Altitudinal zonation of the vegetation of mount Kupe, Cameroon
Paper Details
Altitudinal zonation of the vegetation of mount Kupe, Cameroon
Abstract
A detailed account of the vegetation of Mount Kupe, clothed by a luxurious forest is unknown and this study aims to fill that gap. From altitude 700m above farmlands to the summit, 29 plots of 5000m² each were demarcated and the floristic inventory involved the recording of all tree and shrub individuals of at least 5cm dbh. Diversity indices and many structural parameters were calculated. Important families and species were determined by calculating the family important and the species important value indices. The Shannon diversity index dropped from 4.1 in the lower dried submontane zone to 2.2 in the transition to montane zone. The Pielou evenness was 0.8 in the transition between lowland and submontane zone and decreased to 0.6 in the transition to montane zone. Some of the 11 important plant families are Euphorbiaceae, Guttiferae, Sterculiaceae and Meliaceae. Species A total of 198 species were recorded in the plots and five vegetation zones were discriminated. Amongst species with high IVI there are many Guttiferae (Allanblackia gabonensis Oliv., Garcinia lucida Vesque, G. smeathmannii (Planch. & Triana) N.Robson, Pentadesma grandifolia Bak. F.), and other like Santiria trimera (Oliv) Aubrév., Carapa oreophila Kenfack, Dacryodes klaineana (Pierre) H.J. Lam, and Cylicomorpha solmsii (Urb.)Urb. The distribution of stem individuals according to dbh indicates that large trees are not well represented. Since the forest on mount Kupe is stable, a situation favoring the presence of strict and narrow endemic species, the administration in charge of forestry must control encroachment in order to preserve this treasure.
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Barthélemy Tchiengue (2019), Altitudinal zonation of the vegetation of mount Kupe, Cameroon; JBES, V14, N1, January, P82-96
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