Plant diversity patterns and conservation status of eastern Himalayan forests in Arunachal Pradesh, Northeast India

The State of Arunachal Pradesh is part of the Himalaya biodiversity hotspots distributed over an area with the largest elevation gradients in the world, ranging from lowland tropical forests to alpine vegetation. The vegetation was surveyed along an elevation gradient ranging from 87 to 4161 m in 354 belt transects (500 m × 10 m in size) and analyzed using various ecological indices. A total of 482 (458 identified, 24 unidentified) plants were recorded in the present study, of which 153 are non-woody herbs and grasses (145 identified) belonging to 55 families, and 329 are woody trees and shrubs (313 identified) belonging to 74 families. The 458 identified species belong to 117 families and 251 genera, of which 94.10% are phenerogams (Angiosperms: 421 species [spp.] and Gymnosperms: 10 spp.) and 5.90% cryptogams (Pteridophytes: 27 spp.). The family Fabaceae contributed the greatest species diversity with a total of 27 plant species (Papilionaceae: 10 spp., Mimosaceae: 9 spp. and Caesalpinaceae: 8 spp.) followed by Poaceae (21 spp.), Ericaceae (20 spp.), Asteraceae (18 spp.), Lauraceae (17 spp.), Euphorbiaceae (16 spp.), Urticaceae (15 spp.) and 49 monotypic families. The most dominant trees were Castanopsis indica (24 individuals per ha), followed by Quercus semicarpifolia (12 individuals per ha) and Pinus roxburghii (12 individuals per ha) and some bamboos ( Dendrocalamus strictus : 69 individuals per ha; Bambusa pallida : 16 individuals per ha). The studied forest stands were rich in various bamboos; a total of 14 different bamboos were recorded in the present study including Dendrocalamus strictus , Bambusa tulda , B. pallida etc. Common IUCN red-listed species were Aquilaria malaccensis , Begonia tessaricarpa , Gledetsia assamica , Gymnocladus assamicus , Livistona jenkinsiana , Rhododendron meddenii , Rhododendron thomsonii collected from the Dirrang, Tawang, Yamcha, Itanagar, Along and Mebo areas of Arunachal Pradesh. The results confirm that the Eastern Himalayan forests are very rich in terms of species diversity which decreases with increasing elevation. Species richness and distribution patterns of plants are largely regulated by altitude and other environmental factors. Intensive monitoring and management is needed to protect this fragile ecosystem from the ever-increasing anthropogenic pressure and changing climatic conditions.