Dry Semi-deciduous Forest Research Articles

Herpetofauna de uma área protegida situada em zona de transição na porção central da América do Sul

Abstract Several herpetofaunal inventories have been conducted in the Neotropical region. However, many areas remain to be investigated, and this is particularly true of transition zones between distinct ecoregions. Herein we describe the richness, species composition, and abundance of herpetofauna from a scarcely known portion of the Brazilian Cerrado and assess the taxonomic similarities of the assemblages among the sampled habitats and between neighbouring ecoregions. A mid-term herpetological inventory was conducted from May 2009 to January 2011 at Serra das Araras Ecological Station (SAES) using pitfall traps with drift fences in five distinct forested and open habitats. In these and in additional habitats, visual and acoustic searches and occasional encounters were also used to access the local composition of the herpetofauna, together with literature data and examination of specimens deposited in collections. We also compared the species composition at SAES on a regional scale with those of other 29 localities previously studied in nine South American ecoregions. We documented 123 species at the SAES (39 amphibians and 84 reptiles), 112 of which were recorded during the field inventory. Richness was highest in riparian forests and lowest in semi-deciduous dry forest and cerrado woodland. Riparian forests also presented the highest number of exclusive species, while only one exclusive species was found in cerrado woodland. Cerrado sensu stricto and cerrado parkland contained 53 and 40 species, including seven and 10 exclusive species, respectively, and showed greater similarity than the sampled forested habitats. In comparison to other localities in the Cerrado (including transition zones), SAES is home to one of the most diverse assemblages of herpetofauna. This may be attributed to continued sampling efforts and to the marked environmental heterogeneity resulting from the topographic profile and confluence of several ecoregions. Amphibian species composition at SAES is more similar to a nearby locality also studied in the Cerrado and to Chiquitano Dry Forest assemblages, while the reptile species composition is nested among the assemblages studied in the Cerrado. Our findings indicate that the herpetofauna of SAES is rich and representative of the regional biodiversity, with species composition evidencing its transitional character.

Historical vegetation shifts in southeastern Amazonia: Unraveling ecotone dynamics in the Carajás region over the last ∼14000 cal yr BP

This study investigates the Pleistocene–Holocene transition in Serra Leste, a highly endangered southeastern Amazonian ecotone, with a focus on the lake-filling process, climate changes, and potential consequences to forest and savanna dynamics. The lake's development began at approximately 14000 cal yr BP, resulting from the collapse of the fractured lateritic crust. Sedimentation patterns and geochemical, palynological and micro-charcoal proxies reveal shifts in detrital input and redox conditions, forest/savanna areas, and local and regional fire events, indicating a highly dynamic environmental history. The evolution of the lake is characterized by initial deltaic lobe deposition and forest dominance, followed in the Middle Holocene by sedimentary gaps or reduced detrital input; woody vegetation dominance, with a notable shift toward a more open landscape; and savanna and semideciduous dry forest, accompanied by a decrease in ombrophilous forests. A resurgence in arboreal elements recorded in the Late Holocene indicates an expansion of ombrophilous forests under wetter climate conditions and the establishment of a more continuous forest matrix, with the presence of likely “hyperdominant” taxa. Frequent local fire events and the occurrence of temporarily correlated archeological sites in the Serra Leste region suggest the influence of ancient indigenous communities on vegetation changes during the Late Holocene.

Tree architecture and leaf morphometry of Qualea grandiflora Mart. (Vochysiaceae) in a fragment of dry forest and pasture in the State of Goiás, Brazil

Investigating the functional traits of plant communities is extremely important for conserving habitats and plant species. This study aimed to evaluate the tree architecture and leaf morphometry of Qualea grandiflora (Vochysiaceae) in a fragment of semideciduous dry forest and pasture in the Boa Esperança settlement, municipality of Piracanjuba, State of Goiás, Brazil. Environmental, tree architecture, and foliar morphometry data were collected for seven trees in the semideciduous dry forest and five in the pasture area. We used the Shapiro-Wilk test to assess the normality of the collected data. The student t-test was used to compare the means of the functional traits between the two environments (forest and pasture). The average value of canopy cover was 85% for the semideciduous dry forest and 0% for the pasture. The mean values for leaf length and width were lower in the pasture. There was no significant difference in the petiole length in the two evaluated environments and for none of the functional traits related to the tree architecture. However, individuals of Qualea grandiflora grow better in the seasonal semideciduous dry forest, probably as a response to less stressful environmental conditions for this species. Thus, for sustainable exploitation by the local community, it is recommended that the tree matrices be chosen within the semideciduous dry forest area.

Expanding the knowledge of the bat fauna of the Brazilian Caatinga: new geographical records of molossid bats (Chiroptera, Molossidae) for the Chapada Diamantina region, with taxonomic notes.

The Caatinga, an exclusive biome in Brazil, is the largest tropical dry forest area in the Americas. It is characterized by a semi-arid climate and various soils that harbor a great diversity of flora and fauna. Novel records of aerial insectivorous bat species in the family Molossidae in the Chapada Diamantina, northeastern Brazil are presented. The study is based on field sampling of 115 molossid bat specimens from six genera and 12 taxonomically confirmed species, along with four taxa requiring further evaluation for definitive species identification. All specimens were obtained using mist nets around a small freshwater lagoon surrounded by semideciduous dry forest. The verified genera were Cynomops, Eumops, Molossops, Molossus, Neoplatymops, and Nyctinomops. Our findings enhance the understanding of bat diversity in the Brazilian Caatinga, with the first records of Eumopsdelticus, E.bonariensis, and Molossuscurrentium. The most abundant species were Molossusrufus, Eumopsglaucinus, Cynomopsplanirostris, Nyctinomopslaticaudatus, and Molossusmolossus. Previously unreported morphological and morphometric variations for these Caatinga taxa were examined. Additionally, information on sexual dimorphism in craniodental characteristics of Molossopstemminckii and variations in the presence of the sagittal crest in Neoplatymopsmattogrossensis are provided. Based on the voucher specimens from this study, the recognized number of species of Molossidae known from the Caatinga has increased to 21. Our results offer new insights into the taxonomy and biogeography of Neotropical molossids, highlighting their importance as members of bat communities in dry forest ecosystems from northeastern South America.

Fire-human-climate interactions in the Bolivian Amazon rainforest ecotone from the Last Glacial Maximum to late Holocene

The Amazon Rainforest Ecotone (the ARF-Ecotone) of the southwestern Amazon Basin is a transitional landscape from tropical evergreen rainforests and seasonally flooded savannahs to savannah woodlands and semi-deciduous dry forests. While fire activity plays an integral role in ARF-Ecotones, recent interactions between human activity and increased temperatures and prolonged droughts driven by anthropogenic climate change threaten to accelerate habitat transformation through positive feedbacks, increasing future fire susceptibility, fuel loads, and fire intensity. The long-term factors driving fire in the ARF-Ecotone remain poorly understood because of the challenge of disentangling the effects of prolonged climatic variability since the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM; ~24,000 to 11,000 cal BP) and over 10,500 years of human occupation in the region. To investigate this issue, we implement an interdisciplinary framework incorporating multiple lake sediment cores, with varying basin characteristics with existing regional palaeoclimatological and archaeological data. These data indicate expansive C4 grasslands coupled with low fire activity during the LGM, higher sensitivity of small basins to detecting local-scale fire activity, and increased spatial diversity of fire during the Holocene (~10,500 cal year BP to the limit of our records ~4,000 cal year BP), despite a similar regional climate. This may be attributed to increased human-driven fire. These data raise the intriguing possibility that the composition of modern flora at NKMNP developed as part of a co-evolutionary process between people and plants that started at the beginning of the ARE occupation.

Age matters: variations in parasitoid diversity along a successional gradient in a dry semi-deciduous tropical forest.

Parasitoids are an important group of insects because their species number is among the highest. Multiple studies have addressed the relationships between forest successional age and insect diversity by focusing on herbivorous organisms, but changes in diversity of parasitoids are still poorly known. This work analyses the diversity of parasitoids in tropical forests representing three successional stages. A total of 30 traps were placed, ten in each forest successional stages. We estimated true diversity of Ichneumonidae species and guilds and explored the relationship between their diversity and the abundance of plant species using an Indicator Species Analysis; the relationship between parasitoid species and plant richness and abundance was tested using a Redundancy Analysis. A total of 1522 individuals and 168 morpho-species were captured in four months. Species richness showed no differences; however, parasitoid abundance was higher in young forest, while intermediate forest had the highest true diversity values (1D) with 71.6 effective species. According to insect guilds, richness, abundance, and diversity were similar in the three vegetation successional stages. This finding may be explained based on the intermediate disturbance hypothesis, which postulates that moderate disturbance levels favor the highest diversity. In conclusion, successional age matters, i.e., diversity is the highest in intermediate stages, while the old forests harbors guilds unique to that successional stage, such as parasitoids of melitophagous larvae of bees. Other successional stages were characterized by a single species of parasitoid, belonging to the genera Eiphosoma and Anomalon, which may indicate altered and preserved forests, respectively.

Distribution and cultural identity of sacred groves in Togo

Sacred groves are important for biodiversity conservation but they face several threats. This study explores the contribution of these forest to the Togo Forest Landscape Restoration initiative and REDD+ implementation, based on inventories and systematic mapping. The results reveal that Togo has more than 780 sacred groves which cover 3,627.68 ha. The vegetation types cover by the sacred groves are woodlands (1 974.3 ha), dry semi-deciduous forests (882.52 ha) and tree savannas (537.82 ha). Many deities and vocations were associated with the sacred groves; ceremonial and prayer sacred groves (80,86%), voodoo and conservation sacred groves (12,46%), cemetery or burial sacred groves (3,11%), residence or retreat sacred groves (2.52%), secret meetings, and festivities or celebrations sacred groves (1,03%). These results highlight the need to consider sacred groves within the framework of the Togo Forest Landscape Restoration initiative and implementation of REDD+ strategies.

Global AM fungi are dominating mycorrhizal communities in a tropical premontane dry forest in Laipuna, South Ecuador

Tropical dry forests are an intricate ecosystem with special adaptations to periods of drought. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are essential for plant survival in all terrestrial ecosystems but might be of even greater importance in dry forests as plant growth is limited due to nutrient and water deficiency during the dry season. Tropical dry forests in Ecuador are highly endangered, but studies about AMF communities are scarce. We investigated the AMF community of a premontane semi-deciduous dry forest in South Ecuador during the dry season. We estimated AMF diversity, distribution, and composition of the study site based on operational taxonomic units (OTUs) and compared the results to those from the tropical montane rainforest and páramo in South Ecuador. OTU delimitation was based on part of the small ribosomal subunit obtained by cloning and Sanger sequencing. Nearly all OTUs were Glomeraceae. The four frequent OTUs were Glomus, and comparison with the MaarjAM database revealed these to be globally distributed with a wide range of ecological adaptations. Several OTUs are shared with virtual taxa from dry forests in Africa. Ordination analysis of AMF communities from the tropical dry and montane rainforests in South Ecuador revealed a unique AMF community in the dry forest with only few overlapping OTUs. Most OTUs that were found in both dry and rainforests and on the two continents were globally distributed Glomus.

Biochemical activity and microbial biomass in wetlands (Vereda) and well-drained soils under native vegetation types in Brazilian Cerrado

The Cerrado is the second largest Brazilian biome, a world biodiversity hotspot and home to important hydrographic basins. In this biome, native vegetation types play crucial environmental roles as natural repositories of carbon, water and biodiversity. However, the Cerrado is threatened by deforestation and land degradation. The soil microbiology knowledge of these areas would provide a better understanding of how this threatened environment functions and a basis for monitoring and conservation. This study investigates soil respiration, microbial biomass and enzymes activity of the native wetlands (veredas), and well-drained soils under native cerrado sensu stricto and semi-deciduous dry forest. Vereda soils produced the highest levels of soil biological attributes, while the semi-deciduous dry forest produced intermediate values and the Cerrado, the lowest values. Regardless of season, differences in soil activity were best correlated with five biological attributes: basal respiration, FDA, urease, β-glucosidase and acid phosphatase activity. Partial redundancy analysis indicated that variance in soil microbial and biochemical attributes was better correlated with soil physicochemical attributes than with vegetation type. Redundancy analysis and a Pearson correlation showed that the differentiating biological variables were best correlated with nitrogen concentration. Vereda soils have a far greater biochemical potential for metabolizing organic carbon under standard (i.e. aerobic) conditions, suggesting that draining vereda soils may lead to losses of organic matter and increased greenhouse gas emissions. The findings of this study provide a basis of ecological information on native Cerrado soils that can be used to manage and monitor the quality of this threatened biome.

Multiple Factors Influence Seasonal and Interannual Litterfall Production in a Tropical Dry Forest in Mexico

Litterfall production plays a fundamental role in the dynamics and function of tropical forest ecosystems, as it supplies 70–80% of nutrients entering the soil. This process varies annually and seasonally, depending on multiple environmental factors. However, few studies spanning several years have addressed the combined effect of climate variables, successional age, topography, and vegetation structure in tropical dry forests. In this study, we evaluated monthly, seasonal, and annual litterfall production over a five-year period in semideciduous dry forests of different successional ages growing on contrasting topographic conditions (sloping or flat terrain) in Yucatan, Mexico. Its relationship with climate and vegetation structural variables were also analyzed using multiple linear regression and generalized linear models. Litterfall was measured monthly in 12 litterfall traps of 0.5 m2 in three sampling clusters (sets of four 400 m2 sampling plots) established in forests of five successional age classes, 3–5, 10–17, 18–25, 60–79, and >80 years (in the latter two classes either on slopping or on flat terrain), for a total of 15 sampling clusters and 180 litterfall traps. Litterfall production varied between years (negatively correlated with precipitation), seasons (positively correlated with wind speed and maximum temperature), and months (negatively correlated with relative humidity) and was higher in flat than in sloping sites. Litterfall production also increased with successional age until 18–25 years after abandonment, when it attained values similar to those of mature forests. It was positively correlated with the aboveground biomass of deciduous species but negatively correlated with the basal area of evergreen species. Our results show a rapid recovery of litterfall production with successional age of these forests, which may increase with climate changes such as less precipitation, higher temperatures, and higher incidence of hurricanes.

Drought severity, disturbance intensity and wood density of dominant and rare tree species in Brazilian seasonally dry semideciduous forests

Wood density is one of the main functional traits affecting demographic rates of tropical trees. However, little is known about how this translates into abundance of trees in local assemblages. I hypothesized that: (1) higher wood density would generally result in better adaptation to prevailing environmental conditions in seasonally dry semideciduous forests, which would translate into numerical dominance of denser-wood species; (2 and 3, respectively) as drought severity and disturbance intensity increase, the performance of individuals of denser-wood species would drop, so that the numerical dominance of those species would decline. A community-level functional measure (ΔMWD) was used to access the role played by wood density in shaping numerical dominance in assemblages. I obtained the value of ΔMWD for 30 local assemblages by computing the difference between wood density mean value of two species groups in each assemblage: dominant and rare. The proportion of ΔMWD positive values was significantly greater than 0.5, thus supporting hypothesis 1. This finding may be explained by the possible ability of denser-wood species to continue growing under drought conditions due to greater resistance to drought-induced cavitation of vessels associated with higher wood density. Pearson correlation coefficients between ΔMWD and drought severity and between ΔMWD and disturbance intensity were negative and statistically significant, supporting hypotheses 2 and 3, respectively. Also supporting these hypotheses, Glm fitting showed that drought severity and disturbance intensity had significant negative effects on ΔMWD; and the median values of ΔMWD of the subsets of assemblages showing higher levels of drought severity and disturbance intensity were significantly smaller than that of their respective counterparts. These findings may be explained by shifts of adaptive advantages from denser-wood drought tolerant strategists to softer-wood drought avoidance strategists, and from denser-wood resource conservative strategists to softer-wood resource acquisitive strategists, as drought severity and disturbance intensity increase, respectively.

Influence of management practices on stand biomass, carbon stocks and soil nutrient variability of teak plantations in a dry semi-deciduous forest in Ghana

Many forest plantations in the tropics are not well managed due to lack of resources and sometimes expertise; but if plantations are to fulfill their expected usefulness especially for climate change solutions, then best practices should be used. However, more data is required to demonstrate the gains that can be made in the various end uses of plantation-grown timber and the soils on which they are grown to encourage good practices among growers. The current study compared biomass, carbon stock accumulation and soils nutrient levels in an intensively managed (IMP) and less intensively managed (LIMP) teak plantation in Ghana. The data were collected from 10 sampled plots from each plantation type. The IMP significantly accumulated biomass and carbon stocks than the LIMP; however, LIMP had a higher number of forked trees than the IMP. Mean percentage of nitrogen, cation exchange capacity and concentrations of Mg, Ca, K, Na and Al were also higher under the IMP than the LIMP. Our results show that management practices have a significant effect on stand characteristics as well as the soils on which stands grow and therefore forest managers must endeavor to apply intensive management practices to optimize plantation benefits.

Home Range Estimates for Small Indian Mongooses (Urva auropunctata) in Southwestern Puerto Rico

The small Indian mongoose (Urva auropunctata) is an opportunistic omnivore introduced to sugar producing islands primarily to control rat (Rattus spp.) populations, yet is now considered an invasive pest species on multiple Caribbean islands. Data on home range estimates of mongooses in Puerto Rico and other regions are limited. We fitted 24 mongooses (15 males and nine females) with very high frequency (VHF) radio collars at the Cabo Rojo National Wildlife Refuge in southwestern Puerto Rico and tracked them via radio telemetry for up to six months. The raw mean (SE) minimum convex polygon home range among 24 mongooses was 45.03 (8.30) hectares. The mean (SE) fixed kernel 95% estimate was 38.37 (5.78) hectares, and the 50% core area estimate was 7.89 (1.29) hectares. Our home range estimates are similar to previous estimates in the Caribbean and other islands, but larger than those reported from their native range in India. Our study adds new information to the small body of literature available on mongoose home ranges and is one of the few studies conducted in a lowland dry semi-deciduous forest in southwestern Puerto Rico. Additional research on mongoose home ranges in suburban/rural habitats, as well as in agricultural areas, would provide valuable information for the management of wildlife disease and damage conflicts associated with mongooses in the Caribbean region.

Isotopic ecology and extirpation chronology of the extinct Lesser Antillean native rodent Antillomys rayi Brace et al. (2015)

The Lesser Antilles is a string of islands stretching from Grenada in the south to Sombrero in the north, which was once home to at least 20 insular populations of native rodents scattered across the different islands. Despite their relative ubiquity on the archipelago, these now extinct rodents remain poorly understood. In Guadeloupe (Basse-Terre and Grande-Terre), Marie-Galante, Barbuda and Antigua, fossil specimens of a large Lesser Antillean native rodent have recently been described as a distinct species, Antillomys rayi Brace et al. 2015. In order to shed new light on the processes leading to the extinction of this species, we use stable carbon and oxygen isotopes to better constrain its ecology, along with a series of radiocarbon dates to narrow its last-occurrence date in Guadeloupe and Marie-Galante. First, we built a reference collection of present-day isotopic data based on carbon and oxygen isotopes from black rats captured in different natural environmental contexts of Guadeloupe. Here, we show A. rayi to have occupied multiple distinct environments ranging from semi-deciduous dry forest to seasonal evergreen or mountain forests. New direct radiocarbon dates obtained on fossil material considerably bring forward the last occurrence of A. rayi in Guadeloupe and Marie-Galante, making it roughly coincident with European contact. However, our new calibrated age intervals place the last occurrence of A. rayi no later than the 16th century AD. Taken together, our results suggest that A. rayi became exceedingly rare, if not extirpated, in Guadeloupe and Marie-Galante shortly after European contact. While the overexploitation of A. rayi by Amerindian populations and the deforestation by European colonists could have impacted A. rayi populations, the consequences (biological competition, disease) of the introduction of black rat most likely explains the early decline of A. rayi and its ultimate extirpation from the islands of Guadeloupe.

Seasonal demography of different black rat (Rattus rattus) populations under contrasting natural habitats in Guadeloupe (Lesser Antilles, Caribbean)

The black rat (Rattus rattus) is one of the most widespread rodents on islands worldwide, introduced over the last five centuries. However, reliable information concerning how biotic or abiotic factors influence key parameters of black rat population biology in insular contexts is currently unavailable. Here we aim to document the relative abundance of rat populations and evaluate how the age structure and the body mass of adult individual vary seasonally in different forest environments under contrasting climatic conditions. Rats were captured during wet and dry seasons in 2017–2018 at one or two sites in each of the four natural forested environments of Guadeloupe, all of which experience widely different annual rainfall (semi-deciduous dry forest, seasonal evergreen forest, mountain rainforest and Pterocarpus officinalis swamp forest). A total of 171 black rats were captured during a 1018 trap-night effort. Overall capture results confirm this species to thrive in all the natural forested environments we investigated. With the exception of the P. officinalis swamp forest, black rat populations reach higher relative abundances during the wet season due to juvenile and sub-adult recruitment at the end of the dry season. In contrast, in the P. officinalis swamp forest, breeding activity continues during both seasons and relative rat abundance appears to fluctuate less seasonally. The relative abundance of adult black rats is also higher in the seasonal semi-evergreen and rainforests that experience little or no water stress. These contexts therefore appear the most favourable for sustaining black rat populations, a pattern that is most likely connected to a combination of climatic and/or edaphic parameters that condition the year-round availability and abundance of food resources.

Vertical distribution, nutrient concentration and seasonal changes of fine root mass in a semi-deciduous tropical dry forest and in two adjacent pastures in the Western Llanos of Venezuela

With the objective to contribute to a better understanding of ecological consequences of deforestation on the below-ground system in the Western Llanos of Venezuela, we evaluated the vertical distribution, nutrient concentration and seasonal changes of total fine root mass (FRM) (<2 mm diameter) in a semi-deciduous tropical dry forest and in 2 adjacent pastures of Cynodon nlemfuensis: a young pasture (YP, 5 years old) and an old pasture (OP, 18 years old) in the Obispo municipality, Barinas State. This evaluation included measurements at the end of the rainy season, during the dry season and during the subsequent early rainy season in 2005/2006. Highest FRM was recorded during the dry season, which probably indicates a plant water-stress response mechanism. The highest proportion (63‒88%) of FRM was concentrated in the 10–20 cm soil layer at all studied sites, probably due to a higher nutrient and moisture content at that depth. Non-significant differences (P>0.05) were observed in the total concentrations of organic carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, calcium and magnesium in the FRM in soils supporting forest, OP and YP at the evaluated depths. Non-significant changes in the total FRM and nutrient concentrations were observed between the sampling periods and the 3 study sites. YP soils showed a slight increase in FRM that could be associated with the root growth of secondary vegetation, which is considered a weed and is periodically removed. Our results suggest that the land use change from tropical forest to pastures has not significantly affected the mass of fine roots and their carbon and nutrient concentrations. Further studies are needed to determine if these findings apply to other ecosystems.

<p><strong><em>Rinorea gemmulata</em></strong><strong> (Violaceae): A New Species from Eastern Brazil</strong></p>

We describe and illustrate here a new species of Rinorea from the Brazilian states of Bahia and Espírito Santo, under the name Rinorea gemmulata. The new species occurs in the understory of seasonally dry riparian and semi-deciduous forests. The new species could be diagnosed by the combination of opposite leaves, free stamens, velutinous connective and for the unique presence of perulate buds. We provide a distribution map, a preliminary IUCN conservation assessment, and illustrations, as well as morphological comparison with the sympatric R. ramiziana and the putatively related R. vaupesana and R. villosiflora.

Sanding and Shaping Characteristics of Gmelina arborea Grown in Two Ecological Zones in Ghana

Poor machining of wood generates more residues which leads to low recovery in wood processing. Therefore, the availability of appropriate wood machining techniques would promote efficient utilization of logs. This study looked at the shaping and sanding properties of Gmelina arborea - a lesser-known species in Ghana - in order to promote its efficient utilization. Six trees from plantations at the Wet Evergreen and Dry Semi-Deciduous Forest Zones were extracted and processed into lumber using LT 15 horizontal wood-mizer. The average moisture content of samples just before the test was 14.57%. Specimens were prepared in accordance with ASTM D 143-83 and ASTM D 1666-87 (2004) for the sanding and shaping tests. The effects of tree location, grit size and spindle speed on sanding and shaping properties of Gmelina arborea wood were assessed using the visual approach. For the sanding test, grit size P80 was the best sandpaper to remove chipped and torn grain defects from the surfaces of Gmelina arborea lumber after planing. Spindle speed 10,000 rpm gave the best shaping output so it was recommended for shaping Gmelina arborea timber grown in Ghana. For the shaping operation, wood samples obtained from the Dry Semi-Deciduous Forest Zone had better surface quality than those obtained from the Wet Evergreen Forest Zone. A similar trend was obtained for the sanding test. The most common defects observed during grading of the shaped specimens were raised, chipped and fuzzy grains and those observed for the sanded specimen were fuzzy and scratchy defects. At 5% level of significance, tree location and spindle speed had significant effect on the surface quality of the shaped specimen.

Socioeconomic Indicators of Bamboo Use for Agroforestry Development in the Dry Semi-Deciduous Forest Zone of Ghana

Bamboo agroforestry is currently being promoted in Ghana as a viable land use option to reduce dependence on natural forest for wood fuels. To align the design and introduction of bamboo agroforestry to the needs of farmers, information on the determinants of bamboo acceptability and adoption is necessary. It is, therefore, the aim of this study to determine how socioeconomic factors, local farming practices and local knowledge on bamboo may influence its acceptability and adoption as a component of local farming systems. Data were collected from 200 farmers in the dry semi-deciduous forest zone of Ghana using semi-structured questionnaire interviews. The results show that farmers’ traditional knowledge on bamboo including its use for charcoal production and leaves for fodder are influential determinants of bamboo adoption. Among the demographic characteristics of farmers, age and gender are the most significant predictors. It is also evident that the regular practice of leaving trees on farmlands and type of cropping system may influence bamboo integration into traditional farming systems.

Effects of Broussonetia papyrifera invasion and land use on vegetation characteristics in a tropical forest of Ghana

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of Broussonetia papyrifera (paper mulberry) invasion and land use on the floristic composition of a dry semi-deciduous forest in Ghana. Forty-five plots (25 m × 25 m each), distributed among three land uses—selectively logged (SL); abandoned farmlands (AF); and an undisturbed reference (RF)—were surveyed. Results showed lower tree species richness (S), diversity (H′), evenness (S) and basal area (BA) in the SL (46, 0.78, 0.32 and 269.12 m2 ha−1, respectively) and AF (40, 0.53, 0.45, and 131.16 m2 ha−1) sites compared to the RF site (79, 2.66, 0.87, 963.72 m2 ha−1). Similar patterns were found at the shrub layer, but no differences were observed at the herb layer. Non-metric multidimensional scaling ordination revealed distinct species composition among the land uses. The two disturbed habitats, SL and AF, were associated with increased B. papyrifera invasion particularly in the overstory, with importance value index and mean relative density of 45 and 65.03%, and 42 and 53.29%, correspondingly. However, the species was only sparsely represented in the RF site. Tree density of B. papyrifera correlated negatively with H′, S, E, BA, and native tree density and richness. These findings highlight the strong link between human land use (i.e., logging and slash-and-burn farming), invasion, and vegetation characteristics, and suggest the need to limit these disturbances to conserve biodiversity within tropical forest ecosystems.