Yirga Fikadu, Marie Mequannt, Kassa Sosina, Haile Mebrahtu
College of Natural Resource and Environmental Science, Oda Bultum University, Chiro, Ethiopia.
College of Agriculture and Natural Resource, Bonga University, Bonga, Ethiopia.
Heliyon. 2019 Aug 12;5(8):e02284. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2019.e02284. eCollection 2019 Aug.
The study was conducted in Wof-Washa Forest in the central highlands of Ethiopia, aiming at determining the impact of altitude and anthropogenic disturbance on plant species composition, structure, and diversity of the forest. Eighteen transect lines with 632 meters apart from each other were established from top to bottom. A total of 115 main plots for all communities with 20 × 20 m, were established along transect lines from the upper part of the forest to the river's edge. To collect data on seedlings and saplings, 5 m × 5 m and 10 m × 10 m subplots were laid respectively within the main sampling plots. For each plot the plant species were counted, diameter at breast height and height of trees and shrubs were measured. The human disturbance data were visually estimated for each plot in each community. Plant community classification was made following Ethiopia agro-ecological zones. Plant species diversity and richness were found related to human disturbance and altitude. A total of 108 species belonging to 99 genera and 57 families were identified. The results revealed that Asteraceae was the most diverse higher plant family with nine species (8.3%) followed by Fabaceae, Euphorbiaceae, and Rosaceae with six (5.5%) species each. The overall Shannon diversity and evenness index of the forest were 4.02 and 0.86 respectively. Tree/shrub, sapling and seedling densities were 664.4, 757.2 and 805.7 individual's ha respectively. The total basal area of the forest was 55.99 mha. About 25.7% of the importance values index was contributed by four species, and . The similarity in species composition within the forest was low, indicating that the different parts of the forest had different floras. The presence of strong human disturbance indicates the need for immediate conservation in order to ensure sustainable utilization and management of the forest.
该研究在埃塞俄比亚中部高地的沃夫-瓦沙森林中进行，旨在确定海拔高度和人为干扰对森林植物物种组成、结构和多样性的影响。从顶部到底部设置了18条相互间隔632米的样带。沿着样带从森林上部到河边，共为所有群落设置了115个20×20米的主要样地。为了收集幼苗和幼树的数据，分别在主要采样样地内设置了5米×5米和10米×10米的子样地。对每个样地的植物物种进行计数，测量树木和灌木的胸径和高度。对每个群落中每个样地的人为干扰数据进行目视估计。按照埃塞俄比亚农业生态区进行植物群落分类。发现植物物种多样性和丰富度与人为干扰和海拔高度有关。共鉴定出108种植物，隶属于99属57科。结果表明，菊科是种类最多的高等植物科，有9种（8.3%），其次是豆科、大戟科和蔷薇科，各有6种（5.5%）。该森林的总体香农多样性指数和均匀度指数分别为4.02和0.86。乔木/灌木、幼树和幼苗的密度分别为每公顷664.4株、757.2株和805.7株。森林的总断面积为55.99平方米/公顷。约25.7%的重要值指数由四种植物贡献，即[此处原文缺失具体植物名称]。森林内物种组成的相似度较低，表明森林的不同部分具有不同的植物区系。强烈的人为干扰表明需要立即进行保护，以确保森林的可持续利用和管理。
