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.

Multivariate analysis of surface water quality in the Three Gorges area of China and implications for water management

Multivariate statistical techniques,cluster analysis,non-parametric tests,and factor analysis were applied to analyze a water quality dataset including 13 parameters at 37 sites of the Three Gorges area,China,from 2003–2008 to investigate spatio-temporal variations and identify potential pollution sources.Using cluster analysis,the twelve months of the year were classified into three periods of lowflow （LF）,normal-flow （NF）,and high-flow （HF）;and the 37 monitoring sites were divided into low pollution （LP）,moderate pollution （MP）,and high pollution （HP）.Dissolved oxygen （DO）,potassium permanganate index （COD Mn ）,and ammonia-nitrogen （NH 4 ＋-N） were identified as significant variables affecting temporal and spatial variations by non-parametric tests.Factor analysis identified that the major pollutants in the HP region were organic matters and nutrients during NF,heavy metals during LF,and petroleum during HF.In the MP region,the identified pollutants primarily included organic matter and heavy metals year-around,while in the LP region,organic pollution was significant during both NF and HF,and nutrient and heavy metal levels were high during both LF and HF.The main sources of pollution came from domestic wastewater and agricultural activities and runoff;however,they contributed differently to each region in regards to pollution levels.For the HP region,inputs from wastewater treatment plants were significant;but for MP and LP regions,water pollution was more likely from the combined effects of agriculture,domestic wastewater,and chemical industry.These results provide fundamental information for developing better water pollution control strategies for the Three Gorges area.