Nowsherwan Zarif

• PhD
• Central Silviculturist at Pakistan Forest Institute

Background and aims Plants emit exudates into the rhizosphere under environmental stresses, influencing fungal communities. The effects of reduced light, root competition, and combined stresses on root exudates and fungal regulation are unknown. Methods Our experiments assessed the effects of low light (L), interspecific competition (C), and combi...

Land degradation neutrality can be achieved by mobilizing stakeholders and investing in strategic land management. Despite significant investments, efforts to rehabilitate and prevent degradation in less developed countries often fall short of anticipated outcomes. Research on the integration of biophysical indicators with socio-economic factors re...

The leopard is one of the most common apex predators having recurrent conflict with humans throughout the world. This study investigates the dynamics and potential mitigation of human-leopard conflict in communities bordering Margalla Hills National Park, Pakistan, where livestock depredation drives conflict. A questionnaire survey of 174 residents...

Data on historical soil moisture is crucial for assessing and responding to droughts that commonly occur in climate change-affected countries. The Himalayan temperate forests in Pakistan are particularly at risk of climate change. Developing nations lack the means to gather surface soil moisture (SSM) information. Tree rings are one way to bridge t...

Riparian buffers and stream channel widths along river networks have extremely significant ecological influences on parameters and stressors associated with riparian health indicators (RHIs). It is imperative for countries that rely heavily on rivers for irrigation to protect RHIs such as habitat, plant cover, regeneration, exotics, and erosion. It...

Riparian zones along rivers and streams provide ecosystem services that may change over time as disturbances increase and deteriorate these buffer zones globally. The effect of stressors on ecosystem services along the rivers in underdeveloped countries is unclear, which impacts the environment directly in the form of riparian health indicators (RH...

Forests play a significant role for maintaining the biodiversity. In order to manage sustainable forests, tree species history, distribution, and their future prospects are vital. Using standardized quantitative approaches, the age, radial growth, and size class distribution of Abies pindrow (Himalayan fir) were determined from three different alti...

Soil microorganisms are an integral part of the soil and are highly sensitive to environmental changes. The shift in plant community and soil properties following forest succession may cause differences in soil bacterial and fungal community composition. Some studies suggested following the succession of the community, the species composition tends...

Globally, atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition is rising, adversely impacting soil health, i.e., increasing soil acidity. While phosphorus (P) is the limiting element in the temperate environment and plays a key role in making the ecosystem more vulnerable to N-derived acidification. The impact of elevated N and P inputs on soil acidity and exchange...

Light and nitrogen availability are among the most important environmental factors influencing leaf and root morphological traits and forest ecosystems. Understanding the variation in leaf and root traits is pivotal to the adaptive plasticity and leaf-root-specific traits in response to low light and N availability. The effects of light and N avail...

Atmospheric N deposition is increasing worldwide, especially in China, significantly affecting soil health, i.e., increasing soil acidification. The northern region of China is considered to be one of the N deposition points in Asia, ranging from 28.5 to 100.4 N ha⁻¹yr⁻¹. Phosphorus (P) is the limiting factor in the temperate ecosystem and an impor...

Northeast China is persistently affected by heavy nitrogen (N) deposition. Studying the induced variation in leaf traits is pivotal to develop an understanding of the adaptive plasticity of affected species. This study thus assesses effects of increased N deposition on leaf morphological and anatomical traits and their correlation among and with bi...

China's One Belt One Road (OBOR), a momentous initiative, is going to trigger off multidimensional geo-strategic and geo-economical changes across the globe. Chinese's enterprises are going to hire agricultural lands under China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) coalition agreements in Pakistan. Simultaneously, the government of Punjab, Pakistan ha...