Abstract
Pteridophytes (ferns and ferns allies) are the second-largest group of vascular plants. These are represented by 202 species in Pakistan. Their ecological requirements have been investigated to some extent. In this chapter, an overview of their ecological features, specific habitats and distribution in discrete vegetation units has been summarized. The group inhabits a wide range of terrestrial environments. The terrestrial ferns observed to grow on the forest floor include the species from the genera Coniogramme, Osmunda, Botrychium, Onychium, Pteris, Pteridium, Christella, Phegopteris, Pseudophegopteris, Asplenium, Athyrium, Deparia, and Dryopteris. Those found on dry rocks are represented by the genera Selaginella, Lepisorus, Adiantum, Polystichum, Asplenium, and Cheilanthes. The representative genera of the free-floating water ferns are Azolla, Salvinia and Marsilea. The xerophytic rock ferns include the genera of Cheilanthes and Asplenium. The pteridophyte are dominantly found phytogeographically in the Western Himalayan province. Many areas in the country need more thorough exploration, and most of the materials need careful taxonomic and nomenclatural investigation. The ecological and taxonomic work on ferns is scanty, and a complete and updated list of ferns and lycophytes is still needed.
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Shah, S.N., Ahmad, M., Khan, S.M. (2022). The Ecology of Pakistani Ferns and Lycophytes. In: Öztürk, M., Khan, S.M., Altay, V., Efe, R., Egamberdieva, D., Khassanov, F.O. (eds) Biodiversity, Conservation and Sustainability in Asia. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-73943-0_6
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