Classification and Characterization of the Manoor Valley’s (Lesser Himalaya) Vegetation from the Subtropical-Temperate Ecotonal Forests to the Alpine Pastures along Ecological Variables

Plant species are distributed in different types of habitats, forming different communities driven by different sets of environmental variables. Here, we assessed potential plant communities along an altitudinal gradient and their associations with different environmental drivers in the unexplored Manoor Valley (Lesser Himalaya), Pakistan. We have implemented various ecological techniques and evaluated phytosociological attributes in three randomly selected 50 m-transects within each stand (a total of 133) during different seasons for four years (2015–2018). This phytosociological exploration reported 354 plant species representing 93 different families. The results revealed that the Therophytic life form class dominated the flora, whereas Nanophyll dominated the leaf size spectra. There were a total of twelve plant communities identified, ranging from the lowest elevations to the alpine meadows and cold deserts. The maximum number of species were found in Cedrus–Pinus–Parrotiopsis community (197 species), in the middle altitudinal ranges (2292–3168 m). Our results showed that at high altitudes, species richness was reduced, whereas an increase in soil nutrients was linked to progression in vegetation indicators. We also found different clusters of species with similar habitats. Our study clearly shows how altitudinal variables can cluster different plant communities according to different microclimates. Studies such as ours are paramount to better understanding how environmental factors influence ecological and evolutionary aspects.

Supplemental Material: Paleozoic–Mesozoic dispersal of Gondwana: Insights from detrital zircon geochronology of Lesser Himalaya strata, eastern Nepal

Table S1. Detrital zircon U-Pb isotopic data obtained from LA-ICP-MS.

Supplemental Material: Paleozoic–Mesozoic dispersal of Gondwana: Insights from detrital zircon geochronology of Lesser Himalaya strata, eastern Nepal

Table S1. Detrital zircon U-Pb isotopic data obtained from LA-ICP-MS.

Rock Magnetism of Late Cretaceous to Middle Eocene Strata in the Lesser Himalaya, Western Nepal: Inferences Regarding the Paleoenvironment

The growth of the southern piedmont of the Himalayan boundary and its depositional setting has changed since uplift of the Himalaya due to continental Indian-Eurasian collision, which has resulted in variation in magnetic minerals in marine- and terrestrial-facies sediments. In this paper, we utilize rock magnetism data from the late Cretaceous to middle Eocene strata, including the Amile and Bhainskati formations from the Lesser Himalaya (western Nepal), to understand the mechanism controlling magnetic susceptibility (χ). The active tectonics strongly influenced saturation isothermal remanent magnetization (SIRM), HIRM, and hysteresis loops, forming both low-coercivity minerals in sediments with low χ from the terrestrial facies (zones I, IIIA, and V) and high-coercivity minerals in the sediments with high χ from the marine facies (zones II, IIIB and IV). Thermomagnetic κ-T curves and frequency-dependent χ (χfd%) values show that sediments with low χ and high χ carry magnetite with coarse non-superparamagnetic (SP) grains and hematite with SP grains, respectively. Comparing the χ data with the lithologic, sedimentary environments, geomorphic features, and sea level data, we propose that low χ values were mainly produced by an increase in terrigenous detrital influx during the regression period of the Tethys Sea, while high χ values formed in marine sediments, which prompted the appearance of ferromagnetic-antiferromagnetic and paramagnetic minerals during the transgression of the Tethys Sea.