Nutrient Dynamics in major forests of North-Western Himalaya, India

Introduction: The North-Western Himalayan Region (NWHR) in India comprised of two states, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh and two union territories of Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir. The NWHR forest is rich in biodiversity, hosting a variety of plant species. The floristic account of forest type in N.W. Himalayas is divided it into four climatic zones viz., Tropical zone, Subtropical zone, Temperate zone and Alpine zone. Nutrient dynamics is broadly defined as the way nutrients are taken up, retained, transferred, and cycled over time and distance, in an ecosystem.

Methods: The data were gathered from various published studies on the NWHR through various databases. These studies were carefully reviewed in detail and presented.

Results: Various factors affect nutrient dynamics in forests including climate, soil, vegetation, topography, soil microbes and natural and anthropogenic disturbances. Nutrient dynamics in forest ecosystem can be understood through nutrient in forest soil, litter decomposition, throughfall, stemflow and nutrients in different plant parts. The studies of major soil nutrients (NPK) in North-Western Himalaya show variation with respect to different forest types, soil depth, altitude and season. Variation in litter production, decomposition and nutrient content is also observed among different forest types. Thorughfall, stemflow, nutrient uptake in different parts of trees and nutrient re-translocation also shows variation among different tree species.

Conclusion: Understanding the cycling of nutrients, such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium helps maintain soil fertility, supports diverse plant species, and contributes to overall ecosystem resilience.