Checklist of Lithophytic Mosses of Kaghan Valley , Mansehra-Pakistan

mazharawanhu@gmail.com Abstract The present work is a preliminary compilation mostly based on the available literature and extensive recent field trips. Overall 46 lithophytic moss species have been reported in Kaghan valley, Mansehra-Pakistan. These species are distributed under 16 families and 28 genera. This study is very much significant regarding the diversity of mosses in the study area that proof the considerable, potential of the ambient environment for the luxurious growth of bryophytes.


Introduction
The Kaghan Valley, a northeast-southwest running gorge in the Western Himalayas which is located in the Mansehra District, Khyber Pakhtunkhuwa (Pakistan), between 34° 30' to 35° 15' latitude and 73° 18' to 74° 05' longitude.It extends over about 160 km rising from an elevation of 506 meters to 4150 meters up to the Babusar Pass, its highest point.The valley exists between many high peaks of the Himalaya in the north which represents temperate and alpine zones.Deciduous and coniferous woodland occur up to the timberline at roughly 3600 metres, above Juniperus trees, scrub and alpine meadows occur (Hussain and Ilahi, 1991).Bedrocks belong to Kohistan Arc (amphibolites, metadiorites, peridotites, serpentinites and pyroxene granulites), Higher Himalayan Crystalline napes (calchschist-rich cover with marble and amphibolith, metaphyllithrich cover, granitic basement, granitic myolnites), and Lesser Himalaya (metapelites and marbles) (Greco and Spencer, 1993).
Mutually within the manifold types of rocks the valley shows a broad variation of climatic and altitudinal gradients, these conditions induced a range of ecological habitats that contribute to the unique biodiversity of mosses.Lithophytic (saxicolous or rock inhabiting) mosses grow on a variety of substrates and range from aquatic to dry stones.In most cases, moss species are stenoecious and, therefore, restricted to a particular substrate and ecological niche.

Bryaceae
On cliffs & dry boulders along streams.

Bryaceae
On wet rocks along streams.

830-2250m
Widely distributed in temperate to Arctic regions in North & south Hemisphere.

Hypnaceae
On shaded moist boulders and cliffs along streams.

1500-1880m Widely distributed in Asia
North & South America.

Materials and Methods
This study is essentially based on all previous and recent reports regarding moss flora of Kaghan Valley (Pakistan).
All moss taxa included in the list were checked with the help of TROPICOS database (2016) concerning systematic and nomenclature.Plant specimens that were collected during recent excursions along with 820 duplicates of herbarium specimens collected by Nishimura (1991Nishimura ( -1992) ) are surveyed and identified using the standard procedure.All the specimens are deposited to Hazara University Herbarium (HUP) and also in Pakistan Museum of Natural History Islamabad (PMNH).

Results
The checklist of lithophytic mosses from Kaghan valley comprises of 46 species (Table 1) that falls in 28 genera and 16 families, which are 13.5 % of the known Pakistani moss flora.The largest family is the Fissidentaceae (7 species), followed by Bryaceae and Grimmiaceae (5 species each).Four species belong to Mniaceae, Neckeraceae as well as Orthotrichaceae.In the remaining families less than 3 species were recorded.Among these 46 taxa 31 are Acrocarpous and 15 have been reported as Pleurocarpous.This is the first ever checklist of lithophytic mosses from this region of Pakistan.This obvious diversity of mosses proofs the potential of Western Himalayas (Pakistan) in terms of bryodiversity in this case.The taxa, family, habitat altitude and general distribution are given in Table 1.

Discussion
This amazing diversity of lithophytic mosses in the Kaghan Valley i.e. 42.99% of the total known moss species in the district Mansehra proofs the potential of the Western Himalayas in terms of bryodiversity because of manifold habitats and ecological niches.Although the current status represents a high and diverse value of the lithophytic moss flora in the area, however, some more serious efforts are still required.On the other hand, extensive utilization and deforestation are causing habitat destruction; the woodlands are extremely vulnerable to human influences, so that some mosses in the investigation area may be facing extinction risk.

Fig 1 .
Fig 1. Map of the study area