Species diversity, biological spectrum and phenological behaviour of vegetation of Biha Valley (Swat), Pakistan

CHNAES-00648; No of Pages 7 Acta Ecologica Sinica xxx (2019) xxx Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Acta Ecologica Sinica journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/chnaes Species diversity, biological spectrum and phenological behaviour of vegetation of Biha Valley (Swat), Pakistan Akber Zeb a, Zafar Iqbal a,⁎, Shujaul Mulk Khan b, Inayat Ur Rahman a,c,⁎, Faizul Haq a, Aftab Afzal a, Ghulam Qadir a, Farhana Ijaz a a b c Department of Botany, Hazara University, Mansehra 21300, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan Department of Plant Sciences, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan Missouri Botanical Garden, P.O. Box 299, St. Louis, MO 63166-0299, USA a r t i c l e i n f o Article history: Received 26 October 2018 Received in revised form 28 December 2018 Accepted 17 May 2019 Available online xxxx Keywords: Life form Leaf spectra Phenology Biha Valley Pakistan a b s t r a c t A study was conducted to explore the plant biodiversity, phenology, life form and leaf size spectra of the vegetation of Biha Valley, District SWAT. The study area was surveyed thoroughly in different seasons of the year. Floristic diversity of the area consists of 202 plant species belonging to 154 genera and 70 families. There were two flowering seasons, 85.15% plant species flowers during May to August while 14.65% plant species flowers during the September to November. Biological spectrum of the area indicated that Therophytes (46.60%) was the dominant life form class, followed by Hemicryptophytes having 15.53%, Nanophanarophytes (11.65%), Megaphanerophytes (8.25%), Chamaephytes (7.77%), Geophytes (5.34%), Liana (2.91%) and Mesophanarophytes (1.94%). Leaf spectra of study area revealed that Microphylls was dominant with (41.26%) followed by Nanophylls (32.04%), Mesophylls (15.53%), Leptophylls (8.85%) and Megaphylls (2.91%). © 2019 Ecological Society of China. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction Biha Valley lies in 35°06–35°20′N and 72°30′–72°40′E Swat District of Pakistan. The elevation of the study area ranges from 1600 to 4100 m above mean sea level [1]. Phytogeograpically the area lies in SinoJapanese region [2]. Vegetation of the area consists of moist temperate forests extending to sub-alpine and alpine types [3]. Total population of Biha valley is 22,123. Most of the population of the study area depends on agriculture, forest products and livestock rearing. Due to harsh climate considerable number of people migrates from the upper parts of the valley to lower areas in winter season and returns on the onset of spring [1]. Raunkiaer [4] proposed the term “Biological Spectrum” to express both the life-form distribution in a flora and the phytoclimate. Life from spectra tells us about the climate of an area as regarded by Qureshi and Ahmad [5] and Khan et al. [6]. The biological spectrum is thus useful as an index of the health status of flora. In testing the area, climatic, ⁎ Corresponding authors at: Department of Botany, Hazara University, Mansehra 21300, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. E-mail addresses: drzafar.hu@yahoo.com (Z. Iqbal), hajibotanist@outlook.com (I.U. Rahman). physiognomic and plant life disturbance was designated with ecological characteristics. The life form spectra are supposed to be the signal of micro and macroclimate. Oosting [7] stated that the leaf size knowledge may help out in the accepting of physiological processes of plants. Phenology is the study of the timing of recurring biological measures in the plant world, interrelation among stages of the same or different species and the causes of their timing concern to biotic and abiotic forces [8]. Phenology of a single species plays an important role in determining how biomes are organized and how they work [9]. The main aim of this study was to document the species diversity, biological spectrum and phenological behaviour of species in the study area. 2. Materials and methods 2.1. Collection of plant Collection of plant species were made from different localities of the area. The collected species were pressed properly in field presser and dried with the help of blotting papers and newspapers. The dried specimens were poisoned by 2% solution of mercuric chloride, copper sulphate and ethyl alcohol. The poisoned species were mounted on https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chnaes.2019.05.004 1872-2032/© 2019 Ecological Society of China. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. Please cite this article as: A. Zeb, Z. Iqbal, S.M. Khan, et al., Species diversity, biological spectrum and phenological behaviour of vegetation of Biha Valley (Swat..., Acta Ecologica Sinica, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chnaes.2019.05.004 2 A. Zeb et al. / Acta Ecologica Sinica xxx (2019) xxx Table 1 Phenological observations recorded in Biha Valley. S. no Plant name Family name Flowering Fruiting Life form Leaf spectra Trees 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 Abies pindrow Royle. Aesculus indica (Wall.ex.comb) Hook.f. Celtis caucasica Willd. Diospyros lotus L. Ficus carica L Juglans regia L. Melia azaadarch L. Morus alba L. Morus serrata Roxb. Flond. Olea ferruginea Royle. Piecea smithiana (Wall) Boiss Pinus Wallachiana A. B. Jackson. Platanus orientalis L. Prunus cornuta (Wall.ex Royle) Steud. Quarcus dilatata Lindle.ex.Royl Quercus incana Roxb. Quercus semicarpifolia Smith. Rhamnus purpurea Edgew Robinia pseudoaccacia L. Salix turanica (Nassarvo in Kom) Taxus fauna Nan li&R.R Mill Pinaceae Hippocastenaceae Ulmaceae Ebenaceae Moraceae Juglandaceace Meliaceae Moraceae Moraceae Oleaceae Pinaceae Pinaceae Platanaceae Rosaceae Fagaceae Fagaceae Fagaceae Rhamnaceae Papilionaceae Silcaceae Taxaceae June–July May–June Sept Aug–Sept May–June April–May April–May April–May April–May May–June May–June May Apr–May May–June May–June June Sept Apri April–May April May–June Sept–Oct Sept–Oct Oct–Nov Oct–Nov Sept–Oct Sept–Oct Sept–Oct June–July June–July Sept–Oct Sept–Oct Sept–Oct Sept–Oct Sept–Oct Sept–Oct Sept–Oct Oct Sept–Oct Sept–Oct Sept–Oct Sept–Oct MP MP MP MP MP MP MP MP MP MP MP MP MP MP MP MP MP MP MP MP MP Na Mic Mic Mic Mes Mg Mic Mes Mes Mic N N Mg Mic Mic Mic Mic Mes Le Mic Le Shrubs 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 Baberis lyceum Royle. Barberis jaeschkena Schneid. Cotoneaster microphylla Wall. Ex. Lindey Cotoneaster nummularia Fisch. & Meyer Daphne mucronata Royle. Desmodium elegans Dc Elaeagnus umbellate Thunb. Indigofera heterentha Wall.ex.Bradis Isodon rugosus (Wall.ex.Benth). Juniperus communis L.Var.Saxitalis pullas. Maytenus wallichiana (Spring) Raju & Bull. Myrsine Africana L. Parrotiopsis jacquemontiana (Decne) Rosa brunonii Lindle Rosa moschata J.Herrm. Rubus fruticosus Agg Rubus sanctus Schreber Sarcococca saligna (D,Don) Mull.Arg. Skimmia laureola (DC) Sieb & zacc.ex. walp. Sorboria tomentosa (Lindle) Rehder. Spirea canescens (D.Don) Spirea vaccinifolia (D.Don). Viburnum Grandiflorum Wall.ex.Dc Viburnum cotinifolium D.Don. Wikstroemia canescens Meisn Baberidaceae Baberidaceae Rosaceae Rosaceae Thymelaeaceae Papilionaceae Elaeagnceae Papilionaceae Lamiaceae Cuprssaceae June–July Myrsinaceae Hammelidaceae Rosaceae Rosaceae Rosaceae Rosaceae Buxaceae Rutaceae Rosaceae Rosaceae Rosaceae Caprifoliaceae Caprifoliaceae Thymelaceae May–June June June–July May–June Sept July–Aug May–June May–June Sept May–June Apri–May Sept April–May Apr–May March–April April–May May–June April–May Sept June–July April–May May–June April–May April–May May–June Sep–Oct Sep–Oct Sept–Nov Sept–Nov Oct–Nov Sep–Oct Sept–Oct Sep–Oct Oct Sep–Oct Sep–Oct Oct–Nov Sep–Oct Sep–Oct Sep–Oct Sep–Oct Sep–Oct Sep–Oct Oct Sep–Oct Oct–Nov Oct–Nov Sep–Oct Sep–Oct Sep–Oct NP NP NP NP NP NP NP NP NP NP NP NP NP L L MP MP NP NP NP NP NP NP NP NP Mic Mic Na Na Na Mic Mic Le Mic N N N Mic N N Mic Mic Mes Mes Mic N N Mic Mic N Herbs 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 Achillea millefolium L. Achyranthes aspera L. Aegopodium burttii E.Nasir. Ajuga parviflora. Benth Ajuga bracteosa Wall.ex Benth. Amaranthes virides L. Anaphalis margratacea (L) Benth Anaphalis triplenervis (sims) C·B Clark. Andrachne cordifolia (Wall.ex.Decne)Mull.Arg Androsace foliosa Decne.ex.Daby Androsace semipervivoides Jaq.ex Duby. Anemone obtusiloba D.Don Aquilegia fragrans Benth Artemisia vulgaris L Asyneuma thomsonii (Hook. f) Bornm. Bergenia ciliate (Haw) Sternb Bergenia stracheyi Hook.f & thomes. Bidens cernua L. Bidens tripartite L Bistorta amplexiculis (D. Don) Green Bupleurm longicaule Wllich ex DC Bupleurum falcatum L. Calamintha umbrosa (M.Bieb). Caltha alba camb. Cannabis sativa L. Asteraceae Acanthaceae Apiaceae Labiateae Labiateae Amaranthaceae Asteraceae Asteraceae Euphobiaceae Primulaceae Primulaceae Ranunculaceae Ranunculaceae Asteraceae Onagoraceae Saxifragaceae Saxifragaceae Asteraceae Asteraceae Polygonaceae Apiaceae Apiaceae Labiateae Rannculaceae Cannabinaceae May–June June–Jul Sept May–June May–June June–Aug Sept Sept May–June June–July May–June May–June May–June Aug–Sep May–June June–July Sept May–June June–Jul May–July Sept Jul–Aug May–June Apri–May May–June July–Aug Aug–Sept Oct June–July Aug–Sept Sept–Oct Oct–Nov Oct July–Aug Aug–Sept July–Aug Jul–Sept Jul–Sept Oct Jul–Aug Aug–Sept Aug–Sept Aug–Sept Aug–Sept Sept–Oct Oct Sept–Oct Sept–Oct Sept–Oct Sept–Oct TH TH TH TH TH TH TH H NP TH TH CH H CH TH TH H TH TH TH TH TH TH TH TH Na Mes Mic Mic N Mic N N Mic Mic Mic Mic N Mic Mic Mes Mes N N Mes Mic Le N Mic Mic Please cite this article as: A. Zeb, Z. Iqbal, S.M. Khan, et al., Species diversity, biological spectrum and phenological behaviour of vegetation of Biha Valley (Swat..., Acta Ecologica Sinica, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chnaes.2019.05.004 A. Zeb et al. / Acta Ecologica Sinica xxx (2019) xxx 3 Table 1 (continued) S. no Plant name Family name Flowering Fruiting Life form Leaf spectra 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 Carpesium abrotonoide L. Carpesium nepalense (Var.glandulosa). Celosia argentea L. Cerastium foentanum Baumg. Enum. Cerastium pusillum Ser in DC. Chaerophyllum reflexum Lindle. in Royle. Chenopodium album L. Circea cordata Royle. Cirsium verutum (D.Don) sprengel Commelina benghalensis L. Corydalis diphylla Wall Corydalis stewartii Fedde repert Cortia depressa (Don) Norman. Datura stramonium L. Dicliptera bupleuroides Nees Dipsacus inermis Wall Duchesnea indica (Andx) Fake. Elscholtzia fruticosa Roxb.ex(.D.Don) Rehder Epilobium hirsutum L. Epilobium laxum Royle. Eritrichuim canum (Benth & Royle). Euphorbia helioscopia L. Euphorbia hetrophylla L. Euphorbia indica Lam. Euphorbia wallichii Hook.f Fragaria nubicola Lindle.ex Lacaita. Fumaria indica (Hausskn.) Pugseley. Galinosoga parviflora Cav. Gaultheria trichophylla Royle. Genetiana olivieri (Grisb) Omer, Ali & Qaisar Gentianides cachemirica (Decne) Omer.Ali & Qaisar Geranium nepalense Sweet.Green. Geranium wallichianum D.Don ex sweet. Geum elatum Wallich Hackelia macrophyllea (Brand). Hylotelephium ewersii (Ledeb) H.ohba. Myosotis arvensis L. Hypericum perforatum L. Impatians thomsonii Hook.f Impatiens bicolor Royle. Impatiens edgeworthii Hook. F Impatiens flemingii Hook.f Iris germanica L. Jaschkea oligosperma (Griseb.) Knob. Lactuca dissecta (D.Don) pradr. Lepedium rudirale HK and Anders.non L. Lespedeza juncea (L.F) Pers Lonicera griffithii Hook.f & Thomes. Lotuis corniculata L. Malva neglecta Wallr. Medicago denticulata L. Medicago lupuliana L. Micromeria biflora Benth. Nasturtium officnale R.Br Nepeta lavaegata (D.Don) hand-Maaz Oenothera rosea L.Her.ex Ait Onopodrum acanthium L. Origanum vulgare L. Oxalis corniculata L. Paeonia emodi Wall.ex Royle. Phytolacca acinosa Roxb Pilea umbrosa Blum.Mns Pimula denticulate Smith. Plantago major L. Podophyllum hexandrum Royle Polomonium caeruleum L. Polygonum aviculare L Polygonum barbaratum L. Polygonum posumbu (Buch.Ham.ex D.Don). Potentilla monnanthes Lindle .ex Lehm Potentilla nepalensis Hook.f. Poterium sanguisorba L. Prenanthes bruniana Wall.ex. Dc Primula denticulate Smith Prunella vulgaris. L. Asteraceae Asteraceae Amaranthaceae Caryophyllaceae caryophyllaceae Apiaceae Chenopodiaceae Onagoraceae Asteraceae May–June May–June Aug–Sept May–June May–June May–June June–July Sept April–May Aug–Sept May–June May–June Sept June–July May–June June–July March–April June–July Sept Sept Sept July–Aug May–June July–Aug May–June May–June March–April June–July June–July June–July June–July May–June Sept Sept June–July Sept May–June June–Aug Jun–Jul June–Jul June–Jul June–July June–Jul Sept Mar–Apr Mar–Apr May–June June–Jul May–June Mar–Apr Mar–Apri Apri–May Mar–Apr April–May May–June Apri–May Apr–May Apr–May Mar–Apri June–July June–Jul Apri–May Apri–May June–July May–June May–June May–June May–June Apri–May June–Jul Aug–Sep May–june June–Jul June–Jul May–June Sept–Oct Sept–Oct Oct Sept–Oct Sept–Oct Sept–Oct Sept Oct Sept–Oct Oct Sept–Oct Sept–Oct Oct August July–Aug Aug–Sept May–June Sept–Oct Oct Oct Oct Sept–Oct Sept–Oct Sept–Oct Sept–Oct Sept Sept–Oct Sept Sept–Oct Sept–Oct Sept–Oct Sept–Oct Oct Oct Sept–Oct Oct Sept–Oct Sept Sept–Oct Sept–Oct Sept–Oct Sept–Oct Sept–Oct Oct Sept–Oct Aug–Sept Sept–Oct Sept–Oct Sept–Oct Sept–Oct Sept–Oct Sept–Oct Sept–Oct Sept–Oct Sept–Oct Sept–Oct Sept–Oct Sept–Oct Sept–Oct Jun–July Sept–Oct June–Jul Sept–Oct August Sept–Oct Sept–Oct Sept–Oct Sept–Oct Sept–Oct Sept–Oct Oct Sept–Oct Sept–Oct Sept–Oct Sept–Oct TH TH TH TH TH TH TH TH TH CH CH CH TH TH CH TH H TH TH TH TH TH TH TH TH H TH TH CH CH CH H CH H TH TH TH L TH TH TH TH G TH TH TH TH TH H TH H H CH TH TH TH TH CH G G TH TH H G TH TH TH TH TH TH TH TH TH TH H Mic Mic N Mic Mic Le Mic Mic Mic N Mes Mes N Mes Mic N Na Mic N N Le N N N N N Le Mic Le N N Mic Mic N Mic Mic N Mic Mic Mic Mic Mic Ma Mic Mic N Mic Mic N Mic N N Le Mic Mic N Mes Mic Mic Mes Mes Mes Mes Mes Mes Mic N Mes Le N N N Mic Mic N Fumericaceae Fumeriaceae Apiaceae Solanaceae Acanthaceae Dipsacaceae Rosaceae Lamiaceae Onagoraceae Onagoraceae Borginaceae Euphorbiaceae Euphorbiaceae Euphorbiaceae Euphorbiaceae Rosaceae Fumeriaceae Asteraceae Ericaceae Genetianaceae Genetianaceae Geriniaceae Geriniaceae Rosaceae Borginaceae Crassulaceae Borginaceae Gutteferae Balsaminaceae Balsiminaceae Balsaminaceae Balsaminaceae Iridaceae Genetianaceae Asteraceae Brassicaceae Papilionaceae Caprifoliaceae Papilionaceae Malvaceae Papilionaceae Papilionaceae Lamiaceae Brassicaceae Lamiaceae Onagoraceae Asteraceae Labiateae Oxiladaceae Paeoniaceae Phytolaccaceae Urticaceae Pimulaceae Plantaginaceae Podophyllaceae Polomoniaceae Polygonaceae Poygonaceae Polygonaceae Rosaceae Rosaceae Rosaceae Asteraceae Primulaceae Labiateae (continued on next page) Please cite this article as: A. Zeb, Z. Iqbal, S.M. Khan, et al., Species diversity, biological spectrum and phenological behaviour of vegetation of Biha Valley (Swat..., Acta Ecologica Sinica, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chnaes.2019.05.004 4 A. Zeb et al. / Acta Ecologica Sinica xxx (2019) xxx Table 1 (continued) S. no Plant name Family name Flowering Fruiting Life form Leaf spectra 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 176 177 178 179 180 181 182 183 Pteracanthes urtifolius (Kuntze) Bremek Ranunculus diffuses (DC. Proder). Rannunculus laetus Wall.ex.Hook. Rannunculus muricatus L. Ranunculus arvensis L.sp.Pl.ed. Ranunculus silerifolius H. Lev. Rumex dentatus L. Rumex hastatus D.Don Rumex nepalensis L. Salvia nubicola (Wall.ex sweet). Scorzonera virgate DC. Sedum oreades (Decne) Raym-Hamet Senecio chrysanthemoides DC. Sibbaldia procumbens L. Silene vulgaris (Moench) Garke. Solanum nigram Var.nigram L Solanum pseudocapsicum L. Sonchus asper (L.) Hill. Swertia paniculata Wall. Tagetes minuta L. Taraxacum officnale Weber Thlaspi griffithianum (Bioss) Boiss Thymus linearis Benth Trachydium roylei Lindle in Royle. Trifolium repense L. Trillidium govanianum (Wall.ex D.Don) Kunth. Urtica dioca L. Valeriana jatamansi Jones Valriana pyrolifolia Decne Verbena officinalis L. Verbuscum Thapsus L Veronica laxa Benth. Veronica polita Fries Vicia sativa L Viola betonicifolia Smith. Viola biflora L Viola canescens Wall.ex.Roxb Acanthaceae Ranunculaceae Ranunculaceae Ranunculaceae Ranunculaceae Ranunculaceae Polygonaceae Polygonaceae Polygonaceae Labiateae Asteraceae Crassulaceae Asteraceae Rosaceae Caryophyllaceae Solanaceae Solanaceae Asteraceae Genetianaceae Asteraceae Asteraceae Brassicaceae Lamiaceae Apiacea Papilionaceae Trilliaceae Urticaceae Valerianaceae Valarianaceae Verbenaceae Scrophulariaceae Scrophulariaceae Scrophulariaceae Papilionaceae Violaceae Violaceae Violaceae May–June Apri–May April April Mar–Apri Sept August April–May June–July Aug–Sept Apr–May June–July Aug–Sept Sept May–June March Mar–Apri Mar–Apr June–July June–July Apr–Mar May Apr–May Sept April–May May–June April–May Sept May–June May–Jun Apr–May May–June Mar–Apr Mar–Apr May–June May–June Feb–Apr Sept–Oct Sept–Oct Sept–Oct Sept–Oct Sept–Oct Oct September Sept–Oct Sept–Oct Oct Sept–Oct Sept–Oct Oct Oct Sept–Oct Sept–Oct Sept–Oct Sept–Oct Sept–Oct Sept–Oct May–June Sept–Oct Sept–Oct Oct Jun–July Sept–Oct Sept–Oct Oct Sept–Oct Sept–Oct Sept–Oct Sept–Oct May–June May–June Sept–Oct Sept–Oct Sept–Oct NP TH TH TH TH TH TH TH TH TH TH H TH TH TH TH TH TH CH CH CH CH H CH G CH TH G G H TH TH TH H H H H Mes Mic Mes Mes Mic Mic Mes Mic Mes Mes Le Le Mes Mic N Mic Mic Mic N Mic Mic N Le Le N Mes Mic Mic Mic Le Mes N N N Mic Mic Mic Grasses 184 185 186 187 188 189 190 191 Apluda mutica L. Cynodon dactylon L Chrysopogan aucheri (Bioss) Stapf. Dactylis glumerata L. Poa alpina L. Polypogan fugax Nees.ex Steud. Setaria pumila (Poir.) Roem. Themeda anthra (Nees) Hack. Poaceae Poaceae Poaceae Poaceae Poacea Poaceae Poaceae Poaceae Aug–Sept Sept–Oct Apr–May May–June Sept June–Jul June–July Sept Oct Oct–Nov Sept–Oct Sept–Oct Sept–Oct Sept–Oct Sept–Oct Sept–Oct H H H H H TH TH H N N Le Mic N N N N Ferns 192 193 194 195 196 197 198 199 Adiantum venustum D.Don. Dryopteris ramosa (C. Hope) C.Chr. Dryopteris blonfordii (C. Hope). Dryopteris serratodlutata Polystichum piceopaleaceum (Tagwa). Polystrichum discertum (D.Don) J.Sm. Pteris ceretica. L Onychium contiguumc C.Hope Wall.ex. Pteridaceae Pteridaceae Pteridaceae Pteridaceae Pteridaceae Pteridaceae Pteridaceae Cryptogrammaceae Sept–Oct May–June May–June June–July May–June May–June Sept June–Jul Nov Sept–Oct Sept–Oct Sept–Oct Sept–Oct Sept–Oct Sept–Oct Sept–Oct H H H H G G H H N Ma Ma Ma N N Mic Le Climbers 200 201 202 Clematis grata Wall Hedra nepalensis (K.Koch) Smilax glaucophylla. Koltzsch Rananculaceae Araliaceae Smilacaceae Jul–Aug April–June May–June Sept–Oct Sept–Oct Sept–Oct L L L Mic Mes Mic Key: TH = Therophyte; H = Hemicryptophyte; Mesp = Mesophnarophytes CH = Chamaephyte; G = Geophyte; NP = Nanophanerophyte; MP = Magaphenarophyte; L = Lianas; Le = Leptophyll; N=Nanophyll; Mic = Microphyll; Mes = Mesophyll; Ma = Megaphyll. standard herbarium sheets of size (17.5 in.) × 11.5 in. The identified plant specimens were deposited to the Herbarium of Hazara University Mansehra, Pakistan. 2.2. Biological spectrum 2.2.1. Life form Raunkiaer [4] categorized plants into life form on the basis of perennating buds. 1. Phanerophytes: Perennating buds lies above 0.25 m from soil suface. 2. Chamaephytes: Perennating buds lies above 25 cm from soil surface. 3. Hemicryptophytes: Perennating buds lies at the soil surface. 4. Geophytes: Perennating buds buried in the soil surface. 5. Therophytes: Complete their life cycle from seed during one season. 2.2.2. Leaf size spectrum Different classes of leaf size were measured following Raunkiaer. 1. Leptophyll (L): b25 sq. mm. 2. Nanophyll (N): From 25 sq. mm to 25 × 91 sq. mm. Please cite this article as: A. Zeb, Z. Iqbal, S.M. Khan, et al., Species diversity, biological spectrum and phenological behaviour of vegetation of Biha Valley (Swat..., Acta Ecologica Sinica, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chnaes.2019.05.004 A. Zeb et al. / Acta Ecologica Sinica xxx (2019) xxx 5 each. The investigation also showed that the area have no endemic species. 3.2. Biological spectrum Biological spectrum of the vegetation of the Biha Valley is shown in Table 1 and Fig. 3. Fig. 1. Flowering stage of wild plants recorded in two seasons from Biha Valley. 3. 4. 5. 6. Microphyll (Mi): From 25 × 9 sq. mm to 25 × 92 sq. mm. Mesophyll (Mes): From 25 × 92 sq. mm to 25 × 93 sq. mm. Macrophyll (Mac): From 25 × 93 sq. mm to 25 × 94 sq. mm. Megaphyll (Mg): N 25 × 94 sq. mm. 3.2.1. Life form Vegetation of the are dominated by Therophytes with 96 plant species (46.60%) followed by Hemicryptophytes with 32 plant species (15.53%), Nanophanerophytes with 24 plant species (11.65%), Megaphanerophytes with 17 plants species (8.25%), Chamaephytes with 16 plants species (7.77%), Geophytes with 11 plant species (5.34%), Lianas with 6 plant species (2.91%) and Mesophanerophytes having 4 plant species (1.94%). The winter season of the area was very harsh and long and most of the area is under the cover of snow for a long time therefore the Therophytes and Hemicryptophytes were dominant in the area. In the long winter season only the ever green species of plants remain active while the remaining were found in dormant conditions. 3. Results 3.2.2. Leaf spectra It was observed that the vegetation of the study area is Microphyllous type mostly, dominated by Microphylls having 85 plant species (41.26%) followed by Nanophylls with 66 plant species (32.04%), Mesophylls with 32 plant species (15.53%), Leptophylls with 17 plant species (8.25%) while Megaphylls were lowest in number with 6 plant species having 2.91% proportion. The dominance of Microphylls and Nanophylls indicated that the area has mild environmental and climatic conditions (Fig. 4). 3.1. Floristic composition 3.3. Phenology The study area consists of 202 plant species belonging to 70 different families and 154 genera. The highest family was Asteraceae consisting 19 species, while the other major families were Rosaceae comprising of 16 species and Labiateae 12 species. They were followed by Papilionaceae and Poaceae containing 9 species each, Rananculaceae 8, Polygonaceae and Pteridaceae with 7 species each. The families Onagoraceae and Euphorbiaceae having 5 species each and Balsaminaceae contains 4 species. Amaranthaceae, Borginaceae, Brassicaceae, Caprifoliaceae, Caryophyllaceae, Fagaceae, Fumeriaceae, Genetianaceae, Moraceae, Pinaceae, Primulaceae, Scrophulariaceae, Solanaceae and Violaceae having 3 species each. The families Acanthaceae, Barberidaceae, crassulaceae, Gereniaceae, Plantaginaceae, Saxifragaceae, Thymelaceae, Urticaceae and Valarianaceae contains 2 plants species by each. Remaining 34 families had only one species Phenology of the plant species was recorded by the frequent field trips in each month (Table 1). During field observations in the research area two flowering seasons were recorded. One flowering season starts from May to August and second from September to November after this most of the plants were in dormant condition as the entire area is under the cover of snow from December to April. The first flowering seasons were observed from May to August, in which total 174 species (85.35%) were observed in flowering and is peak flowering period. The species included herbs (71.41%), shrubs (11.83%), trees (10.65%), ferns (2.37%) with prominent sori (reproductive phase) and climbers were present with 1.78%. While in the second spell (September to October) only 29 plant species with 14.65% were observed in flowering stage in which 62.07% were herbs, 13.79% shrubs, 10.34% trees and 6.90% grasses and ferns each. The flowering stage of the plants starts decline from 15 October at the alpine areas and continues at the mid of November at the lower sub-tropical regions the remaining 80% plants were in either fruiting stage or dormant condition and remain dormant till April. The distribution of flowering species showed significant variations with altitude. The plants of high elevation especially alpine and sub-alpine areas were found in blooming condition from July to August while the plants of lower altitude were found in blooming condition from May to July (Table 1 and Fig. 1). During the present study the ratio of flowering was found different at different time of the year. A very few herbaceous and shrubby plants initiated vegetative growth at the end of April. Early May is the blooming time for few plants species such as Juglans regia, Melia azadarch, Morus alba, Rosa moschata, Rubus fruticosus, Caltha alba and Lactuca dissecta were active during this period. The main fruiting period of the study area was recorded from September to onward, 185 plant species (91.41%) were observed in fruiting stage while from May to August was recorded the lowest fruiting period during which only 18 plants species (8.59%) were observed (Fig. 2). 2.3. Phenological observations Phenological behavior of plant species was observed by visiting the study area in different intervals (months) during 2012–2013. The phenological stages of each plant species i.e. flowering stage and fruiting stages were recorded [10]. Fig. 2. Fruiting condition of plant species recorded from Biha Vally. Please cite this article as: A. Zeb, Z. Iqbal, S.M. Khan, et al., Species diversity, biological spectrum and phenological behaviour of vegetation of Biha Valley (Swat..., Acta Ecologica Sinica, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chnaes.2019.05.004 6 A. Zeb et al. / Acta Ecologica Sinica xxx (2019) xxx Fig. 3. Life form of plant species recorded from Biha Valley. Various trees like Picea smithiana and Abies pindrow produced fruits in April and May when temperature is low while in low rainfall zone Ficus palmata flowered in May to August while Pinus wallichiana in April to June and Quercus dilatata from April to June. The flowering species starts shedding of leaves from the mid of September and remains dormant during the winter beside the evergreen species like Abies pindrow, Picea smithiana, Pinus wallachiana, Quercus incana, Q. dilatata and Q. semicarpifolia. 4. Discussion Vegetation can be defined as the group of plants growing together in a particular locality [11]. Plants are a common feature of the natural scenery and grow in all but the most risky situations. In the present study, sum 202 plant species comprised of 70 families were recorded in which the leading families were Asteraceae, Rosaceae and Labiatae. Biological spectrum of vegetation is the index of the phytoclimate of the site, deduction of which is based on diverse life-forms composing the flora of the site. Climate of an area also be determined through life from spectra. Qureshi and Ahmad [5] and Khan et al. [6], the biological spectrum is thus useful as an index of the health status of flora. Different life form classes of plant species change in every region on the basis of elevation. According to Raunkiaer [4] earth have three different types of climates which are Therophytic in deserts, Phanerophytic in tropics and Hemicryptophytic in cold temperate zone. In Biha Valley, Therophyte (46.60%) was the dominant life form class, followed by Hemicryptophytes (15.53%). Our findings are in agreement with Malik et al. [12,13] who observed Therophytes and Hemicryptophytes as the major life form classes in the moist temperate part of Dhirkot. The life form spectra are thought to be the indication of macro and microclimate. The studied area has diverse climate due to sub-tropical to subalpine and alpine zones, therefore, the biological spectrum observed in the current study is consideration of the present environmental conditions. Similar findings were observed by Rahman et al. [14] in Manoor Valley, Mansehra (Pakistan). The leaf size spectrum of the plants in the studied area revealed that in spring and monsoon seasons species with Microphyllous leaves were dominant, followed by species with Nanophyllous leaves. Microphylls are usually characteristic of grasslands, while leptophylls and nanophylls are representative of hot deserts [15,16]. Similar findings were observed by Cain and Castro [15] and Shimwell [17] that Microphylls and Nanophylls are the physiognomies of temperate area. A high percentage of Microphylls might be due to cool climate in subalpine and alpine. A plant passes through different phenological stages during its life cycle with changing environmental condition especially thermoperiod and photoperiod [18]. May to August is the favourable season for the flowering for majority of shrubby, trees and herbaceous species. While the July and August was the peak flowering season after that flowering stage starts declining. Zhanghe et al. [19] also described that peak of flowering happened during May in various parts of the China. 5. Conclusions Fig. 4. Leaf spectra of vegetation of Biha Valley. Present investigation indicated that the area has rich phytodiversity. The dominant of Therophytes and Microphylls type of biological spectrum shows that the area has sub-tropical and moist temperate type of climate. It was observed that seasons have great effect on species diversity. Day length is the driving factor that closely linked with phenological expression of plants around the vegetation of the area. Further, Please cite this article as: A. Zeb, Z. Iqbal, S.M. Khan, et al., Species diversity, biological spectrum and phenological behaviour of vegetation of Biha Valley (Swat..., Acta Ecologica Sinica, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chnaes.2019.05.004 A. Zeb et al. / Acta Ecologica Sinica xxx (2019) xxx the relation between the distribution of species with different life form, leaf size and climate should be analyzed in future. Author's contributions AZ conducted the fieldwork, collected data, plant species and conducted the herbarium work, SMK helped in the field work and identified the plant specimens. IUR drafted the manuscript. FI and AA helped in organizing the data. ZI supervised the work. ZI and IUR critically reviewed the manuscript, AA, FH and FI helped in discussion. IUR and GQ revised the manuscript, FH helped in the revision. All the authors have read and approved the final manuscript. References [1] S.M. 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Please cite this article as: A. Zeb, Z. Iqbal, S.M. Khan, et al., Species diversity, biological spectrum and phenological behaviour of vegetation of Biha Valley (Swat..., Acta Ecologica Sinica, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chnaes.2019.05.004