Ecology, Socioeconomics, Ethnobotany, Seed’s dormancy and the Mazri Palm {Nannorrhops ritchieana (Griff.) Aitch.}; an appraisal from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Pakistan

Abstract

The palm family (Arecaceae) is economically and ecologically idiosyncratic. Their pantropical distribution, variation in life forms, and species richness (>2,500 species) make them excellent model organisms for the study of nature. A few species have been recorded from the warm-temperate regions and among them Nannorrhops ritchieana is a noteworthy example. It is distributed in different regions of Pakistan, Afghanistan, Oman, Iran, and Saudi Arabia and provides a multitude of ecosystem services. The dramatic increase in the human population causes a severe decline in Nannorrhops ritchieana populations by unmanaged harvesting. The consequences of these intimidations on different aspects of this important iconic palm merit active research. The overarching aim of this thesis was to document the Nannorrhops ritchieana multifold ecosystem services, socioeconomic importance, population ecology, and associations with other plant species and to overcome its seed dormancy and enhance germination with a long-term management plan. We integrated the study across different climatic zones of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa including (i) Eastern wet mountains (ii) Northern dry mountains (iii) Western dry mountains and (iv) Sulaiman Piedmont. The data regarding ecosystem services and socioeconomic importance was gathered through questionnaires and surveys and resulted in a detailed compilation of 39 different handicrafts with their economic values. The hierarchical clusters of a heatmap identified variations in usages in different areas inhabited by diverse societies. We found that in some areas, the species is intensively harvested which leads to the extinction of its populations. For population ecology, we gathered information from 63 different regions and analyzed the data to understand species density, natality, mortality age structure and fruiting ecology. We assessed 2269 individuals in which the number of seedlings was less than the number of juvenile, young, and mature individuals. The low number of seedlings demonstrates that it will be difficult for seedlings to cover the gap between larger individuals that have already died and others that are facing the problem of death due to multiple abiotic and biotic factors. Road construction, uprooting by porcupines and black bears, fire regimes, agricultural land expansion and invasive species encroachment and plantation in the native habitats of Nannorrhops ritchieana are the menaces that lead to mortality. Interestingly, with the increase in height, inflorescence size, fruit number, and fruit and seed size reach their maximum in middle-aged palms, followed by young and then decreases in older plants. These variations in fruit ecology might be related to their nutrient acquisition capacity. xvii Nannorrhops ritchieana is a gregarious and keystone species that provide habitat and shelter to many other species. We documented 251 species in four major associations (each climatic zone was considered an association). In each association, plots were lumped together using cluster dendrograms and then three indicators, one tree, a shrub and an herb were identified using the indicator species analysis function in PCORD software. We found that the associated vegetation changed from subtropical scrub forests in Sulaiman Piedmont to subtropical pine forests in the Eastern wet mountains with an increase in elevation and precipitation. A canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) plot was created for all species in relation to environmental gradients. We examined the homology in associated species among the four associations using Venn diagrams and the Jvenn online application. Nannorrhops ritchieana, being a gregarious species, prefers to live in diverse sorts of associations under the influence of different environmental drivers. Conservation of Nannorrhops ritchieana is one substantial step in its seed dormancy mitigation. Different experimentations on seed dormancy using H2SO4, HNO3, Thiourea, Hot water, GA3 and IAA in different concentrations and immersion times were carried out in the Botanical Garden, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan. We observed that an increase in acids and thiourea concentration damaged the embryo and triggered seed germination for a long-time immersion. Moreover, GA3 and IAA lead to significant germination by providing strength to the embryo. The best non-laborious and inexpensive method is the hot water treatment for 5–15 days at 35–45oC temperature. In addition, we observed that in April, May, June, and July a maximum number of seeds germinated which might be due to the hot temperature causing cracks in the seed coat, through which water easily penetrated inside and caused germination. The result presented in this thesis should be decisive for the sustainable utilization, conservation, management and restoration of Nannorrhops ritchieana across its geographic range.