Abstract
Trees species diversity, richness, and similarity were studied in fifteen plots of the tropical rainforests in the northeast of the Republic of Congo, based on trees inventories conducted on fifteen 0.25 ha plots installed along different types of forests developed on terra firma, seasonally flooded, and on flooded terra. In all of the plots installed, all trees with diameter at breast height, DBH ≥ 5 cm, were measured. The Shannon diversity index, species richness, equitability, and species dominance were computed to see the variation in tree community among plots but also between primary forest and secondary forest. A total of 1611 trees representing 114 species and 35 families were recorded from a total area of 3.75 ha. Euphorbiaceae was the dominant family in the forest with 12 species, followed by Fabaceae-Mimosoideae (10 species) and Phyllanthaceae (6 species) and Guttiferae (6 species). The biodiversity did not vary greatly from plot to plot on the whole of the study area (3.75 ha). The low value of Shannon index was obtained in plot 11 (H′=0.75) whereas the highest value was obtained in plot 12 (H′=4.46). The values of this index vary from 0.23 to 0.95 in plots P11 and P15, respectively. Results obtained revealed high biodiversity of trees of the forest of Impfondo-Dongou. The information on tree species structure and function can provide baseline information for conservation of the biodiversity of the tropical forest in this area.
Highlights
Richness, and similarity were studied in fifteen plots of the tropical rainforests in the northeast of the Republic of Congo, based on trees inventories conducted on fifteen 0.25 ha plots installed along different types of forests developed on terra firma, seasonally flooded, and on flooded terra
Tropical forests are the subject of several studies to better understand the role they could play in sustainable development, climate change, and floristic biodiversity [1, 2]
Euphorbiaceae was the dominant family in the forest with 12 species, followed by Fabaceae Mimosoideae with 10 species
Summary
Tropical forests are the subject of several studies to better understand the role they could play in sustainable development, climate change, and floristic biodiversity [1, 2]. 52% of the total forests are in tropical regions and they are known to be the most important areas in terms of biodiversity [2, 4]. This diversity is an indicator that allows appreciating links between the richness and the abundance of individuals’ trees; it reflects the degree of heterogeneity or stability of vegetation [5]. In the Republic of Congo (RoC), according to the definition of the forest, forests cover 69% of the territory [6] Sustainable management of these forests requires a good knowledge of all the natural forest resource; this knowledge could be reliable only through studies of the forest environment
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