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Wright, S.J., Bunker, D., Dalling, J., Davies, S., Diaz, S., Engelbrecht, B., Harm, K., Kitajima, K., Kraft, N., Marjs, C., Reich, P., Valencia, R., Wright, I. and Zanne, A. (2006) Towards a Functional Trait Based Research Program within the Center for Tropical Forest Science.

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• TITLE: Variation in Plant Functional Traits along Altitudinal Gradient and Land Use Types in Sagarmatha National Park and Buffer Zone, Nepal

  AUTHORS: Srijana Shah, Krishna Kumar Shrestha, Christoph Scheidegger

  KEYWORDS: Functional Traits, Altitudinal Gradient, Land-Use Types, Disturbances

  JOURNAL NAME: American Journal of Plant Sciences, Vol.10 No.4, April 26, 2019

  ABSTRACT: Functional traits are predictors of plants in response to environmental stimuli. They represent specific functional adaptations to various environmental stresses. This study deals with the variation in plant functional traits along elevation gradient and land-use types in Sagarmatha National Park and Buffer Zone, Nepal. Two field investigations in April and September, 2011 were made to collect samples. Sampling was done from 2200 - 3800 m asl varying approx. 400 m. East and west facing aspects of each valley were chosen. In each aspect four land-use type categories including disturbed (cultivated land, exploited forest and meadow) and less disturbed natural forest were selected. A transect of 25 m long and 2.5 m wide was laid. Different eight traits of plants including lifeform, plant height, clonality, spinescence, leaf dry matter content, stem specific density, twig dry matter content and twig drying time were examined for 60 plant species belonging to 31 families, collected from 40 sampled plots. Nine different types of growth forms were recorded. Plant height of the investigated species ranged from 0.03 - 15 m. The stolon consisting species were dominant in exploited forests. Diversity of clonal species was more in meadow and non-clonal species were dominant in all the altitudes. Only eight species consisted of spines. In the disturbed land-use categories, we found high variation in a particular trait. Correlation analyses revealed the significant relationship (p