Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of contributors
- Foreword
- Preface
- Acknowledgements
- Part I General perspectives
- Part II Regional floristic and animal diversity
- 9 Tropical montane cloud forests in Malaysia: current state of knowledge
- 10 Montane cloud forests on remote islands of Oceania: the example of French Polynesia (South Pacific Ocean)
- 11 Tropical lowland cloud forest: a neglected forest type
- 12 Altitudinal zonation and diversity patterns in the forests of Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania
- 13 The outstandingly speciose epiphytic flora of a single strangler fig (Ficus crassiuscula) in a Peruvian montane cloud forest
- 14 Comparative structure, pattern, and tree traits of laurel cloud forests in Anaga, northern Tenerife (Canary Islands) and in lauro-fagaceous forests of central Japan
- 15 Temperature and humidity as determinants of the transition from dry pine forest to humid cloud forests in the Bhutan Himalaya
- 16 The importance of cloud forest sites in the conservation of endemic and threatened species of the Albertine Rift
- 17 The mountain tapir (Tapirus pinchaque) and Andean bear (Tremarctos ornatus): two charismatic, large mammals in South American tropical montane cloud forests
- 18 Cloud forests in East Africa as evolutionary motors for speciation processes of flightless Saltatoria species
- 19 Diversity of geometrid moths in two Neotropical rain forests
- Part III Hydrometeorology of tropical montane cloud forest
- Part IV Nutrient dynamics in tropical montane cloud forests
- Part V Cloud forest water use, photosynthesis, and effects of forest conversion
- Part VI Effects of climate variability and climate change
- Part VII Cloud forest conservation, restoration, and management issues
- References
12 - Altitudinal zonation and diversity patterns in the forests of Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania
from Part II - Regional floristic and animal diversity
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 03 May 2011
By
Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of contributors
- Foreword
- Preface
- Acknowledgements
- Part I General perspectives
- Part II Regional floristic and animal diversity
- 9 Tropical montane cloud forests in Malaysia: current state of knowledge
- 10 Montane cloud forests on remote islands of Oceania: the example of French Polynesia (South Pacific Ocean)
- 11 Tropical lowland cloud forest: a neglected forest type
- 12 Altitudinal zonation and diversity patterns in the forests of Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania
- 13 The outstandingly speciose epiphytic flora of a single strangler fig (Ficus crassiuscula) in a Peruvian montane cloud forest
- 14 Comparative structure, pattern, and tree traits of laurel cloud forests in Anaga, northern Tenerife (Canary Islands) and in lauro-fagaceous forests of central Japan
- 15 Temperature and humidity as determinants of the transition from dry pine forest to humid cloud forests in the Bhutan Himalaya
- 16 The importance of cloud forest sites in the conservation of endemic and threatened species of the Albertine Rift
- 17 The mountain tapir (Tapirus pinchaque) and Andean bear (Tremarctos ornatus): two charismatic, large mammals in South American tropical montane cloud forests
- 18 Cloud forests in East Africa as evolutionary motors for speciation processes of flightless Saltatoria species
- 19 Diversity of geometrid moths in two Neotropical rain forests
- Part III Hydrometeorology of tropical montane cloud forest
- Part IV Nutrient dynamics in tropical montane cloud forests
- Part V Cloud forest water use, photosynthesis, and effects of forest conversion
- Part VI Effects of climate variability and climate change
- Part VII Cloud forest conservation, restoration, and management issues
- References
Summary
ABSTRACT
Based on an analysis of 600 vegetation plots using the method of Braun-Blanquet (1964) the altitudinal distribution of trees, shrubs, epiphytes, lianas, and herbs along transects spanning an elevation difference of 2400 m was studied in the montane (cloud) forest belt on the slopes of Mt. Kilimanjaro, Tanzania. Using the unidimensionally constraint clustering technique, significant discontinuities were observed to occur in parallel in the respective strata. Over 1200 species representing about half of the vascular flora on Mt. Kilimanjaro were found in the studied plots, making the forest belt the most important habitat with respect to plant diversity on the mountain. Species numbers for the different forest strata (except for epiphytes) peaked at two altitudes. The gap between the two diversity peaks can be explained by the long-lasting influence of humans on Kilimanjaro`s landscape. Beside anthropogenic influence, precipitation (especially in the case of epiphytes), minimum temperature (in particular the occurrence of frost) and the variety of habitats were identified as key factors underlying the observed diversity patterns.
INTRODUCTION
Changes in floristic composition on high tropical mountains are well documented, notably for trees and selected taxa. Altitude (or factors related to altitude, such as temperature and precipitation) is by far the biggest determinant of diversity (e.g. Hamilton et al., 1989; Gentry, 1995; Vázquez and Givnish, 1998). However, it is still a matter of debate whether altitudinal changes are continuous (e.g. Lieberman et al., 1996; Vázquez and Givnish, 1998) or rather more discontinuous (e.g. Kitayama, 1992; Friis and Lawesson, 1993; Hemp, 2002; cf. Bach, 2004).
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Tropical Montane Cloud ForestsScience for Conservation and Management, pp. 134 - 141Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2011
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