The role of graveyards in species conservation and beta diversity:a vegetation appraisal of sacred habitats from Bannu,Pakistan

Graveyards or sacred groves are often places of natural vegetation protected by spiritual believers because of their sacred beliefs and indigenous culture.A study of graveyards was conducted to determine their role in species conservation,community formation,and associated indicators and species composition using multivariate statistical approaches.It was hypothesized that variations in the age of graveyards would give rise to diverse plant communities under the impact of various edaphic and climatic factors.Quantitative ecological techniques were applied to determine various phytosociological attributes.All the data were put in MS Excel for analysis in PCORD and CANOCO softwares for cluster analysis(CA),two-way cluster analysis(TWCA),indicator species analysis and canonical correspondence analysis.CA and TWCA through Sorenson distance measurements identified five major graveyard plant communities:(1)FicusBougainvillea-Chenopodium;(2)Acacia-Datura-Convolvulus;(3)Ziziphus-Vitex-Abutilon;(4)Acacia-Lantana-Salsola;and(5)Melia-Rhazya-Peganum.Species such as Capparis decidua,Herniaria hirsuta,Salvadora oliedes and Populus euphratica were only present inside graveyards rather than outside and advocate the role of graveyards in species conservation.The impact of different environmental and climatic variables plus the age of the graveyards were also assessed for comparison of plant communities and their respective indicator species.The results indicate that higher chlorine concentration,age of graveyards,low soil electrical conductivity,lower anthropogenic activities,higher nitrogen,calcium and magnesium concentrations in the soil,and sandy soils were the strong environmental variables playing a significant role in the formation of graveyard plant communities,their associated indicators and species distribution patterns.These results could further be utilized to evaluate the role of edaphic and climatic factors,indicator species and conservation management practices at a greater scale.