Vegetational diversity in the riparian zone of Tamsa river, Doon valley of Uttarakhand Himalaya, India

The vegetation pattern in riparian zones of the aquatic ecosystem performs numerous ecological functions, including serving as a wildlife habitat and ecological corridor, an interface between aquatic and terrestrial environments, and providing organic matter to the aquatic systems, as well as nutrition to their biota. The present study has been carried out to prepare an inventory of the plant species as well as the vegetation pattern in the riparian zone of the Tamsa River near Tapkeshwar Temple, Dehradun. The Tamsa River is a tributary of the river Tons situated in the parts of the Shivalik Himalayas. It is an important source of water in the Northeast region of the Doon Valley. It supports a wide array of plants and animals in its surroundings. During the course of study, a total of 42 plant species belonging to 39 different genera and 26 families were recorded. The plant species along the Tamsa riverbank have various life habits, including 15 trees, 20 shrubs, 6 herbs, and 1 weed species. The diversity indices (H'=3.16 and D=0.9535) indicate a high level of diversity and evenness at the family level, reflecting a balanced community structure with substantial ecological stability. Such diversity supports multiple ecosystem functions and serves as a crucial baseline for developing effective conservation and management strategies in the Doon Valley region.