Woody Plant Species Diversity Research Articles

Effects of exotic plantation expansion and management intervention on woody plant species diversity, regeneration and soil seed bank in Tarmaber district, Ethiopia

This study was carried out to determine the effect of plantation forest with management intervention on woody plant species diversity in Tarmaber district north shewa zone Ethiopia, regeneration and soil seed bank species composition in five different forest types. A total of 75 circular sample plots of 314 m2 were established along a transect lines. Soil seed bank analysis was done from soil samples collected in each of the plots (225 samples). Different diversity index and ANOVA was used in SPSS software for analysis. The result showed that a total of 51 woody plant species was recorded in adjacent natural forest (41), managed C. lusitanica (27), not managed C. lusitanica (9), managed E. globules (22) and not managed E. globules (13) species. Regeneration of seedlings were 3538, 5567, 707, 1462 and 2524 mean stems ha-1 for natural forest, managed C. lusitanica, not managed C. lusitanica, managed E. globules and not managed E. globules respectively. Unmanaged C. lusitanica plantations had significantly lower densities of mature tree stems ha-1 as compared to managed C. lusitanica, managed E. globules and adjacent natural forest (F=14.03, p<0.05). Similarly in terms of sapling density ha-1 unmanaged C. lusitanica was significantly lower from other forest types (F=7.37, p <0.05). However managed C. lusitanica had significantly higher seedling regeneration (stem density ha-1) than other plantation and adjacent natural forests (F = 16.11, p < 0.05). Generally mean stem densities including tree, sapling and seedling of woody species among different forest types managed C. lusitanica was significantly higher among different forest types (F= 13.01, p<0.05). From the soil seed bank a total of 22 plant species (20 native and 2 exotic) species were recovered. In different forest types the number of species recorded was in adjacent natural forest (19), managed C. lusitanica (11), unmanaged C. lusitanica (4), managed E. globules (7) and unmanaged E. globules (5). Generally, with appropriate management intervention, undergrowth vegetation and soil seed bank status in plantation forest had good species composition and diversity.

A bi-seasonal classification of woody plant species using Sentinel-2A and SPOT-6 in a localised species-rich savanna environment

Sustainable management of biodiversity benefit from cost-effective multi-temporal classification schemes afforded by remote sensing techniques. This study compared classification accuracies of woody plant species (n = 27) and three coexisting land cover types using dry and wet seasons data. Random Forest (RF), Support Vector Machine (SVM) and Deep Neural Network (DNN), were applied to Sentinel-2A and SPOT-6 images. The results showed higher overall classification accuracies for wet season data (65%–72%) for both images and classifiers (DNN, RF and SVM), compared to dry season classification (52%–59%). Near infrared region bands, available in both Sentinel-2A and SPOT-6 imagery, produced high performance for both wet (83%) and dry (80%) seasons. Overall, the findings show potential of multispectral remote-sensing for woody plant species diversity in different seasons. Such a study should be extended to higher frequency species diversity classification, to capture dynamics that may manifest at short time intervals of the year.

A Comparison Study on Species Diversity of Woody Plants in Mountain Parks and Riverside Parks of Fuzhou City

In order to know the situation of plant diversity of mountain parks and riverside parks in Fuzhou city, the woody plants of different mountain parks and riverside parks in Fuzhou city were studied in this paper. The typical sampling method was used in this survey. Then the composition of plant community, the origination of plants and the species diversity index were analyzed to explore the differences of plant diversity between different types of parks. The research was aimed to provide basic data for the biodiversity conservation in Fuzhou city. The results showed that the species of woody plants of mountain parks and riverside parks was abundant, the similarity of the composition of plant community is extremely high, the number of woody plant species and the application proportion of native tree species of mountain parks was higher than that of riverside parks. The abundance index and the Shannon-Wiener index of tree layer of mountain parks was higher than that of riverside parks. The abundance index and the Shannon-Wiener index of shrub layer of mountain parks was lower than that of riverside parks.

Area exclosure effects on soil properties and woody species diversity in Amelake sub-watershed, Southern Ethiopia

ABSTRACT Land degradation in the form of soil and vegetation decline has been an ecological and agricultural problem in Ethiopian highlands. To overcome this issue, the government and local community has been practised area exclosure across the country including Amelake sub-watershed, southern Ethiopia. This study aimed to evaluate area exclosure effects on soil basic properties and woody species diversity in Amaleke sub-watershed. Composite soil samples and Woody plant species were collected with the transects by systematic sampling plot design technique from area exclosure for 10 years and adjacent degraded land with similar landscape position. The collected soil samples from area exclosure and degraded land were analysed through ANOVA whereas woody plant species determined by Shannon diversity. The result revealed that area exclosure had significantly (P < 0.05) different values for all basic soil properties except for soil bulk density, sand, EC and pH. Whereas 16 woody species representing 12 families were recorded in the study site. Out of the 12 families, all were recorded in the exclosure while 5 were recorded in the degraded site. Diversity index result revealed that the woody plant species diversity in exclosure and adjacent degraded land were 1.41 and 1.1, respectively. Similarly, species evenness in exclosure and degraded site were 2.41 and 1.84, respectively, whereas species richness in area exclosure and degraded land was 15 and 6, respectively. In general, exclosure has a great contribution to maintain health soil environment and woody plant species in the study area. Therefore, to improve the soil basic properties and woody species diversity area exclosure practices will be expanded to other degraded watersheds.

Land use land cover dynamics and fragmentation-induced changes in woody plant community structure in a mining landscape, Ghana

The study assessed the dynamics of mining land use land cover changes and consequent fragmentation impacts on woody plant community structure in the Ahafo Region, Ghana. Landsat images were utilised to determine land use and cover changes using a supervised classification method. Plant community structure was determined within 60 (20 × 20 m) plots that were randomly laid in equal numbers in fragmented and intact forests. Our findings showed that the mining landscape experienced a substantial land use/cover change between 2003 and 2018, with considerable forest cover loss at the expense of increasing cover of plantation, settlement/bare surface, mine site, and waterbody. Woody plant species diversity was significantly lower in the fragmented forest around the mine. Likewise, fragmentation caused a shift in plant species composition in the fragmented forest, whose composition was less homogenised compared to the intact forest. Plant abundance did not differ significantly between the two forests, but it was invasive and cultivated tree species that increased the total abundance of woody plants in the fragmented forests. The mining landscape was dominated by an invasive alien species, Broussonetia papyrifera which poses an ecological threat to native species. In conclusion, our findings suggest that mining contributed to intense land use/cover dynamics and fragmentation that impaired woody plant community structure around the mine. There is the need to accord priority to management intervention that would seek to manage and conserve the remaining forest fragments and its biodiversity in the mining landscape.

Assessing the performance of a citizen science project for monitoring urban woody plant species diversity in China

Citizen science has been increasingly used for monitoring urban biodiversity in North American and European cities. However, there is scant information about its applicability outside of these regions. In this study, we have set up a citizen science project to monitor urban woody plant diversity in China and evaluated the performance of the project. We analyzed the participants’ behavior and the quality of the collected data. In 12 months, 275 of 898 registered citizen scientists have contributed a total of 4674 valid checklists of urban woody plant species in 112 cities through a WeChat mini program called “Utrees” and a website with the same name. The mean number of monthly active participants was 33 (SD = 29), and the mean number of monthly submitted images of plants was 549 (SD = 592). The participants have tried to identify 60 % of submitted plant images, and 40 % of their identifications could match experts’ identifications. The mean identification accuracy by the citizen scientists was 31.3 % (SD = 34.9), which has been improved after adding an automatic plant image identification function to the mini program. While the participation and identification accuracy were lower than those reported by similar projects in North American and European cities, the data collected through the project are still useful in revealing woody plant diversity patterns in urban China. At the national level, the project has identified 557 woody plant species in China’s cities in one year, 21.2 % of the number of species reported in a list compiled from literature over 35 years. At the individual city level, the number of species recorded by the project in Beijing was three times more than the number reported in a recent field study. Our results proved that citizen science is a promising approach for monitoring urban biodiversity in China, but serious efforts are needed to engage the public to unlock the full potential of citizen science.

Plant identity strongly structures the root-associated fungal community in a diverse subtropical forest

Revealing the relationship between plants and root-associated fungi is very important in understanding diversity maintenance and community assembly in ecosystems. However, the community assembly of root-associated fungi of focal plant species along a subtropical plant species diversity gradient is less documented. Here, we examined root-associated fungal communities associated with five ectomycorrhizal (EM) plant species (Betula luminifera, Castanea henryi, Castanopsis fargesii, C. sclerophylla, and Quercus serrate) in a Chinese subtropical woody plant species diversity (1, 2, 4, 8, 16 and 24 species) experiment, using paired-end Illumina MiSeq sequencing of the ITS2 region. In total, we detected 1933 root-associated fungal operational taxonomic units (OTUs) at a 97% sequence similarity level. Plant identity had a significant effect on total and saprotrophic fungal OTU richness, but plant species diversity level had a significant effect on saprotrophic and pathogenic fungal OTU richness. The community composition of total, saprotrophic and EM fungi was structured by plant identity and plant species diversity level. However, the community composition of pathogenic fungi was only shaped by plant identity. This study highlights that plant identity has a stronger effect on the root-associated fungal community than plant species diversity level in a diverse subtropical forest ecosystem.

Effects of Exotic Plantation and Management Intervention on Woody Plant Species Diversity, Regeneration and Soil Seed Bank in Tarmaber District, Ethiopia

Plantations have many economic and environmental benefits, but exotic plantations are widely viewed negatively mainly in relation to biological diversity conservation, and regenerations to prove this dilemma this study is necessary. This study was carried out in Tarmaber district north shewa zone Ethiopia to determine the effect of plantation forest with management intervention on woody plant species diversity, regeneration and soil seed bank species composition in five different forest types. A total of 75 circular sample plots of 314 m² were established along a transect lines. Soil seed bank analysis was done from soil samples collected in each of the plots (225 samples) to examine the similarity between the soil seed bank and aboveground flora. Different diversity index and ANOVA was used in SPSS software for analysis. The result showed that a total of 51 woody plant species was recorded in adjacent natural forest (41), managed <i>C. lusitanica</i> (27), not managed <i>C. lusitanica</i> (9), managed <i>E. globules</i> (22) and not managed <i>E. globules</i> (13) species. Regeneration of seedlings were 3538, 5567, 707, 1462 and 2524 mean stems ha^-1 for natural forest, managed <i>C. lusitanica</i>, not managed <i>C. lusitanica</i>, managed <i>E. globules</i>and not managed <i>E. globules</i>respectively. Unmanaged <i>C. lusitanica</i>plantations had significantly lower densities of mature tree stems ha^-1 as compared to managed <i>C. lusitanica</i>, managed <i>E. globules</i>and adjacent natural forest (F=14.03, p<0.05). Similarly in terms of sapling density ha^-1 unmanaged <i>C. lusitanica</i> was significantly lower from other forest types (F=7.37, p <0.05). However managed <i>C. lusitanica</i>had significantly higher seedling regeneration (stem density ha^-1) than other plantation and adjacent natural forests (F = 16.11, p < 0.05). Generally meanstem densities including tree, sapling and seedling of woody species among different forest types managed <i>C. lusitanica</i> was significantly higher among different forest types (F= 13.01, p<0.05). From the soil seed bank a total of 22 plant species (20 native and 2 exotic) species were recovered. In different forest types the number of species recorded was in adjacent natural forest (19), managed <i>C. lusitanica</i> (11), unmanaged <i>C. lusitanica</i> (4), managed E. globules (7) and unmanaged <i>E. globules</i> (5). The similarity of the soil seed bank was more or less similar to the above ground flora with maximum Sorenson’s similarity values of 0.633. Generally with appropriate management intervention undergrowth vegetation and soil seed bank status in plantation forest had good species composition and diversity.

Woody Plant Species Diversity of Dembeza Natural Forest, Enebsae Sarmider District, North Western Ethiopia

The natural forest in Ethiopia has significant contribution to the ecological and economy of the country. The study was conducted at Dembeza natural forest to explore woody plant species diversity. Systematic and predetermined sampling method was followed to collect the inventory data. The main objective of the study was to undergo inventory of indigenous woody plant species, record regeneration status, determining floristic composition and list out the plant species which have threatened and need immediate conservation. The study was conducted during December to January 2021. A total of four transect and 40 plots were used to collect the inventory data. From the natural forest a total of 66 plant species belongs to 41 families were recorded. The life form distribution of this species was 2 (3.17%) herb, 4 (6.34%) liana, 41 (65.07%) shrub and 16 (25.39%) tree. Fabaceae was found the most species rich families comprising 7 (11.11%) also Lamiaceae and Celastraceae follow with the same 4 (6.34%). The variation of the species frequency ranges between 2.5- 85% showing high heterogeneity in species distribution. Among those Acacia lahai 2.5%, Ekebergia capensis 2.5% Apodytes dimidiata 5% held less in distribution while, Abutilon figarianum 22.5%, Acacia abyssinica 60%, Carissa spinarum 65% and Croton macrostachyus 85% are comparatively recorded high in frequently appearing or widely distributed woody plant species. The total seedling density per hectare of the forest was 6606.25, which have highest density in the forest were Juniperus procera (206.25), Acanthus sennii (218.75), Carissa spinarum (381.25), Myrsine africana (293.75), Calpurnia aurea (418.75) and top Croton macrostachyus (1375). While species which have lowest density were Acacia lahai, Acokanthera schimperi, Calusena anisata, Dovyalis abyssinica, Dodonaea angustifolia, Rhus glutinosa, Rosa abyssinica, Steganotaenia araliacea which mean species not recorded seedling during the inventory. The major factor recorded in the forest were browsing, cutting and logging. Minimizing human intervention, eradicating of invasive alien species and prevent forest disturbance should applied in Dembeza natural forest.

Floristic composition, structure and regeneration status of woody plants in church forests of Dangila, Northwestern Ethiopia

This study was conducted to determine woody species composition, diversity, structure, and regeneration status of sacred groves in Dangila town, Ethiopia. Five church forests were selected for this study among 14 forests in the district. Forty plots of 20 mx20m were laid along 20 transect lines for vegetation data collection. Additionally, 5 mx5m subplots were laid within the main plot to evaluate the regeneration status of woody plants. Woody plants with DBH ≥ 2.5 cm in each plot were identified and recorded. A total of 73 plant species in 64 genera and 42 families were identified. Among these, 43.06, 12.5, 36.11, and 8.33% were trees, tree/shrubs, shrubs, and climbers, respectively. Family Fabaceae were the most dominant contributing 9 (12.5%) species to the total followed by Euphorbaceae, Acantaceae, Rosaceae, and Moraceae with 7 (9.72%) species, 3 (4.17%) species, 3 (4.17%) species and 3 (4.17%) species, respectively. A total density of 548.13 seedlings ha−1, 841.88 saplings ha−1 and 2180.6 mature individuals ha−1 of woody species were counted in the sample plots. The density of height and DBH classes showed inverted J-shape pattern. The Shannon diversity and evenness of woody plant species in Dangila church forests was 3.5 and 0.82, respectively, which is relatively high. The total basal area of the forest was 98.4 m2/ha. These church forests had fair regeneration potential. Species with low important value index (IVI) and abundance need to be prioritized for conservation. Silvicultural intervention has to be implemented to strengthen the religious and cultural conservation system of the church forests.

Woody plant species diversity as a predictor of ecosystem services in a social\u2013ecological system of southwestern Ethiopia

ContextHuman-dominated landscapes in the tropics need to be managed for biodiversity and the maintenance of ecosystem services (ES). Nevertheless, integrating both biodiversity conservation and ES management remains a challenge.ObjectivesThis study aimed to quantify woody plant species diversity and associated ES in farmland and forests, and investigate the relationship between species and ES diversity.MethodsThe study was conducted in southwestern Ethiopia. We surveyed woody plants in 181 20 m by 20 m plots in farmland, forest with, and forest without coffee management. We also interviewed 180 randomly selected households about woody plant benefits. We then (a) quantified species and ES diversity; and (b) investigated the relationship between species and ES diversity.ResultsWe recorded 128 woody plant species in total. Most ES were available in all land uses, although they differed in their mean availability. ES composition was significantly different among land uses. ES diversity was positively related with species diversity in all land uses.ConclusionsOur findings suggest that all examined land-use types were multifunctional in terms of key ES provided by woody plants and that maintaining high species diversity also benefits ES diversity. Given these findings, we suggest to: (1) strengthen landscape multifunctionality by drawing on the positive relationship between biodiversity and ES diversity; (2) devise conservation policies that encompass entire landscape mosaics and enhance co-benefits of conservation and ES provision across land uses; and (3) conduct further social–ecological studies that use mixed data to elicit socially relevant relationships between biodiversity and ES diversity.

Woody plant species diversity and composition in and around Debre Libanos church forests of North Shoa Zone of Oromiya, Ethiopia

Dry afromontane forests are among the most poorly managed and endangered ecosystems. Therefore, we assessed the composition, diversity, and conservation status of woody plant species of the Debre Libanos church forests and surrounding forest lands in Oromiya Regional National State, central Ethiopia in 62 nested circular sample plots spaced 200 m apart along two transect lines. Large circular plots 314 m2 were used to sample trees with DBH of at least 10 cm, and subplots of 28.26 m2 were laid in each main plot were used to assess saplings and shrubs; a small subplot of 3.14 m2 was used to assess seedlings. In total, 70 woody plant species belonging to 62 genera and 43 families were recorded. Of these, 59, 28 and 32 were in the church, government and private forest types, respectively. The most dominant families were Fabaceae and Verbenaceae, each represented by five species. In the forests considered, trees accounted for 61%, and shrubs with diameter at breast height (DBH) of 1–10 cm accounted for ca. 33%. Among growth forms of woody species, shrubs and seedlings, followed by trees constituted much of the density of woody species in all the three ownership types of forests. The church forest had the most species (59) and highest Shannon (3.12) and Simpson (0.92) species diversity indices, and the government and private forests had a nearly similar total number of species and Shannon and Simpson species diversity indices. Most of the species with higher importance value indices (IVI) were indigenous in origin within the church forest (Juniperus procera = 82), government forest (J. procera = 66) and private forest (Acacia abyssinica = 84). The composition, diversity, and population structure of woody species in the church forest were significantly higher than in the other forest lands. However, interventions of the government and private sectors to conserve forest systems in the areas, particularly the government-owned forest and specific species such as Olea europaea need active enrichment plantings due to their limited natural regeneration. Without improved management interventions, livelihood income diversification and ecosystem services obtained from the forest will not be sustainable.

Woody plant species diversity of the coastal forests of Kenya: filling in knowledge gaps in a biodiversity hotspot

The coastal forests of Kenya are global biodiversity hotspots known for rich plant diversity and endemism. They exist as fragmented forest islands, and their current conservation status and quantitative trends in plant diversity are understudied. We investigated these knowledge gaps by providing a comprehensive literature review and comparing to field data collected using standardized sampling protocol. Our goals were to build a robust basis for future analyses, biodiversity monitoring, and to understand the role of fragment area in determining species richness. We recorded a total of 937 woody species belonging to 88 families in 30 forest patches from reviewed and sampled data. Species richness per site from literature review was affected by biases in data scarcity, forest size and variation in sampling methods. In general, large forests reserves of Shimba hills and Arabuko exhibited a high number of cumulative species compared to smaller forest patches. Species-area relationship showed a significant proportion of species richness per forest was determined by forest area, according to Arrhenius model. This study is the first to review forest patch woody plant species diversity knowledge gaps in the coastal forests of Kenya, and the resulting comparison provides the first quantitative overview and foundation of these forests.

The effects of human disturbance on the species composition, species diversity and functional diversity of a Miombo woodland in northern Malawi

AbstractAnthropogenic disturbances have serious impacts on ecosystems across the world. Understanding the effects of disturbance on woodlands, especially in regions where local people depend on these natural resources, is essential for sustainable natural resource management and biodiversity conservation. In this study, we evaluated the effects of anthropogenic disturbance, specifically selective logging of Brachystegia floribunda, on woodlands by comparing species composition, species diversity and functional diversity of woody plants between disturbed and undisturbed woodlands. We combined species data and functional trait data for leaves, fruits and other traits related to resource and disturbance responses to calculate functional indices (functional richness, evenness and divergence) and community‐weighted means of each trait. Shifts in taxonomic species composition were analysed using nonmetric multi‐dimensional scaling. Species composition differed significantly between disturbed and undisturbed woodlands. Tree density was greater in disturbed woodlands, whereas evenness, functional evenness and functional divergence were greater in undisturbed woodlands. In terms of forest cover, selective logging of B. floribunda appeared to have little impact on Miombo woodlands, but some shifts in functional traits, such as the shift from a deciduous to evergreen phenology, may increase the vulnerability of these ecosystems to environmental change, especially drought.

Impacts of Climatic Factors on Vegetation Species Diversity, Herbaceous Biomass in Borana, Southern Ethiopia

The study was conducted in three districts of Borana Zone, with the objective to determining the impacts of climatic factors on vegetation species diversity, herbaceous biomass yield of Borana rangelands under commonial grazing rangeland types during end of growing season. The most types rangeland of communial properties are traditional enclosure and continuous grazing rangeland from in where our different data were collected. Within both rangeland types of each districts 20 m × 20 m plots that placed at 200 m distances intervals with three replication was used to collect woody vegetation. The data of herbaceous plant community was collected from seventeen quadrants (1 m ×1 m) that layout in the main plot. The collected data was analyzed by linear regression to determine the impact of climate factors. The herbaceous species richness, diversity and biomass study sites had highly significantly difference (P < 0.001) and positive linear with mean annual precipitation. There is significantly difference (P < 0.05) and negative linear in woody species richness and diversity. Both herbaceous and woody plant species richness and diversity of study areas had a negative linear with mean annual temperature. Climate factors specieally rianfall have a great impact on semi-arid rangeland ecosystems of study areas. Therefore, semi-arid rangeland user should be considering climatic factors to improve productivity of rangeland at semi-arid enviroments.

Current vegetation structure and composition of woody species in community‐derived categories of land degradation in a semiarid rangeland in Kunene region, Namibia

AbstractLand degradation has put the world's rangelands under intense pressure and reduced their capacity to provide vital services to those who solely depend on them for survival. With the current pressures on rangelands, worldwide, there is an urgent need to survey the present condition of rangelands. Such detailed surveys can identify where improvement programmes can be emphasised; whether it be reseeding, stock control, sociological restraints or other actions. To combat rangeland degradation, management systems are more effective when they account for community perceptions and practices. This study aims to assess the current status of woody plants in different categories of degradation as perceived by herders in Kunene, Namibia. Furthermore, we wished to compare the perception of degradation by herders with the measured ecological condition. With the help of herders, sites representing different categories of degradation (low, moderate, high and protected) were identified and 10 plots of 400m2 each were established in each category. Species diversity, density, basal area and regeneration of woody plants increased sequentially along the degradation gradient (high to low). Vegetation attributes such as species diversity, seedling density and standing basal area increased with increasing distances from the villages. Although the herders' perception of degradation, for high and moderate degradation, matches the ecological results, the low degradation sites show signs of bush encroachment, a type of degradation that the herders did not perceive as degradation. Colophospermum mopane, a known encroacher species across Namibia, was the dominant species in the moderate and low degradation sites. Pechuel‐loeschea leubnitziae, which is also known to be an indicator of degradation, was the dominant species in the high degradation sites. The findings highlight the present and future threats the study area is facing and form the basis for current restoration research.

Effects of stone mining on woody plant species diversity and selected soil properties in northern Ethiopia

BackgroundStone mining is one of the main livelihood activities in areas close to major cities in Ethiopia. Mining tends to make a notable impact on woody plant species and soil properties. Information regarding the effect of stone mining on woody plant species diversity and soil properties is limited in Ethiopia. It is also less known how people perceive the impact of stone mining on existing natural resource in the watershed after mining. Therefore, this paper analyzed the effect of stone mining on woody plant species diversity, selected soil properties and perception of nearby community on mining in northern Ethiopia.MethodsVegetation and soil sampling were conducted using 6.32 ha sample plots. Samples were randomly selected from mining and adjacent unmined areas. Species abundance, density, basal area, selected soil physical and chemical properties were analyzed. The differences in species diversity and soil physical and chemical properties between the mined and unmined areas were analyzed using independent t test. Household survey was also conducted to assess the view of the local people regarding the effect of mining on ecology.ResultsA total of 35 species representing 19 families in the mining site were recorded while 43 species representing 27 families were recorded in the unmined site. Abundance and density of species were higher in unmined than in mining areas. The most abundant species in the mining and unmined sites were Euclea racemosa subsp. schimperi, Senna singueana, Maytenus arbutifolia, Calpurnia aurea and Buddleja polystachya. Woody species diversity at mining (1.97) was significantly different from that unmined (2.49) site (p = 0.0005). Bulk density significantly varied between the mined (1.9 g cm−3) and unmined (1.38 g cm−3) sites (p < 0.0005). Furthermore, significantly higher TN and AvP was recorded at unmined areas as compared to the mining areas (p < 0.05). Discussion with communities is mandatory before deciding a site for mining. Respondents argued that mining negatively affects the vegetation and other resources that brought devastating effect on the downstream farms. The communities’ were recommended for immediate rehabilitation of abandoned lands to restore it and reduce the negative impact of mining.ConclusionsStone mining causes an adverse impact on plant species and soil physico-chemical properties. Discussion with communities at the planning stage, immediate restoration activities and monitoring are crucial to reduce the negative impacts of stone mining for further sustainable natural resources development and management.

Estimation of woody plant species diversity during a dry season in a savanna environment using the spectral and textural information derived from WorldView-2 imagery.

Remote sensing techniques are useful in the monitoring of woody plant species diversity in different environments including in savanna vegetation types. However, the performance of satellite imagery in assessing woody plant species diversity in dry seasons has been understudied. This study aimed to assess the performance of multiple Gray Level Co-occurrence Matrices (GLCM) derived from individual bands of WorldView-2 satellite imagery to quantify woody plant species diversity in a savanna environment during the dry season. Woody plant species were counted in 220 plots (20 m radius) and subsequently converted to a continuous scale of the Shannon species diversity index. The index regressed against the GLCMs using the all-possible-subsets regression approach that builds competing models to choose from. Entropy GLCM yielded the best overall accuracy (adjusted R2: 0.41−0.46; Root Mean Square Error (RMSE): 0.60−0.58) in estimating species diversity. The effect of the number of predicting bands on species diversity estimation was also explored. Accuracy generally increased when three–five bands were used in models but stabilised or gradually decreased as more than five bands were used. Despite the peak accuracies achieved with three–five bands, performances still fared well for models that used fewer bands, showing the relevance of few bands for species diversity estimation. We also assessed the effect of GLCM window size (3×3, 5×5 and 7×7) on species diversity estimation and generally found inconsistent conclusions. These findings demonstrate the capability of GLCMs combined with high spatial resolution imagery in estimating woody plants species diversity in a savanna environment during the dry period. It is important to test the performance of species diversity estimation of similar environmental set-ups using widely available moderate-resolution imagery.

Woody Plant Species Composition, Population Structure and Carbon Sequestration Potential of the A. senegal (L.) Willd Woodland Along a Distance Gradient in North-Western Tigray, Ethiopia

In Ethiopia, dry land vegetation including the fairly intact lowland and western escarpment woodlands occupy the largest vegetation resource of the country. These forests play a central role in environmental regulation and socio-economic assets, yet they received less scientific attention than the moist forests. This study evaluated the woody plant species composition, population structure and carbon sequestration potential of the A. senegal woodland across three distance gradients from the settlements. A total of 45 sample quadrants were laid along a systematically established nine parallel transect lines to collect vegetation and soil data across distance gradients from settlement. Mature tree dry biomass with DBH＞2.5 cm was estimated using allometric equations. A total of 41 woody plant species that belong to 20 families were recorded and A. senegal was the dominant species with 56.4 IVI value. Woody plant species diversity, density and richness were significantly higher in the distant plots compared to the nearest plots to settlement (p＜0.05). The cumulative DBH class distribution of all individuals had showed an interrupted inverted J-shape population pattern. There were 19 species without seedlings, 15 species without saplings and 14 species without both seedlings and saplings. A significant above ground carbon (5.3 to 12.7 ton ha-1), root carbon (1.6 to 3.6 ton ha-1), soil organic carbon (35.6 to 44.5 ton ha-1), total carbon stock (42.5 to 60.7 ton ha-1) and total carbon dioxide equivalent (157.7 to 222.8 ton ha-1) was observed consistently with an increasing of distance from settlement (p＜0.05). Distance from settlement had significant and positive correlation with species diversity and carbon stock at 0.64** and 0.78**. Disturbance intensity may directly influence the variation of species composition, richness and density along the A. senegal woodland. The sustainability of the A. senegal woodland needs urgent protection, conservation and restoration.

The Woody Plant Species Diversity, Composition and Dominance of Mahungu Green Belt Forest Reserve (MGBFR) in Dodoma City, Central Tanzania

Plant species diversity, composition and dominance are important entities in understanding vegetation types. The wood plant species include; trees, shrubs, and woody climbers (lianas/vines). The study was conducted at Mahungu Green Belt Forest Reserve (MGBFR) in 2015 to investigate the woody plant species diversity, composition, and dominance. Systematic random sampling was applied whereby a total of 36 plots of 2500 m2 were set in the seven (7) transects at an interval of 400 m. Woody plant species were identified for their botanical nomenclature, determined for their abundance. GPS was applied to locate plots, aligning transects and recording coordinates for plot site and map production. 100 m tape was used to set the plots. H' and ID were applied for species diversity and dominance. A total of 129 wood plant species were identified belonging to 38 families and 89 genera. The H' ranged from 0.1831 ± 0.0021, with an overall total of 4.271 while ID ranged from 0.004657 ± 0.000015 with a total of 0.02079 an implication of high wood plant diversity, as the higher the H', and the lower the ID the higher the diversity. MGBFR consists of high woody plant species diversity. Further study should be done to assess all plant forms of MGBFR, education provision to community, establishment of ecotourism industry to sustain the forest reserve.