Species diversity, forest structure and species composition in Tanzanian tropical forests

Huang, Wending; Pohjonen, Veli; Johansson, S. G. O.; Nashanda, Michael; Katigula, M.I.L.; Luukkanen, Olavi

doi:10.1016/s0378-1127(01)00820-9

Cited by 112 publications

(77 citation statements)

References 38 publications

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“…Comparison of species-individual and species-area curves in highly diverse tropical forests is important for fully understanding ecological responses of these communities to disturbance (12,24). Rare species represented by few individuals are likely to become lost from individual plot samples by chance, and species-area curves for disturbed and undisturbed plots will differ because of these random losses.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The effect of selective logging on native tree diversity in tropical forests is a subject of speculation and of great current concern, but very limited data are available to assess its impact. Under some circumstances, logged tropical forests have been shown to contain as many tree species as unlogged forests (11,12). Some disturbances may also facilitate colonization and establishment of invasive, nonnative plants when dominant native trees are removed (13,14).…”

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confidence: 99%

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Long-term impacts of logging on forest diversity in Madagascar

Brown

Gurevitch²

2004

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

168

123

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Ecological perturbations can either be necessary for maintaining tropical forest diversity or responsible for its decline, depending on the scale, nature, and frequency of the disturbance. Anthropogenic disturbances such as logging and subsistence agriculture may promote the establishment of nonnative, invasive plant species, potentially affecting forest structure and diversity even long after the perturbation has ceased. We investigated the impacts of logging 50 and 150 years ago on tropical forest vegetation in Madagascar, a ''hotspot'' of biodiversity. Logging was the overriding factor influencing establishment of nonnative plants. Sites once logged never recovered native species diversity because of the dominance and persistence of invasive species.T emporal and spatial scales of disturbance affect forests differently. Disturbances over a range of scales are critical determinants of tropical forest composition, and the disturbance regime of tropical forests can be essential to maintaining native species diversity and community structure (1-4). Changes in disturbance type, frequency, scale, or intensity can also lead to the loss of species (5-10). The effect of selective logging on native tree diversity in tropical forests is a subject of speculation and of great current concern, but very limited data are available to assess its impact. Under some circumstances, logged tropical forests have been shown to contain as many tree species as unlogged forests (11,12). Some disturbances may also facilitate colonization and establishment of invasive, nonnative plants when dominant native trees are removed (13,14). The most critical questions about the establishment of invasive plants are not whether disturbance promotes establishment of nonnatives. Rather, it is essential to determine whether nonnative plant populations persist in tropical forests once established or are replaced by native species over time, and if persistent, whether the nonnative species have a negative impact on native tree diversity and forest community structure. Although the negative consequences of clear-cutting on the loss of biodiversity are well known, little is currently known about the long-term consequences for tropical forest diversity of selective logging and other more limited anthropogenic disturbances. The effects of colonization by nonnative species on native diversity under such conditions have rarely been considered, but may be important.We investigated the effects of limited logging on the presence, persistence, and impact of invasive species on forest composition in Ranomafana National Park in southeastern Madagascar. The forests of Madagascar are considered a global ''hotspot'' of biodiversity, with among the world's highest levels of plant diversity and endemism. However, they are severely threatened by anthropogenic disturbances (15)(16)(17)(18)(19). We compared stands that were clear-cut and abandoned in about 1855, Ϸ150 years before the study, those selectively logged and abandoned in 1947, a stand that was never logged but...

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Long-term impacts of logging on forest diversity in Madagascar

Brown

Gurevitch²

2004

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

168

123

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“…They together compose 34% of the total IVI. These species are typical of the dry Miombo systems of this eco-region [6,43,44]. The results also show that the study site is dominated by 20 species and they represent 53% of all the trees.…”

Section: Species Composition and Richnessmentioning

confidence: 67%

Diversity and Structure of Miombo Woodlands in Mozambique Using a Range of Sampling Sizes

Hofiço¹

2015

JAST-B

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Forest assessments are essential to understand the tree population structure and diversity status of forests and to provide information for biodiversity recovery planning. Unfortunately, the majority of Miombo woodlands in Mozambique lack of inventory data, and consequently are often insufficient for management. This study aimed to assess the species richness, diversity and structure of Miombo woodlands using a range of sampling sizes in Mocuba district, Mozambique. Plant inventory was carried out in 128 systematically selected sample plots in 71.6 ha, which was divided into eight treatments, i.e., T1: 0.1 ha; T2: 0.25 ha; T3: 0.375 ha; T4: 0.5 ha; T5: 0.625 ha; T6: 0.75 ha; T7: 0.875 ha; T8: 1.0 ha, with 16 repetitions. All stems ≥ 10 cm diameter at breast height, and species name to evaluate the floristic composition, richness of tree species, diversity and diameter distribution were recorded. A total of 36,535 individuals were recorded, belonging 124 species, 83 genera and representing 31 botanical families. The most important species was the Brachystegia spiciformis Benth. and the richest botanical family was Fabaceae. The forest showed an average of 517 ± 85 trees/ha, and high species diversity and evenness. Analysis of covariance shows that the intercepts and slope of exponential function for diameter distribution are not significantly different for the eight treatments. Compared with the entire composite forest, inventory means were accurately estimated and size class distributions were well represented for plots ≤ 0.25 ha, for selecting an efficient sampling design suited to forest characteristics and the inventory's purpose.

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“…In Upper and Lower Guinean rainforests, about 2,126 species were recorded in the total area of 965,702 ha (Kouame et al 2004), which is higher species diversity compared to our study sites where 28 to 40 species per ha with total of 70 species were recorded. In other part of Africa, in Tanzanian dry forest, Huang et al (2003) reported 33 species per 0.1 ha with the maximum abundance of 880 stems per ha (D ≥ 10 cm). The clearing for agriculture, the recurrent fire, the logging of trees for timber and firewood as a common practice in the Dahomey Gap might have considerably reduced tree density in the area.…”

Section: Tree Species Compositionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tree species composition and stand structure of woody savanna in Dahomey Gap

Matilo

Iida

Kohyama

2013

Tropics

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The Dahomey gap is a savanna region separating the West African rainforests to two regions. We set two sites in this woody savanna, at north and south regions in purpose to examine the differences in tree community properties between sites and among canopy-closure types, and to reveal the factors affecting the differences. Two sites are ca. 225 km distant from each other and have different rainfall patterns. Six 1-ha plots in each site were studied, which cover three types of canopy-closure (closed, semi-open and open). We recorded 3,720 trees that are equal to or more than 5 cm diameter at the breast height, consisted of 70 species belonging to 34 families. Most abundant three species, Isoberlinia doka, Vitellaria paradoxa and Pericopsis laxiflora appeared in both sites. The detrended correspondence analysis (DCA) based on species abundance divided 12 plots into groups of north and south sites along the first axis, whereas canopy-closure types were not associated with DCA axes. At any given total tree height, trees in the north site had slenderer stems with narrower crowns than those in the south site. The specific leaf area was smaller in the north site. Between-site differences in species abundance and allometry are possibly driven by rainfall variation.

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Species diversity, forest structure and species composition in Tanzanian tropical forests

Cited by 112 publications

References 38 publications

Long-term impacts of logging on forest diversity in Madagascar

Long-term impacts of logging on forest diversity in Madagascar

Diversity and Structure of Miombo Woodlands in Mozambique Using a Range of Sampling Sizes

Tree species composition and stand structure of woody savanna in Dahomey Gap

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