Leaf micromorphological adaptations of resurrection ferns in Northern Pakistan

The resurrection plant species, termed desiccation-tolerant plants have evolved remarkable ability to withstand extreme dehydration and rapid rehydration of vegetative tissue without damage. Pteridophytes include almost 70 desiccation tolerant species, and there is limited information of vegetative desiccation tolerance in ferns. A field examination of the representatives of the ferns flora of the Northern Pakistan disclosed 5 ferns species belonging to 2 genera with foliage which can revive after dehydration. These species are Asplenium dalhousiae, Asplenium ceterach, Cheilanthes acrostica, Cheilanthes bicolor, and Cheilanthes nitidula. We undertook a comprehensive leaf micromorphological investigation in all the five resurrection fern species. The study were accomplished using light microscopy (LM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The detailed investigation of adaxial and abaxial leaf surfaces revealed species specific variation in the size and number of epidermal cells, size of stomata, and stomatal pore, stomatal density, and stomatal index and other foliar micromorphological features. In all studied species, adaxial surface lack stomata, i.e., all species are hypostomatic, stomata is polocytic, and epidermal cells shape in all species on both surface is similar, and are irregular shaped. The quantified leaf micromorphological traits are discussed in order to detect their possible role in the desiccation tolerance of resurrection fern species

Çeşitlilik ve bolluk içinde dağcılar içinde ilişki onların için ana ve yükseklik içindemuson ormanları arasında Murree içindeHimalayalar

Climbers play diverse roles in the biology of forests. Climber species due to its fragile nature are sustible to any change in the forests. Knowledge about climber species in the forests is relatively inadequate and this is the first effort to report the climber plant species in Pakistan. Ecological methods were used to find out climbers abundance, distribution and their relationship with trees/ shrubs in five 1-ha plot range of 735 m to 1754 m elevation at sea level at five localities viz., Baroha, Ghoragali, Numbal, Patriata and Salgaran in the Murree Forests in Western Himalaya, Pakistan during the year of 2016-2017. An overall 3400 climbing plants belonging to 23 species, 19 genera and 13 families were identified and described. Apocynaceae (22%) was the most leading family followed by Ranunculaceae (13%) Rosaceae (13%) and Menispermaceae (9%). Based on our findings the climber species are classified into four classes based on their habit/ form as well. The dominant class was represented by twining climbing mode (43%) followed by woody (30.4%) and hook mode (22%) while tendrils (4.3%) were rare. The abundance and distribution of climber plants were affected by parameters like biotic factors (collection pressure, grazing pressure and No. of hosts) and abiotic factors (topographic and edaphic). Canonical Corresponding Analysis (CCA) indicated that grazing and collection pressures along with elevation were the most important factors influencing the distribution and abundances of climbers. Documentation of the climbers is imperative in the context of increasing forest disturbances, deforestation and fragmentation of forest habitat. Current study will lead towards many other detail studies on climbers in near future.Climbers play diverse roles in the biology of forests. Climber species due to its fragile nature are sustible to any change in the forests. Knowledge about climber species in the forests is relatively inadequate and this is the first effort to report the climber plant species in Pakistan. Ecological methods were used to find out climbers abundance, distribution and their relationship with trees/ shrubs in five 1-ha plot range of 735 m to 1754 m elevation at sea level at five localities viz., Baroha, Ghoragali, Numbal, Patriata and Salgaran in the Murree Forests in Western Himalaya, Pakistan during the year of 2016-2017. An overall 3400 climbing plants belonging to 23 species, 19 genera and 13 families were identified and described. Apocynaceae (22%) was the most leading family followed by Ranunculaceae (13%) Rosaceae (13%) and Menispermaceae (9%). Based on our findings the climber species are classified into four classes based on their habit/ form as well. The dominant class was represented by twining climbing mode (43%) followed by woody (30.4%) and hook mode (22%) while tendrils (4.3%) were rare. The abundance and distribution of climber plants were affected by parameters like biotic factors (collection pressure, grazing pressure and No. of hosts) and abiotic factors (topographic and edaphic). Canonical Corresponding Analysis (CCA) indicated that grazing and collection pressures along with elevation were the most important factors influencing the distribution and abundances of climbers. Documentation of the climbers is imperative in the context of increasing forest disturbances, deforestation and fragmentation of forest habitat. Current study will lead towards many other detail studies on climbers in near future