Zafar Ahmad Reshi

University of Kashmir · Department of Botany

Presented in 14th Clonal Plant Workshop “Clonal Plants as Agents of Change”,

Riparian zones, interfaces between aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, are known to support distinct floral elements which play vital ecological functions. For recording the diversity of floral elements in these habitats, a survey of riparian zones was undertaken in Kashmir Valley which revealed occurrence of 265 plant species belonging to 46 famil...

Mentha choujunensis (Lamiaceae), a new species from Suru valley of district Kargil in Ladakh, Trans-Himalaya, India is described here. The new species can be distinguished from its closest congener M. longifolia in possessing prostate stem, leaves petiolate and ovate, ovate-lanceolate, sparse pubescence, trichomes on adaxial side of leaves unicellu...

Darwin's naturalization conundrum posits that the alien species either succeed in the introduced region because they are phylogenetically related to the native species and thus tend to have niches similar to those of native species, or they are phylogenetically dissimilar to native species and thus occupy unfilled niches. This conundrum has receive...

Biological invasions pose a significant threat to sustenance of biodiversity and ecosystem services, with their incidence expected to rise due to globalization and climate change. Regional inventories of alien species are important for monitoring and managing the biological invasions, particularly in world’s mountains which till recently were immun...

The Himalayas provide unique opportunities for the extension of shrubs beyond the upper limit of the tree. However, little is known about the limitation of the biotic factors belowground of shrub growth at these cruising altitudes. To fill this gap, the present study deals with the documentation of root-associated microbiota with their predicted fu...

Climate change and biological invasions represent significant drivers of biodiversity loss, and changes in climate and land use can also synergistically influence the naturalization of alien species into new areas. Therefore, reporting the transition of alien plant species along the casual-naturalization-invasion continuum can be crucial to the ear...

We assessed the impact of road disturbances on the dominant mycorrhizal types in ecosystems at the global level and how this mechanism can potentially lead to lasting plant community changes. We used a database of coordinated plant community surveys following mountain roads from 894 plots in 11 mountain regions across the globe in combination with...

Understanding plant-microbe interaction can be useful in identifying the microbial drivers of plant invasions. It is in this context that we explored the diversity of endophytic microbes from leaves of Anthemis cotula, an annual plant that is highly invasive in Kashmir Himalaya. We also tried to establish the role of endophytes in the invasiveness...

Phenolic compounds are structurally and functionally diverse organic compounds synthesized by plants, which apart from being involved in various plant life processes, significantly contribute to plant defense. As plant defense molecules, their production may be induced after the pathogen has attacked the plant or the synthesis may be constitutive....

Plant phenolic compounds carry out plentiful functions in plant–microbe pathogenic interactions. Some phenolic compounds are produced constitutively by plant on routinely basis while others are induced in response to any tissue damage or pathogen attack. Their vital contribution in constitutive and inducible strategies of plant innate immunity has...

Range shifts are a key mechanism that species employ in response to climate change. Increasing global temperatures are driving species redistributions to cooler areas. Studies have documented climate change–induced shifts in species distributions. The range shift in three plant species, namely Bellis peren- nis L., Cannabis sativa L., and Portulaca...

Phlegmacium kausaricum is a new species in the genus Phlegmacium reported from the Kashmir Himalaya, India, based on distinct morphological characters and molecular phylogenetic analysis of nrITS sequences. The species is characterized by pileus that is glutinous, glabrous with brownish universal veil remnants scattered over the surface, with incur...

In meeting the challenges of biodiversity conservation, the taxonomic documentation of floristic diversity needs priority, particularly in data-deficient regions of the world. In this study, we present a comprehensive and updated checklist on the vascular flora of Ladakh, a region located in the remote Indian Trans-Himalaya. The checklist, based on...

Biologically active secondary metabolites, essential oils, and volatile compounds derived from medicinal and aromatic plants play a crucial role in promoting human health. Within the large family Asteraceae, the genus Artemisia consists of approximately 500 species. Artemisia species have a rich history in traditional medicine worldwide, offering r...

Aim: We aimed to assess the impact at the global level of physical anthropogenic disturbances on the dominant mycorrhizal types in ecosystems and how this mechanism can potentially lead to lasting plant community changes. Location: Globally distributed study regions Time Period: 2007-2018 Taxa studied: Plants and mycorrhizal fungi Methods: We used...

Categorization of species under different threat classes is a prerequisite for planning, management and monitoring of any species conservation programme. However, data availability, particularly at the population level, has been a major bottleneck in the correct categorization of threatened species. Till date, threat assessments have been mostly ba...

From simple algal forms to the most advanced angiosperms, calcium oxalate (CaOx) crystals occur in the majority of taxonomic groups of photosynthetic organisms. Various studies have demonstrated that this biomineralization is not a simple or random event but a genetically regulated coordination between calcium uptake, oxalate synthesis, and sometim...

The frequency of extreme weather events is projected to increase due to climate change, which will lead to devastating outcomes at vulnerable locations around the world and will lead to decline in overall agricultural productivity. In this context, strategies have been developed to impart abiotic stress tolerance to agricultural plants in order to...

Investigating the microbial communities associated with invasive plant species can provide insights into how these species establish and thrive in new environments. Here, we explored the fungal species associated with the roots of the invasive species Anthemis cotula L. at 12 sites with varying elevations in the Kashmir Himalaya. Illumina MiSeq pla...

Two filamentous endophytic ascomycete fungi with different phenotypes were isolated and characterized from the vegetative tissue of Rheum spiciforme, a threatened and endemic trans-Himalayan medicinal herb. The visible morphological characteristics and microscopic features allowed the recognition of the endophytes as Fusarium proliferatum and Aureo...

Darwin's naturalization conundrum, which posits that the alien species either succeed in the introduced region because being phylogenetically related to the native species hence being pre-adapted, or are phylogenetically dissimilar to native species and thus occupy unfilled niches, has received a lot of attention but the results have been contradic...

The seeds serve as a biological vehicle for alien species to colonize new habitats and seed endophytes may enhance their chances of survival and spread in the introduced range. Thus, the endophytic diversity associated with the seeds of alien species and their plant growth-promoting activities need to be investigated in detail. Here we explored the...

Oxalis corniculata L. is recorded for the first time from the Trans-Himalayan region of Ladakh. The plant species has a conspicuous stem, obcordate leaf blades, and umbellate inflorescence with yellow flowers and cylindrical or narrowly ovoid fruits. As the plant is known to spread rapidly, it may become an aggressive weed of agricultural crops in...

Treeline ecotone is of particular ecological significance because of its distinct physiognomy, species composition, rapid changes in the community organization over a small spatial scale and characteristic treeline species. The Himalayan treelines are under-researched and under-represented in global analyses, in spite of being the highest in the No...

A new myxacoid species of Thaxterogaster sect. Vibratiles, Thaxterogaster carneus is described from the coniferous forests of Hirpora Wildlife Sanctuary in Kashmir Himalaya, India, based on morphological observations and molecular data of the nrDNA ITS and LSU regions. This species is morphologically distinguished from other species in section Vibr...

Hokersar wetland is an important Ramsar site of Kashmir Himalayas. Hokersar is an important game reserve of international importance and is a suitable habitat for thousands of resident birds and migratory birds that visit the wetland from Central Asia, China, N-Europe, and Siberia. Currently, the Hokersar is subjected to a number of direct and indi...

Understanding niche and its parameters including niche breadth and niche overlap hold promise in discerning the needs, tolerances of organisms and also the extent of niche overlap among the sympatric species. Such information is critical to the conservation and management of important forest tree species. In view of the lack of any detailed previou...

In recent years, the microbiome has attracted much attention because of the multiple roles and functions that microbes play in plants, animals, and human beings. Seed-associated microbes are of particular interest in being the initial microbial inoculum that affects the critical early life stages of a plant. The seed-microbe interactions are also k...

Treeline ecotone, though studied the world over because of its sensitivity to changing climate, has received limited attention in the Himalaya. It is in this backdrop that an extensive study in the Daksum-Sinthan Top area of Kashmir Himalaya, India, was carried out to document the taxonomic, life-form and phylogenetic diversity of plant assemblages...

High-elevation ecosystems are among the few ecosystems worldwide that are not yet heavily invaded by non-native plants. This is expected to change as species expand their range limits upwards to fill their climatic niches and respond to ongoing anthropogenic disturbances. Yet, whether and how quickly these changes are happening has only been assess...

Reliable predictions of future distribu- tion ranges of ecologically important species in response to climate change are required for develop- ing efective management strategies. Here we used an ensemble modelling approach to predict the dis- tribution of three important species of Abies namely, Abies pindrow, Abies spectabilis and Abies densa i...

Since the importance of spices in the global nutritional challenges has been understudied, our aim was to assess the arbuscular mycorrhizal diversity associated with one of the most expensive spices - Saffron (Crocus sativus) in the Kashmir Himalaya. We used both morphological and molecular approaches to characterize the arbuscular mycorrhizal fung...

Over the past few decades, many countries have attempted to carry out forest landscape restoration over millions of hectares of degraded land. Such efforts, however, have met with limited success because of several factors, including a lack of adequate emphasis on ectomycorrhization of the nursery seedlings. A similar scenario is seen in the Kashmi...

Lagotis kunawurensis Rupr. (Plantaginaceae), a rare plant species endemic to the Himalaya, is reported here after a gap of 50 years from Ladakh. This species has often been taxonomically misidentified and confused with Picrorhiza kurroa, an important medicinal plant of the Himalaya. The present study clarifies the taxonomy of L. kunawurensis by pro...

The pollen morphology of ten species of the genus Potamogeton L. sensu lato (Potamogetonaceae) in Kashmir Himalaya was examined, using light and scanning electron microscopy. Aspects of pollen morphology such as grain diameter, shape, exine thickness and density of reticulum was recorded to determine the relationship of these features with pollinat...

The endophytic diversity of a host plant has been shown to vary across various spatio-temporal scales and between different organs of a plant, but no such study has been carried out on the economically important plant Crocus sativus (saffron). To fill this knowledge gap, the present study was undertaken to document the diversity of culturable bacte...

Huge economic costs and ecological impacts of invasive alien species (IAS) in the protected areas (PAs) worldwide make their timely prediction and potential risk assessment of central importance for effective management. While the preborder weed risk assessment framework has been extensively evaluated and implemented, the postborder species risk as...

The genus Artemisia occupies an important place in the rich plant biodiversity of Kashmir Himalayas. Being endemic to Kashmir Himalaya, Artemisia amygdalina is used as medicine to treat various diseases. This plant species has been used in folk medicine in the treatment of a number of diseases, including epilepsy, piles, nervous disorders, cough, c...

In view of huge ecological impacts and exorbitantly high economic costs of biological invasions, the risk assessment for timely prediction of potential invaders and their effective management assumes central importance, yet having been little addressed. Hence, we did the risk analysis of 39 plant species, including both alien and fast-spreading nat...

Freshwater lakes are important reservoirs and sources of drinking water globally. However, the microbiota, which supports the functionality of this ecosystem is threatened by the influx of nutrients, heavy metals and other toxic chemical substances from anthropogenic activities. The influence of these factors on the diversity, assembly mechanisms a...

Treelines and treeline species are being studied the world over because of their sensitivity to climate change but most of these studies have not focused on the essential belowground mutualists which could influence the outcome of the interaction between treeline species and climate change, such as the treeline shift. To fill this knowledge gap, we...

Climate change and other global change drivers threaten plant diversity in mountains worldwide. A widely documented response to such environmental modifications is for plant species to change their elevational ranges. Range shifts are often idiosyncratic and difficult to generalize, partly due to variation in sampling methods. There is thus a need...

While differences in the methylation patterns of ABC transporters under different environmental conditions and their role in plant growth, development, and response to biotic and abiotic stresses are well documented, less is known about the variation in the methylation patterns of ABC transporters in plant species in the native and non-native range...

Weeds, unwanted plants, are responsible for significant yield and economic loss in agroecosystems and pose a serious threat to the ecology and efficiency of these ecosystems. Despite these losses, not much is known about the weeds associated with crops grown in Kashmir Himalaya. Here, we present a complete inventory of weeds associated with rabi cr...

Protected areas (PAs) hold pivotal importance as repositories of biodiversity, especially for some flagship species of high conservation priority. The growing threat of biological invasions in PAs defies the general perception that these areas are rather immune to invasions. Given the paucity of information on the status of biological invasions in...

Uttarakhand Himalaya (Uk) occupies a geographically favorable position in terms of topography, microclimate, and a wide range of altitudes. This advantage benefits the region and supports varied biodiversity and rich reserves of edible plants. Traditionally, wild edible plants are crucial as a source of food and nutrition, additionally are importan...

While the link between clonality and species invasiveness has recently been recognized, whether and how clonality vary with different invasion stages remains open questions. Hence, we tested the relationship between clonality and species invasiveness of Kashmir Himalayan aquatic macrophytes vis-à-vis its variability along different stages of invasi...

Impatiens edgeworthii is an important plant species endemic to Western Himalaya. In this species male reproductive organs conceal the stigma – seat of pollen reception during male phase therefore acts as barrier for self-pollination. In addition the stigma become receptive only after the androecium of the same flower is shed and then receptive stig...

Abies pindrow (Royle ex D.Don) Royle (Himalayan pindrow fir) is an imperative conifer native to Kashmir Himalaya, where its mono-dominant forests provide vital ecosystem services, besides being dwelling to endangered flora and fauna. However, in the past few decades, these forests have relentlessly undergone unprecedented deforestation and degradat...

Whether ploidy status of plant species is related to their growth form is not well supported by quantitative data despite having been speculated a lot. Deciphering this relationship has a lot of implications for understanding the current distribution patterns of alien plant species in different biogeographical regions both at global and regional sc...

Aquatic pollution is one of the grim ecological threats that the world faces, with maintenance of appropriate water quality being a major challenge nowadays. Pollution of aquatic ecosystems has adverse impacts on environment, public health and economy. In view of that, there is an imperative obligation to safeguard health of our aquatic ecosystems...

Understanding the species richness and β-diversity patterns along elevation gradients can aid in formulating effective conservation strategies particularly in areas where local anthropogenic stresses and climate change are quite significant as in the Himalaya. Thus, we studied macrolichen richness and β-diversity along elevational gradients at thre...

Habitat loss due to climate change may cause the extinction of the clonal species with a limited distribution range. Thus, determining the genetic diversity required for adaptability by these species in sensitive ecosystems can help infer the chances of their survival and spread in changing climate. We studied the genetic diversity and population s...

Phyllosphere or aerial surface of plants represents the globally largest and peculiar microbial habitat that inhabits diverse and rich communities of bacteria, fungi, viruses, cyanobacteria, actinobacteria, nematodes, and protozoans. These hyperdiverse microbial communities are related to the host’s specific functional traits and influence the host...

Being sedentary, plants always face a vast array of environment-related factors in the form of ultraviolet rays, higher salt concentrations, water scarcity and dehydration, high water potentials, extremely low and high temperature among other air and soil-borne chemicals. Besides this, an increase in the production of industrial wastes, encompassin...

Remediation of heavy metals by macrophytes in wetlands is gaining importance, particularly in the wetlands and game reserves of international importance. Hokersar wetland, a Ramsar site, is a game reserve of international importance and is facing anthropogenic disturbances over the years. Keeping in view deleterious effect of heavy metals on all th...

The Himalayan region, due to its fragile ecology, is extremely vulnerable to even small perturbations in climate that might not only affect the pristine ecosystems but also the socioeconomic sectors across the mountain arc. In this study, we analyzed the climate variability and trends of change in precipitation and temperature for Kashmir Himalaya...

Cortinarius is the largest genus of mushroom forming fungi with several subgenera having ectomycorrhizal associations with coniferous trees and other plants. In view of limited studies on this speciose genus from the Himalayan region, a morpho-molecular phylogenetic approach was employed to study this taxon. Phylogenetic analysis and Bayesian infer...

Climate change and other global change drivers threaten plant diversity in mountains worldwide. A widely documented response to such environmental modifications is for plant species to change their elevational ranges. Range shifts are often idiosyncratic and difficult to generalize, partly due to variation in sampling methods. There is thus a need...

Traditional techniques to identify different contaminants (biological or chemical) in the waters are slow, laborious, and can require specialized expertise. Hence, the rapid determination of water quality using more sensitive and reliable metagenomic based approaches attains special importance. Metagenomics deals with the study of genetic material...

Cotula anthemoides L. (Asteraceae) is reported as a new record for Ladakh, India. A detailed taxonomic description and photographs of diagnostic features are provided to validate this new plant record form the Trans-Himalaya Ladakh and to facilitate its easier field identification.