MACROPHYTIC DIVERSITY OF SOME WETLANDS OF JAMMU REGION, J&K, INDIA

The present ecological investigation communicates the macrophytic diversity of six wetlands of Jammu region comprising of three lacustrine wetlands viz. Surinsar, Mansar and Sanasar and three riverine wetlands i.e., Gharana, Kukarian and Pargwal. A total of 43 macrophytic species belonging to 34 genera and 24 families with 30 monocot species and 13 dicots were recorded, thereby showing the dominance of monocot flora. Among various ecological groups, emergent with 22 species showed qualitative dominance over submersed (13 species) and rooted floatingleaved types=free-floating types (4 species each). The present study revealed that there is no well-marked variation in the macrophytic groups among the studied wetlands and mostly mixed distribution was observed. Maximum macrophytic diversity was recorded in Mansar wetland (26) followed by Pargwal (22), Surinsar (16), Gharana (14), Kukarian (14) and Sanasar (11). The present study provides a baseline information on the macropytes of wetlands for subsequent research on the vital aspects of these aquatic ecosystems and would be helpful in planning management strategies.