Aabid Hussain Mir

• PHD
• PostDoc Position at University of Kashmir

Disturbance of forest ecosystem causes changes in vegetation structure, micro-environmental conditions, soil properties and microbial biomass. Therefore, an understanding of the role of microbes and its activities in sustaining and regulating the soil fertility in forest ecosystems along a disturbance gradient are necessary. The present study inves...

The present study was carried out to investigate the orchid diversity in community managed subtropical broad-leaved forests in Khasi Hills of Meghalaya. A total of 87 community forests were surveyed in Khasi Hills. The study revealed the presence of 123 species belonging to 54 genera. The highest numbers of species (66) were recorded in sacred fore...

Predictive distribution models are widely used in species conservation planning. However, identifying specifc sites for undertaking conservation action such as reintroduction pose a practical challenge for practitioners. We demonstrate that the potential habitat distribution models intersected with existing land use and land cover (LULC) map helped...

The success of a species in future climate change scenarios depends on its morphological, physiological, and demographic adaptive responses to changing climate. The existence of threatened species against climate adversaries is constrained due to their small population size, narrow genetic base, and narrow niche breadth. We examined if ecological n...

In this era of rapid biodiversity decline, creating a checklist of threatened taxa is a prerequisite as it apprises the conservationists about the current status of species, thereby enabling the enforcement of necessary measures to prevent them from extinction. The present study was carried out to develop a comprehensive list of threatened species...

Forest restoration significantly enhances soil quality, carbon stock and improves community characteristics, but reports from temperate coniferous ecosystems are limited. The present research aimed to study the changes in vegetation characteristics, biomass, and soil health after eight years of restoration in coniferous forests of Kashmir Himalaya,...

In the state Meghalaya, northeast India, >80% of the forest lands are owned by local communities and managed by traditional institutions. These forests are under severe threats due to a number of human disturbances. The present study was conducted to assess the plant diversity and identify the community forests for priority conservation in Khasi Hi...

The book is a pictorial guide to flowering plants of Meghalaya, containing coloured photographs of 1014 species along with their vernacular names in Khasi, Garo and Jaintia languages and their distribution.

Echinacea angustifolia is an important medicinal and ornamental plant found in various regions of the world. This species may become threatened due to over-exploitation for medicinal uses. The present study was carried out to develop a rapid in vitro multiplication protocol using explants raised from seedlings. Complete plantlets have been successf...

Habitat fragmentation creates numerous small forest patches separated by human land use that may affect the compositional and structural attributes and ecosysem functions particularly the nutrient dynamics in forest ecosystems. We tested this hypothesis along a fragment size gradient in subtropical broadleaved forests in Cherrapunjee area of Meghal...

Forest ecosystems play an important role in regulating global carbon cycle. There are very few studies on biomass and carbon (C) stock from the community managed montane evergreen forests of India. In the present study three traditional forests: Sacred forests (SF), Restricted forests (RF) and Village forests (VF) were studied to analyze the level...

Northeast India, being a center of plant endemism supports a huge diversity of plant species and provides refuge to a large number of imperiled taxa. Despite its unique floristic richness, the region has now become the victim of human-generated disturbances. Shifting cultivation, habitat destruction and over-exploitation of the plant species has le...

Gentiana kurroo Royle from the family Gentianaceae is an endemic species of the Northwestern Himalaya, growing on south-facing open slopes between 1500 and 3500 m asl. It has immense medicinal and pharmaceutical importance hence it is widely used in the traditional medicinal system and modern pharmaceutical industry. Owing to its habitat destructio...

The current paper discusses the diversity, distribution and commercial importance of Indian magnolias. Globally, these species are found in tropical, subtropical and temperate forests of southeastern Asia and tropical America. In India, there are a total of 25 species of Magnolia and most of them are distributed in Northeast India, with highest num...

During the last few decades, human-driven activities have led to indiscriminate habitat destruction and exploitation of many plant species in Kashmir Himalaya. As a result, many species have become threatened and are struggling for survival. Of particular concern are the endemic and critically endangered species which have the highest risk of the e...

This book reports the potential plants for human survival, explored medicinal aspects of the ongoing research and development for discovering new molecules, new drugs, new leads, ethnic-traditional applications and nutraceutical values of plants. It provides a baseline data and information on plants and their hidden knowledge for human health. This...

The geographical distributon of plants of Meghalaya show that a total of 548 plant taxa belonging to 302 genera and 100 families are endemic to northeastern India or Indo-Burma or the eastern Himalaya region. Of these, 115 species are exclusively endemic to the state of Meghalaya. The dominant life form is epiphytes (25.4%), followed by trees (25%)...

The geographical distribution of plants of Meghalaya show that a total of 548 plant taxa belonging to 302 genera and 100 families are endemic to northeastern India or Indo-Burma or the eastern Himalaya region. Of these, 115 species are exclusively endemic to the state of Meghalaya. The dominant life form is epiphytes (25.4%), followed by trees (25%...

The geographical distribution of plants of Meghalaya show that a total of 548 plant taxa belonging to 302 genera and 100 families are endemic to northeastern India or Indo-Burma or the eastern Himalaya region. Of these, 115 species are exclusively endemic to the state of Meghalaya. The dominant life form is epiphytes (25.4%), followed by trees (25%...

The current paper discusses the diversity, distribution and commercial importance of Indian Magnolias. Globally, these species are found in tropical, subtropical and temperate forests of southeastern Asia and tropical America. In India, there are 25 species of Magnolias and most of them are distributed in Northeast India, with highest number in Ass...

Aquilaria khasiana Hallier f. is found only in Meghalaya in India and was thought to be eliminated from the state. It has been recollected after a gap of 74 years from Mawsynram area of Meghalaya, northeast India. Detailed description, photographs, notes on distribution and ecology are provided here. Conservation measures for this endemic and rare...

Introduction: A strong positive ‘abundance and habitat-suitability’ relationship is crucial for conservation of species. Nevertheless, anthropogenic alteration of natural landscapes leading to land use and land cover change, habitat loss, and species extinctions (may) have putatively disturbed this relationship. Hence, it is important to study the...

The present paper reports the first observation of a field dodder, Cuscuta campestris Yuncker from Meghalaya, Northeast India. Detailed field study has revealed a total of 51 host plant species, with Mikania micrantha Kunth., Parthenium hysterophorus L. and Duranta erecta L. being most favorable hosts. Anatomical study revealed that the parasite de...

In Meghalaya, northeast India, the local people have the tradition of managing forest resources since early ages. The management practice varies and there are forests with high degree of protection, where no extraction (sacred forests) is allowed. There are also forests with moderate- level of protection and -extraction (reserved forests) as well a...

Cleyera grandiflora Wall. ex Choisy (Pentaphylacaceae), an endangered and endemic tree species of Meghalaya was rediscovered after a lapse of 80 years from Khasi Hills of Meghalaya. After critical scrutiny of herbarium and literature, the distribution of the species was found to be restricted to Khasi Hills. A thorough survey reveals the presence o...

A new species of the genus Pyrenaria (Theaceae) from Cherrapunjee-Mawsynram Hills in the Meghalaya State, north-eastern India, P. cherrapunjeana Mir, is described and illustrated. It is morphologically similar to P. diospyricarpa Kurz var. camelliiflora (Kurz) S.X.Yang, P. khasiana R.N.Paul and P. menglaensis G.D.Tao. Notes on distribution, habitat...

Magnolia rabaniana (Hook.f. & Th.) D.C.S. Raju & M.P. Nayar, a threatened and endemic tree species of northeast India, has been rediscovered after a lapse of almost 100 years from Khasi Hills of Meghalaya. A total of 65 individuals that includes 38 mature (≥ 5 cm diameter at breast height) and 27 young individuals (≤ 5 cm diameter at breast height)...

The reproductive phenology and germination behavior of 15 important tree species (Acer laevigatum, Adinandra griffithii, Citrus latipes, Elaeocarpus prunifolius, Engelhardtia spicata, Ilex embelioides, Ilex khasiana, Ilex venulosa, Illicium griffithii, Magnolia lanuginosa, Magnolia punduana, Photinia cuspidata, Photinia integrifolia, Quercus glauca...

Raid-Marwet region of Ri-Bhoi is rich in plant diversity, which serve as fuel wood, timber, medicine and can be used as fodder. As a result, in the fringe areas of the district, many cattle farms have mushroomed from last few decades. Recently, the practice of hill-cutting has been started, which has greatly affected the availability of fodder plan...

p> Magnolia lanuginosa (Wall.) Figlar & Noot. [= Michelia lanuginosa Wall.], a rare tree species of Meghalaya, is restricted to the West Khasi Hills District, Meghalaya. The species was considered to have become extinct from the state. The present paper reports a recent re-collection of the species from four locations in the West Khasi Hills after...

In India, forest and natural resource management have been practiced by local communities since time immemorial, but emerged into the consciousness of government and many donors in the late nineteenth century. Currently, community forests and forestry has taken central place in national politics because of their importance in rural livelihoods, env...

Sulphur plays a key role in various plant growth and developmental processes. With this background the current study was carried out to find out the response of sunflower to different sulphur treatments. Field experiments using randomized block design having nine treatment combinations were performed to assess different characteristics including pl...

Plants play a vital role in the healthcare of the local tribal people in Meghalaya. A number of species are used for curing a wide range of ailments. Traditional remedies are part of the cultural and spiritual life of these people. The objective of the study was to evaluate the diversity and role of endemic and threatened plant species in ethnomedi...

Plants play a vital role in the healthcare of the local tribal people in Meghalaya. A number of species are used for curing a wide range of ailments. Traditional remedies are part of the cultural and spiritual life of these people. The objective of the study was to evaluate the diversity and role of endemic and threatened plant species in ethnomedi...

This study evaluated the periphytic diversity of river Jhelum around Srinagar city. Samples were collected on monthly basis from June to November 2011 from four different stations (over a course of approx. 35 km) of river. Measurements of different parameters including, diversity, density, and composition were made. A total of 45 genera, belonging...

Abstract: A study of River Jhelum was conducted to determine the physico-chemical characteristics of the sediments from June to November 2011, in order to check the effects of effluents coming from Srinagar city on the river sediments at four different sites in River Jhelum. The results revealed that physico-chemical weathering of minerals and anth...