Invasive Alien Species in Zambia

Siachoono, Stanford; Syampungani, Stephen; Mundike, Jhonnah

doi:10.1002/9781119607045.ch11

Cited by 1 publication

(2 citation statements)

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“…Grass species had to be excluded from the analyses because at the time of sampling the majority of grasses did not have inflorescence, which compromised identification of the species. To assess the presence of exotic species and field weeds in the study area, we reviewed the literature sources in Zambia [38][39][40][41]. Indicators for land-use intensity, such as signs of recent woodcutting, grazing, and browsing, were recorded semi-quantitatively.…”

Section: Study Design and Data Collectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The mean richness of woody species per plot was about 26 species, and the mean diversity was at about 13 effective species at all three sites. Very little research has been published on exotic and invasive plant species in woodland habitats [38][39][40][41]. Of the herbaceous species observed in the semi-disturbed sites of our study (Luampa and Dongwe), the following herbaceous species have been classified as weeds in the literature: Crassocephalum rubens, Striga asiatica, Vernonia petersii, and Crotalaria spp.…”

Section: Diversity Patterns At the Different Land-use Intensitiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Impacts of Diffuse Land-Use on Plant Diversity Patterns in the Miombo Woodlands of Western Zambia

Sichone

Oldeland²,

Phiri

et al. 2023

Diversity

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Land use is known to influence the diversity of vascular plants in the Miombo woodlands. However, little is known about the interaction between soil and land use in herbaceous and woody species. We compared the diversity of vascular plants at the plot level (20 m × 50 m) and site level for three sites in the Miombo woodlands of western Zambia subject to different levels of intensity classes of diffuse land use (e.g., livestock herbivory and selective timber harvesting). For each of the sites, twenty plots were randomly selected for assessment of species composition of vascular plant species, indicators of land-use intensity, and soil chemistry per plot. We hypothesized that the site with the lowest human impact would have the highest richness and diversity of woody and herbaceous species. At the site level, we found that richness and diversity of woody species were unaffected by land-use intensity, whereas herbaceous species richness was higher for the protected site (28 species on average per 1000 m2) than the two other sites (23 and 21 species on average per 1000 m2). At the plot level, herbaceous species richness was positively associated with woodcutting and soil pH. We interpret the positive effect of woodcutting on herbaceous species richness as the effect of lower competition by the woody component for resources such as water, nutrients, and light. With regard to the absence of any effect of land-use intensity on the richness of woody species, we conclude that in our study areas selective timber harvesting may be at a sustainable level and might even have a positive effect on the diversity of the herbaceous layer.

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Section: Study Design and Data Collectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Diversity Patterns At the Different Land-use Intensitiesmentioning

confidence: 99%