Ecological Integrity Assessment of Alpine Lotic Ecosystems: A Case Study of a High-Altitude National Park in Northern Pakistan

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F61989100%3A27350%2F25%3A10258178" target="_blank" >RIV/61989100:27350/25:10258178 - isvavai.cz</a>

Result on the web

<a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/17/13/1948" target="_blank" >https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/17/13/1948</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/w17131948" target="_blank" >10.3390/w17131948</a>

Result language

angličtina

Original language name

Ecological Integrity Assessment of Alpine Lotic Ecosystems: A Case Study of a High-Altitude National Park in Northern Pakistan

Original language description

This study assesses the ecological status of alpine lotic ecosystems in Khunjerab National Park, Pakistan, situated at approximately 4000 m in the Karakoram Range along the Pakistan-China border. An integrative approach was employed, evaluating alpine stream ecosystems through benthic macroinvertebrate indices in conjunction with physicochemical habitat parameters. Samples were gathered using kick nets and hand-picking at seventeen randomly selected sites in early spring and summer. The study recorded 710 summer taxa from 41 families and seven orders, and 1250 early spring taxa from 30 families and six orders. The abundance of macroinvertebrates increased in early spring, while taxonomic diversity increased during the summer. Statistical tests revealed a strong relationship between water quality conditions and biological features. The biotic index reached its peak in early spring, while diversity indices peaked in summer when Ephemeroptera dominated. Due to the macroinvertebrate source in early spring, the majority of EPT taxa were abundant at all alpine stream sites during early spring, except for upstream sites in summer. The indices from the biotic metric evaluation revealed low levels of natural environmental disturbance caused by humans. This research is significant in terms of natural resource conservation and health assessment based on the benthic fauna community structure in alpine streams.

Czech name

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Czech description

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Type

J_imp - Article in a specialist periodical, which is included in the Web of Science database

CEP classification

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OECD FORD branch

10500 - Earth and related environmental sciences

Project

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Continuities

I - Institucionalni podpora na dlouhodoby koncepcni rozvoj vyzkumne organizace

Publication year

2025

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Name of the periodical

Water

ISSN

2073-4441

e-ISSN

2073-4441

Volume of the periodical

17

Issue of the periodical within the volume

13

Country of publishing house

CH - SWITZERLAND

Number of pages

21

Pages from-to

nestránkováno

UT code for WoS article

001526077800001

EID of the result in the Scopus database

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