Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-gbm5v Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-24T03:19:17.631Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Biotic interactions, climate and disturbance underlie the distribution of two Julbernardia tree species in miombo woodlands of Africa

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 December 2016

Emmanuel N. Chidumayo*
Affiliation:
Makeni Savanna Research Project, P.O. Box 50323, Lusaka, Zambia

Abstract:

Occurrence data for Julbernardia globiflora and J. paniculata at 617 sites in the miombo woodland region of central, eastern and southern Africa and forest inventory data for 512 woodland plots in Zambia were used to determine species distribution and dominance. Distribution of the two Julbernardia species overlaps in the central region of the miombo woodland range while the eastern and western range regions are exclusively for only one of the two species. In the region of co-occurrence, there is a clear spatial separation in the dominance of the two species. In old-growth woodland a significant proportion of the variation in the dominance of J. globiflora was explained by the dominance of J. paniculata while mean annual maximum temperature and tree species richness negatively affect the dominance of J. paniculata. Old-growth woodland clearing changes the local climatic conditions and alters the way Julbernardia species in re-growth stands respond to potential evapo-transpiration (PET). Climate change, especially global warming, may further reinforce the impacts of PET to differentially favour J. globiflora. Because of this altered response of Julbernardia species in re-growth miombo, preserving old-growth miombo and preventing present human disturbances in designated areas, such as forest reserves and national parks, may be a useful climate adaptation strategy for these species.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2016 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

LITERATURE CITED

ABBOT, P. G. & LOWORE, J. D. 1999. Characteristics and management potential of some indigenous firewood species in Malawi. Forest Ecology and Management 119:111121.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
ANALYTICAL, SOFTWARE 1985–2008. STATISTIX 9.0. Analytical Software, Tallahassee. 454 pp.Google Scholar
ANONYMOUS 1997. SYSTAT 7.0 for Windows. SPSS Inc., Chicago. 751 pp.Google Scholar
BACKÉUS, I., PETTERSSON, B., STRÖMQUIST, L. & RUFFO, C. 2006. Tree communities and structural dynamics in miombo (BrachystegiaJulbernardia) woodland, Tanzania. Forest Ecology and Management 230:171178.Google Scholar
BALDOCCHI, D. D. 2005. The role of biodiversity on the evaporation of forests. Pp. 131148 in Scherer-Lorenzen, M., Körner, C. & Schulze, E.-D. (eds.). Forest diversity and function: temperate and boreal systems. Springer, Berlin.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
BANDA, T., SCHWARTZ, M. W. & CARO, T. 2006. Woody vegetation structure and composition along a protection gradient in a miombo ecosystem of western Tanzania. Forest Ecology and Management 230:179185.Google Scholar
BANDA, T., MWANGULANGO, N., MEYER, B., SCHWARTZ, M.W., MBAGO, F., SUNGULA, M. & CARO, T. 2008. The woodland vegetation of the Katavi-Rukwa ecosystem in western Tanzania. Forest Ecology and Management 255:33823395.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
BOALER, S. B. & SCIWALE, K. C. 1966. Ecology of a miombo site, Lupa North Forest Reserve, Tanzania. III. Effects on the vegetation of local cultivation practices. Journal of Ecology 54:577587.Google Scholar
BONNEFILLE, R. 2010. Cenozoic vegetation, climate changes and hominid evolution in tropical Africa. Global and Planetary Change 72:390411.Google Scholar
BURNHAM, K. & ANDERSON, D. R. 2002. Model selection and multimodel inference: a practical information-theoretic approach. (Second edition). Springer-Verlag, New York. 488 pp.Google Scholar
CERIACO, L. M., BAUER, A. M., BLACKBURN, D. C. & LAVRES, A. C. F. C. 2014. The Herpetofauna of the Capanda Dam Region, Malanje, Angola. Herpetological Review 45:667674.Google Scholar
CHAPANO, C., ZIMUDZI, C., MAKAKA, C. M. & MAPAYA, R. J. 2013. Species composition and spatial heterogeneity of the seed bank and vegetation in protected and disturbed Miombo Woodland at Christon bank, Zimbabwe. Journal of Biodiversity and Environmental Sciences 3:133149.Google Scholar
CHIBINGA, O. C. & NAMBEYE, E. 2016. Nutritive value of some selected indigenous livestock browse species in the drylands of Southern Province, Zambia. International Journal of Applied and Pure Science and Agriculture 2:6166.Google Scholar
CHIDUMAYO, E. N. 1987. A survey of wood stocks for charcoal production in miombo woodlands of Zambia. Forest Ecology and Management 20:105115.Google Scholar
CHIDUMAYO, E. N. 1991. Woody biomass structure and utilisation for charcoal production in a Zambian miombo woodland. Bioresource Technology 37:4352.Google Scholar
CHIDUMAYO, E. N. 2013. Forest degradation and recovery in a miombo woodland landscape in Zambia: 22 years of observations on permanent sample plots. Forest Ecology and Management 291:154161.Google Scholar
CHIDUMAYO, E. N. 2016. Distribution and abundance of a keystone tree, Schinziophyton rautanenii, and factors affecting its structure in Zambia, southern Africa. Biodiversity and Conservation 25:711724.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
CHIDUMAYO, E. N. & MBATA, K. J. 2002. Shifting cultivation, edible caterpillars and livelihoods in the Kopa area of northern Zambia. Forests, Trees and Livelihoods 12:175193.Google Scholar
CHINUWO, T., GANDIWA, E., MUGABE, P. H., MPOFU, I. D. T. & TIMPONG-JONES, E. 2010. Effects of previous cultivation on regeneration of Julbernadia globiflora and Brachystegia spiciformis in grazing areas of Mupfurudzi Resettlement Scheme, Zimbabwe. African Journal of Range and Forage Science 27:4549.Google Scholar
CHOMBA, C., NYIRENDA, V. & SILENGO, M. 2013. Selective use patterns of woody plant species by local communities in Mumbwa Game Management Area: a prerequisite for effective management of woodland resources and benefit sharing. Open Journal of Ecology 3:532550.Google Scholar
COLE, M. M. 1963. Vegetation and geomorphology in Northern Rhodesia: an aspect of the distribution of the savanna of central Africa. Geographical Journal 129:290310.Google Scholar
COLE, M. 1986. The savannas: biogeography and geobotany. Academic Press, London. 438 pp.Google Scholar
DARU, B. H., VAN DER BANK, M., MAURIN, O., YESSOUFOU, K., SCHAEFER, H., SLINGSBY, J. A. & DAVIES, T. J. 2016. A novel phylogenetic regionalization of phytogeographical zones of southern Africa reveals their hidden evolutionary affinities. Journal of Biogeography 43:155166.Google Scholar
DEAN, W. R. J. 2001. Angola. Pp. 7192 in Fishpool, L. D. C. & Evans, M. I. (eds.) Important bird areas in Africa and associated islands: priority sites for conservation. Pisces Publications and BirdLife International, Newbury and Cambridge.Google Scholar
ERIKSEN, C. 2007. Why do they burn the ‘bush’? Fire, rural livelihoods, and conservation in Zambia. The Geographical Journal 173:242256.Google Scholar
FANSHAWE, D. B. 1965. Check list of vernacular names of the woody plants of Zambia. Government Printer, Lusaka. 109 pp.Google Scholar
FANSHAWE, D. B. 1971. The vegetation of Zambia. Government Printer, Lusaka. 67 pp.Google Scholar
FISHER, J. B., WHITTAKER, R. J. & MALHI, Y. 2011. ET come home: potential evapo-transpiration in geographical ecology. Global Ecology and Biogeography 20:118.Google Scholar
FROST, P. 1996. The ecology of miombo woodlands. Pp. 1157 in Campbell, B. (ed.) The miombo in transition: woodlands and welfare in Africa. CIFOR, Bagor, Indonesia.Google Scholar
GRUNDY, I. M. 1995. Regeneration and management of Brachystegia spiciformis Benth. and Julbernardia globiflora (Benth.) Troupin in miombo woodland, Zimbabwe. PhD thesis, University of Oxford, Oxford.Google Scholar
GRUNDY, I. M., CAMPBELL, B. M., BALEBEREHO, S., CUNLIFFE, R., TAFANGENYASHA, C., FERGUSSON, R. & PARRY, D. 1993. Availability and use of trees in Mutanda Resettlement Area, Zimbabwe. Forest Ecology and Management 56:243266.Google Scholar
HANDAVU, F., SYAMPUNGANI, S. & CHISANGA, E. 2011. The influence of stump diameter and height on coppicing ability of selected key Miombo woodland tree species of Zambia: a guide for harvesting for charcoal production. Journal of Ecology and the Natural Environment 3:461468.Google Scholar
HANSEN, M. C., DEFRIES, R. S., TOWNSHEND, J. R. G., MARUFU, L. & SOHLBERG, R. 2002. Development of a MODIS tree cover validation data set for Western Province, Zambia. Remote Sensing of Environment 83:320335.Google Scholar
HOFFMANN, W. A. & JACKSON, R. B. 2000. Vegetation–climate feedbacks in the conversion of tropical savanna to grassland. Journal of Climate 13:15931602.Google Scholar
HURSH, C. R. 1960. The dry woodlands of Nyasaland. International Cooperation Administration (USA), Salisbury, Southern Rhodesia. 146 pp.Google Scholar
IVORY, S. J., LÉZINE, A-M., VINCENS, A. & COHEN, A. S. 2012. Effect of aridity and rainfall seasonality on vegetation in the southern tropics of East Africa during the Pleistocene/Holocene transition. Quaternary Research 77:7786.Google Scholar
JACHMANN, H. & BELL, R. H. V. 1985. Utilization by elephants of the Brachystegia woodlands of the Kasungu National Park, Malawi. African Journal of Ecology 23:245258.Google Scholar
JEW, E. K. K., DOUGILL, A. J., SALLU, S. M., O'CONNELL, J., BENTON, T. G. 2016. Miombo woodland under threat: consequences for tree diversity and carbon storage. Forest Ecology and Management 361:144153.Google Scholar
KAMANGADAZI, F., MWABUMBA, L., MISSANJO, E. & PHIRI, F. 2016. Selective harvesting impact on natural regeneration, tree species richness and diversity in forest co-management block in Liwonde Forest Reserve, Malawi. International Journal of Scientific Research in Environmental Sciences 4:4754.Google Scholar
KAMWENDO, J. S. & CHIKUNI, A. C. 2001. Management of biological diversity at Tsamba forest reserve. Pp. 92–94 in Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (ed.) Assessment, conservation and sustainable use of forest biodiversity. SCBD, Montreal.Google Scholar
KUYAH, S., SILESHI, G. W., NJOLOMA, J., MNG'OMBA, S. & NEUFELDT, H. 2014. Estimating aboveground tree biomass in three different miombo woodlands and associated land use systems in Malawi. Biomass and Energy 66:214222.Google Scholar
LAWTON, R. M. 1978. A study of the dynamic ecology of Zambian vegetation. Journal of Ecology 66:175198.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
LODWICK, G. D. & WHITTLE, J. 1970. A technique for automatic contouring field survey data. Australian Computer Journal 2:104109.Google Scholar
MALAISSE, F. & KAPINGA, I. 1986. The influence of deforestation on the hydric balance of soils in the Lubumbashi environment (Shaba, Zaire). Bulletin de la Société Royale de Botanique de Belgique 119:161178.Google Scholar
MALAISSE, F., FRESON, R., GOFFINET, G. & MALAISSE-MOUSSET, M. 1975. Litter fall and litter breakdown in miombo. Ecological Studies 11:137152.Google Scholar
MALAISSE, F., BAKER, A. J. M. & RUELLE, S. 1999. Diversity of plant communities and leaf heavy metal content at Luiswishi copper/cobalt mineralization, Upper Katanga, Democratic Republic of Congo. Biotechnology, Agronomy, Society and Environment 3:104114.Google Scholar
MANSFIELD, J. E., BENNET, J. G., KING, R. B., LANG, D. M. & LAWTON, R. M. 1976. Land resources of the northern and Luapula Provinces, Zambia. Vol. 4. Land Resources Division, Ministry of Overseas Development, Surrey, England. 171 pp.Google Scholar
MAPANDA, F., MUNOTENGWA, S., WUTA, M., NYAMUGAFATA, P. & NYAMANGARA, J. 2013. Short-term responses of selected soil properties to clearing and cropping of miombo woodlands in central Zimbabwe. Soil and Tillage Research 129:7582.Google Scholar
MAPAURE, I. 2013. Short-term responses of shrub layer communities to dry season fires and tree thinning in semi-arid miombo woodlands of north-western Zimbabwe. African Journal of Plant Science 7:414425.Google Scholar
MCCUNE, B. & MEFFORD, M. J. 1999. PC-ORD multivariate analysis of ecological data version 4. MjM Software Design, Gleneden Beach. 237 pp.Google Scholar
MCNICOL, I. M., RYAN, C. M. & WILLIAMS, M. 2015. How resilient are African woodlands to disturbance from shifting cultivation? Ecological Applications 25:23202336.Google Scholar
MISSANJO, E., KAMANGA-THOLE, G., MTAMBO, C. & CHISINGA, O. 2014. Evaluation of natural regeneration and tree species diversity in miombo woodlands in Malawi. Journal of Biodiversity Management and Forestry 3:14. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.4172/2327-4417.1000127.Google Scholar
MUBOKO, N., MUSHONGA, M. R., CHIBUWE, N., MASHAPA, C. & GANDIWA, E. 2013. Woody vegetation structure and composition in Mapembe Nature Reserve, eastern Zimbabwe. Journal of Applied Science and Environmental Management 17:475481.Google Scholar
MUNISHI, P. K. T., MRINGI, S., SHIRIMA, D. D. & LINDA, S. K. 2010. The role of the miombo woodlands of the southern highlands of Tanzania as carbon sinks. Journal of Ecology and the Natural Environment 2:261269.Google Scholar
MUPOSHI, V. K., NDLOVU, M., GANDIWA, E., MUVENGWI, J. & MUBOKO, N. 2014. Vegetation dynamics prior to wildlife introductions in southern Umfurudzi Park, Zimbabwe. Journal of Animal and Plant Sciences 24:16801690.Google Scholar
NIANG, I., RUPPEL, O. C., ABDRABO, M. A., ESSEL, A., LENNARD, C., PADGHAM, J. & URQUHART, P. 2014. Africa. Pp. 1199–1265 in Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Climate change 2014. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.Google Scholar
O'BRIEN, E. M. 1993. Climatic gradients in woody plant species richness: towards an explanation based on an analysis of Southern Africa's woody flora. Journal of Biogeography 20: 181198.Google Scholar
O'BRIEN, E. M. 2006. Biological relativity to water-energy dynamics. Journal of Biogeography 33:18681888.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
OBIRI, J. A. F., HALL, J. B. & HEALEY, J. R. 2010. Composition, structure and regeneration of miombo forest at Kitulangalo, Tanzania. Pp. 109122 in Bongers, F. & Tennigkeit, T. (eds) Degraded forests in eastern Africa: management and restoration. Earthscan Ltd, London.Google Scholar
OYAMA, S. 1996. Regeneration process of the miombo woodland at abandoned citemene fields of northern Zambia. African Study Monographs 17:101116.Google Scholar
PIEDADE, A. F. (2013). Impact of slash-and-burn agriculture on key-species regeneration, Cusseque, Angola. Dissertação Mestrado em Biologia da Conservação, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa. 57 pp.Google Scholar
PIENAAR, B. 2015. The biogeography of Brachystegia woodland relicts in southern Africa. MSc. Dissertation, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.Google Scholar
RAYNES, J. 2007. Kalukundi flora. AFRICO Resources Ltd, Vancouver. 74 pp.Google Scholar
REES, W. A. 1974. Preliminary studies into bush utilization by cattle in Zambia. Journal of Applied Ecology 11:207214.Google Scholar
RIBEIRO, N. S., SHUGART, H. H. & WASHINGTON-ALLEN, R. 2008. The effects of fire and elephants on species composition and structure of the Niassa Reserve, northern Mozambique. Forest Ecology and Management 255:16261636.Google Scholar
RIBEIRO, N. S., MATOS, C. N., MOURA, I. R., WASHINGTON-ALLEN, R. A. & RIBEIRO, A. 2013. Monitoring vegetation dynamics and carbon stock density in miombo woodlands. Carbon Balance and Management 8:11, http://www.cbmjournal.com/content/8/1/11.Google Scholar
RYAN, C. M., WILLIAMS, M. & GRACE, J. 2011. Above- and belowground carbon stocks in a miombo woodland landscape of Mozambique. Biotropica 43:423.Google Scholar
SAVORY, B. M. 1962. Rooting habits of important miombo species. Zambia Forest Department Research Bulletin 6:1120.Google Scholar
SHEA, R. W., SHEA, B. W. & KAUFFMAN, J. B. 1996. Fuel biomass and combustion factors associated with fires in savanna ecosystems of South Africa and Zambia. Journal of Geophysical Research 101:2355123568.Google Scholar
SHELUKINDO, H. B., SEMU, E., MSANYA, B. M., SINGH, B.R. & MUNISHI, P. K. T. 2014. Soil organic carbon stocks in the dominant soils of the miombo woodland ecosystem of Kitonga Forest Reserve, Iringa, Tanzania. International Journal of Agricultural Policy Research 2:167177.Google Scholar
SHIRIMA, D. D., TOTLAND, Ø., MUNISHI, P. K. T. & MOE, S. R. 2015. Relationships between tree species richness, evenness and aboveground carbon storage in montane forests and miombo woodlands of Tanzania. Basic and Applied Ecology 16:239249.Google Scholar
SHUKLA, J. & MINTZ, Y. 1982. Influence of land-surface evapo-transpiration on the Earth's climate. Science 215:14981501.Google Scholar
SINGO, I. K. M. 2007. Effect of human activities on composition and regeneration of woody species in Morogoro fuelwood reserve, Morogoro, Tanzania. MSc Dissertation, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro. 163 pp.Google Scholar
SMITH, P. P. 1998. A reconnaissance survey of the vegetation of the North Luangwa National Park, Zambia. Bothalia 28:197211.Google Scholar
STRANG, R. M. 1974. Some man-made changes in successional trends on the Rhodesian Highveld. Journal of Applied Ecology 111:249263.Google Scholar
STROMGAARD, P. 1985. Biomass, growth, and burning of woodland in a shifting cultivation area of south central Africa. Forest Ecology and Management 12:163178.Google Scholar
THOMAS, D. S. G. & SHAW, P. A. 2002. Late Quaternary environmental change in central southern Africa: new data, synthesis, issues and prospects. Quaternary Science Reviews 21:783797.Google Scholar
TRAPNELL, C. G. 1996. The soils, vegetation and traditional agriculture of Zambia. Vol. II: North eastern Zambia. Redcliffe Press, Bristol. 146 pp.Google Scholar
VINYA, R. 2010. Stem hydraulic architecture and xylem vulnerability to cavitation for miombo woodlands canopy tree species. PhD thesis, Oxford Michaelmas, Oxford.Google Scholar
WERGER, M. J. A. & COETZEE, B. J. 1978. The Sudano-Zambezian region. Pp. 301462 in Werger, M. J. A. (ed.) Biogeography and ecology of southern Africa. Dr W Junk Publishers, The Hague.Google Scholar
WHITE, F. 1983. The vegetation of Africa. Unesco, Paris. 356 pp.Google Scholar
WUTA, M., REES, R. M., FURLEY, P. A. & NYAMADZAWO, G. 2013. Litter decomposition and nutrient release in miombo savanna woodlands of central Zimbabwe. Pp. 124 in Perrault, C. & Bellamy, L. (eds.) Savannas: climate, biodiversity and ecological significance. Nova Science Publishers, Inc., New York.Google Scholar
ZAMBIA FORESTRY DEPARTMENT AND FOOD & AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS 2009. Integrated land use assessment (ILUA) Zambia 2005–2008. FAO, Rome. 147 pp.Google Scholar
ZIMUDZI, C., MAPAURA, A., CHAPANO, C. & DURI, W. 2013. Woody species composition, structure and diversity of Mazowe Botanical Reserve, Zimbabwe. Journal of Biodiversity and Environmental Sciences 3:1729.Google Scholar
ZINGORE, S., MANYAME, C., NYAMUGAFATA, P. & GILLER, K. E. 2005. Long-term changes in organic matter of woodland soils cleared for arable cropping in Zimbabwe. European Journal of Soil Science 56:727736.Google Scholar