokhan Wildlife Sanctuary of North Western Himalaya for Conservation Management. J. Mt. Sci., 5: 257-264.

Phillips L.D. and Dwyer D.B. (1999). Sustainable harvesting of Himalayan yews In: Medicinal plant trade in Europe Proceedings of the first symposium on the conservation of medicinal plants in trade in Europe. TRAFFIC Europe, Kew 147-154.

Purohit A., Maikhuri R.K., Rao K.S. and Nautiyal S. (2001). Impact of bark removal as survival of Taxus baccata L (Himalayan Yew) in Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve, Garhwal Himalaya, India. Curr. Sci., 81(5): 586-590.

Rana M.S., Lal M. and Samant S.S. (2011). Status and regeneration of Himalayan maple in the Himachal Pradesh: Honing Red List of plants. J. Sustainable For., 30(8): 775-789.

Rana M.S., Samant S.S. and Rawat Y.S. (2011). Plant communities and factors responsible for vegetation pattern in an alpine area of the North Western Himalaya. J. Mt. Sci., 8: 817-826.

Rikhari H.C., Palni L.M.S., Sharma S. and Nandi S. (1998). Himalayan Yew: Stand structure, canopy damage, regeneration and conservation strategy. Environ. Conserv., 25(4): 334-341.

Rikhari H.C., Sharma S., Nadeem M. and Palni L.M.S. (2000). The effect of disturbance levels, forest types and associations on the regeneration of Taxus baccata: Lesson from the Central Himalaya. Curr. Sci., 79(1): 88-90.

Samant S.S. (1993). Diversity and status of plants in Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve In: Scientific and Ecological Expedition to Nanda Devi A Report Army Head Quarters, New Delhi. 54-85.

Samant S.S. (1999). Diversity, nativity and endemism of vascular plants in a part of Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve in west Himalaya I. Himalayan Biosphere Reserve (Biannual Bulletin). 1(1&2): 1-28.

Samant S.S., Dhar U. and Palni L.M.S. (2001). Himalayan Medicinal Plants: Potential and Prospects. Gyanodaya Prakashan, Nainital.

Samant S.S., Pant S., Singh M., Lal M., Singh A., Sharma A. and Bhandari S. (2007). Medicinal Plants in Himachal Pradesh, North Western Himalaya, India. Int. J Biodivers. Conserv., 3(4): 234-251.

Saxe H., Cannell M.G.R., Johnson O., Ryan M.G. and Vourlitis G. (2001). Tree and forest functioning in response to global warming. New Phytol., 149: 369-400.

Shrestha U.B., Gautam S. and Bawa K.S. (2012). Widespread Climate Change in the Himalayas and Associated Changes in Local Ecosystems. PLoS ONE, 7(5): e36741.

Shukla G.P., Rao K., Haridasan K. (1994). Taxus baccata in Arunachal Pradesh. Arunachal Forest News.

Singh A. and Samant S.S. (2010). Conservation prioritization of habitats and forest communities in the Lahaul valley of proposed Cold Desert Biosphere Reserve, North Western Himalaya, India. Appl. Ecol. Environ. Res., 8(2): 101-117.

Sullivan J. (1993). Taxus canadensis In: US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory, Fire Effects Information System, http://wwwfsfedus/database/feis/plants/shrub/taxcan/allhtml.

Sykes M.T., Prentice I.C. and Cramer W. (1996). A bioclimatic model for the potential distributions of north European tree species under present and future climates. J. Biogeogr., 23: 203-23.

Tandon H.L.S. (2001). Methods of Analysis of Soils, Plants, Waters and Fertilizers. Fertilizer Development and Consultation Organization (FDCO), New Delhi.

Xu J., Grumbine R., Shrestha A., Eriksson M. and Yang X., (2009). The melting Himalayas: cascading effects of climate change on water, biodiversity, and livelihoods. Conserv. Biol., 23: 520-530.