Abstract
The diversity and structure of plant communities are valuable indicators for assessing landscape quality. Land-use change is one of the main factors considered to affect and have the strongest impacts on biodiversity. In this study, we assessed the effects of the conversion of tropical dry forests and savannahs into agricultural lands on the floral diversity and the structure of the vegetation. For this purpose, we carried out vegetation surveys in 198 plots of 50 m × 50 m. Within each plot, we documented all herbaceous, shrubby, and tree species present. We calculated total, spatial, and local floral diversities by land-use types and characterized the structure of the plant communities. Our results show that the overall floral diversity of the study area remains quite high (483 species of vascular plants from 298 genera and 71 families) and was not strongly impacted by agricultural land use (Pareto inequality index is 23–77). Croplands had the highest spatial (9.4) and local diversities. There was no significant difference between the land-use types in terms of the native species richness while croplands harbored significantly the most alien species. Agricultural land use significantly affected the structure of the plant communities. Trees are very rare in croplands and are frequent in forests and savannahs. The clearing of Guinean dry forests and savannahs for cropping did not automatically lead to a loss of some aspects of ordinary floral diversity. For a better understanding of the effects of land-use change on biodiversity, it would then be more suitable to specify in the studies whether the species concerned are native, alien, generalist, or specialist.
Highlights
Biodiversity is a fundamental characteristic of the biosphere through the many services it provides
In the current context of the biodiversity crisis, understanding the vegetation change under the effect of human activities has become a major challenge for ecology [6]
The species richness recorded in the plant formations of the Togodo protected area and surroundings includes 483 species of vascular plants from 298 genera and 71 families
Summary
Biodiversity is a fundamental characteristic of the biosphere through the many services it provides. The current rate of extinction of species is at an “unprecedented”. According to [2], 39% of all vascular plant species would be threatened with extinction. Land-use change is one of the main drivers affecting and having the strongest impact on global biodiversity [1,4]. Almost three-quarters of the Earth’s land surface has been modified by human activities [5]. In the current context of the biodiversity crisis, understanding the vegetation change under the effect of human activities has become a major challenge for ecology [6]. The understanding of human-mediated vegetation change should make it possible to identify risks associated with certain human activities (agricultural practices, introduction, and use of exotic plants), direct public policies towards more sustainable management practices, and establish scenarios for the future
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