Tree communities of different aged logged areas in an Afrotropical rainforest
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Date
2016
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
African Journal of Ecology
Abstract
Predicting the recovery processes in tree communities after
logging is critical when developing conservation strategies.
We assessed the patterns in tree communities in logged
and primary forests in Kibale National Park, Uganda,
representing 9- to 19-year-old clear-cuts of former conifer
plantations, 42- to 43-year-old logged forests and primary
forests. Species density and diversity were lower and
dominance higher in the 9- to 19-year-old forests compared
to the 42- to 43-year-old forests or primary forests.
The tree species density, diversity and dominance of 42- to
43-year-old forests did not differ significantly from primary
forests. However, they had a lower stem density, and
higher cover of Acanthus pubescens, a shrub known to
arrest the succession in Kibale. The tree community
compositions of 9- to 19-year-old, 42- to 43-year-old and
primary forests differed from each other. A large group of
tree species (21) were primary forest indicators, that is,
they were either missing or relatively rare in logged forests.
The results of this study show that even after four decades
of natural recovery, logged Afrotropical forests can still be
distinguished from primary forests in their tree community
compositions, emphasizing the slow community recovery
and the important role of primary forests when preserving
the tree communities in tropical rainforests.
Description
Keywords
Anthropogenic disturbance, Biodiversity, Forest recovery, Kibale National Park, Succession, Uganda
Citation
Owiny, A. A., Valtonen, A., Nyeko, P., Malinga, G. M., & Roininen, H. (2016). Tree communities of different aged logged areas in an Afrotropical rainforest. African Journal of Ecology, 54(2), 207-216.