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International Symposium on
Mountain Resource Management in a Changing Environment
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Kathmandu, Nepal
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Mohan K. Balla, Roshan M. Bajracharya and Subodh Sharma

November 2012
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Soil Lichens: Surrogates of Land Use and Grazing
Gradients in Himalayan Alpine Grasslands (Bugyals)

H. Rai1,2∗, R. Khare1, D.K. Upreti1, R.K. Gupta2, P. Nag3

Lichens, the mutual composites of fungi (mycobiont) and green (phycobiont) or
blue green (cyanobiont) algae, inhabit nearly all the terrestrial domains of earth.
Soil inhabiting habitat subset (Terricolous lichens) of lichens, due to their direct
occurrence on soil, competition with other ground vegetation and sensitivity to
anthropogenic pressures, are suitable indicators for alpine regions. Himalayan
habitats of India harbour maximum diversity of lichens. The changing land use
pattern of native human population is affecting the fragile Himalayan plant
biodiversity, which is exemplified by change in diversity and distribution
patterns of lichens. Present study reports the effect of land use and grazing
gradient on diversity and distribution of soil lichens in Tungnath Bugyals in
Rudraprayag district, Uttarakhand, of Garhwal Himalayas, India. Soil lichens
were sampled along the various gradients of land use and grazing in Tungnath
Bugyal and were analysed using Principal component analysis, Cluster analysis
and Pearson’s correlation coefficients. Human settlements, pasture lands and
grasslands were the major land uses observed. The dominant land use was
pasturelands. Open alpine pasturelands were mainly confined at mid altitudes
(3,000 to 3,400 m). A gradual decrease was seen in the soil lichen diversity from
low grazed lower altitude areas (1,200-3,000 m) to highly grazed mid-altitude
habitats. Among the various soil lichen growth forms only the tolerant growth
forms (fruticose and compound) were found across the land use and grazing
gradients of the Bugyal. Leprose, fruticose and compound growth forms of soil
lichens were indicative of the habitat conditions and grazing pressure in
Tungnath Bugyal. Thus, soil lichens are good indicators of land use and grazing
pressures in alpine pastures of Himalayan habitats.

1 Lichenology Laboratory, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) - National Botanical Research
Institute, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh-226001, India
2 Department of Botany, Pt. L.M.S. Government Post Graduate College, Rishikesh, Dehradun, Uttarakhand-
249201, India
∗
Email: himanshurai08@yahoo.com
3 Department of Botany, Mahendra Multiple Campus, Tribhuvan University, Nepalgunj, Banke-21900, Nepal

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International Symposium on
MOUNTAIN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT IN A
CHANGING ENVIRONMENT
(MRMCE 2012)
May 29-31, 2012
Park Village Resort, Budhanilkantha, Kathmandu, Nepal

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Participants of MRMCE 2012 International Symposium

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