The endangered species of Cyathea spinulosa (tree ferns) are among the least concerned ferns of Nepal that bring threats to them and their habitat. A way to reduce such threats is by maintaining a database of species’ whereabouts and generating a scientific understanding the habitat preferences. This will eventually help in the formulation of conservation plans for the species. This research aimed to characterize the suitable habitat of C. spinulosa by enumerating the location of species in the Panchase Forests of central Nepal. The statistical index method was applied to relate the occurrence locations of species with various environmental factors for the development of indices. The suitable habitat of C. spinulosa (more and most suitable categories) covered 119 km2 and accounted for 43% of the total area studied. 74.4% of occurrence locations of C. spinulosa were recorded from these habitats. The habitat characteristics suitable for C. spinulosa were: proximity to streams (high moisture), land covered by forested area (shady area), mid-elevations of hills about 1,000 m to 2,000 m (sub-tropical climate), slope gradient of 20° to 40° (steep slopes), and northern to eastern aspects. These habitat characteristics could be considered for in-situ protection of tree ferns and designating the conservation plots.
목차
Abstract Introduction Materials and Methods Study location Sampling strategy Environmental variables Habitat prediction model Validation process Results and Discussion Conclusion Acknowledgements References
키워드
distribution modelingferns of Nepalhabitat mappingmountain ecologypanchase forest
저자
Padam Bahadur Budha [ Central Department of Environmental Science, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu 44600, Nepal ]
Corresponding Author
Kumod Lekhak [ Central Department of Environmental Science, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu 44600, Nepal ]
Subin Kalu [ Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry, University of Helsinki, Helsinki 00014, Finland ]
Ichchha Thapa [ Department of Environmental Science, Amrit Campus, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu 44600, Nepal ]