Egyptian Journal of Botany http://ejbo.journals.ekb.eg/ 25 T HIS IS the first quantitative ethnobotanical study conducted in the Rashad district, Southern Kordofan, Sudan. The objective was to collect and identify trees and shrubs used by local people for medicinal purposes and summarize local knowledge about traditional herbal medicine. Ethnobotanical data were obtained by conducting several ethnobotanical surveys, questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, field observations, inquiries, and Group gatherings from September 2018 to January 2019. Quantitatively, ethnobotanical data were analyzed in terms of use value (UV) and relative frequency of citation (RFC). A total of 56 trees and shrubs used in medicine and belonging to 22 families were listed in this study. The most common families were Fabaceae (14%), Combretaceae (8%), and Malvaceae (5%). In terms of growth form, 35 species (61%) were trees and 21 (39%) were shrubs. Fruits were the most common structures used to prepare herbal medicine (23%) and were usually administered as a powder (13%). The most commonly used species based on UV by the local community in the Rashad area were as follows: Adansonia digitata L. for dysentery diseases, followed by Tamarindus indica L. for treating malaria and fever, Balanites aegyptiacus (L.) Delile for treating enteric worms, Vangueria madagascariensis J. F. Gmel and Guiera senegalensis J. F. Gmel for kidney problems, and Ximenia americana L. for toothaches. This study revealed significant local ethnobotanical knowledge and direct human-plant interactions. Recording indigenous use of woody plants is crucial for identifying potential species for future domestication.
The ecological consequences of biodiversity loss are usually the reduction of ecosystem functions. These responses, however, differ depending on the type of land-use change and the ecological setting. We investigated the impact of land-use type and ecosystem functions on the ant assemblage of Rashad District, Sudan. We analysed the effects of three different land uses (soy monoculture, pasture and organic production of vegetables) on the ant community by assessing ant composition in 176 different locations. The collection sites were conventional soy monoculture, pastures, organic agriculture, and native vegetation such as Campo, Kubos, and forests. We recorded 264 ant species on the soil surface of the Rashad District, where 342 to 354 species were thought to exist. Pastures and organic agriculture areas have 61% and 56% of the native myrmecofauna, respectively, while conventional soy monoculture areas are home to only 17% of native ant species. Forest areas present a unique community, and soy monoculture areas have the strongest pattern of biotic homogenisation. We also detected that rare species (of low frequency) were the chief promoters of richness in the Rashad District, and the most threatened with local extinction, due to their low density and low occurrence in agrosystems. Overall, we found that agricultural expansion reduces ant diversity, particularly in soybean crops, and can affect ecosystem functions. To mitigate the reduction in the ant assemblage, we recommend the conservation of multiple natural habitats.
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