Flora, Structure and Carbon Sequestration of Vegetation in the Southeast of the Mono Biosphere Reserve in Togo Amidst Environmental Challenges

In most Sub-Saharan African countries such as Togo, people’s heavy dependence on ecosystem services is a major factor in accelerating the degradation of natural resources, which are already suffering as a result of climatic factors. This study was initiated to contribute to the sustainable and rational management of forest resources in the south-east of the Mono Biosphere Reserve in Togo. It specifically aims to identify and characterize the flora of the residual forest ecosystems within the reserve through their specific diversity, demographic structure, and carbon sequestration potential. The study was carried out in the forest ecosystems of Avévé. The methodology used was based on the analysis of phytosociological, forestry, ecological, and regeneration inventory data. Overall, the study revealed that the RBMT still has floristically viable habitats, despite the anthropogenic pressures it is subject to revealed a floristic diversity of 160 plant species divided into 52 families and 135 genera. The most represented families are Rubiaceae (29.09%), followed by Fabaceae (27.94%). The most represented species are Mitragyna inermis (Willd.) Kuntze (24.38%), Lecaniodiscus cupanioides Planch. Ex Benth (X) and Lonchocarpus sericeus (Poir.) Kunth (10.93%). The high presence of Mitragyna inermis observed in all the ecological groups identified makes it the characteristic species of the flooded marshy areas of southeast Togo and contributes to the resilience of the ecosystems and populations in the study area. The Shannon index for the formation groups varies between (3.03 and 5.16) bits. Pielou’s equitability varies between (0.43 and 0.63) bits. The overall average density is estimated at 210 stems/ha, with an average diameter of 25.57 ± 21.77 m and an average height of 7.93 ± 3.83 m. The adjustment of the diameter classes of the plant groups to the Weibull distribution gave an “inverted J” shape with coefficient values of less than 1 overall, reflecting the existence of multispecific or uneven-aged stands. Assessment of the horizontal and vertical structure shows a predominance of the shrub layer in all the groups identified. The carbon sequestration potential is 41.89 T/Ha. Despite ongoing anthropogenic pressures, the Mono Biosphere Reserve abounds in a relatively rich diversity of flora, the preservation of which is essential for the survival of biodiversity and even for the riparian population. The data provided by this study would form the basis for sustainable management planning of the forest islands in the biosphere reserve.

Effects of land-use types and the exotic species,Hypochaeris radicata,on plant diversity in human-transformed landscapes of the biosphere reserve,Jeju Island,Korea

Land-use and plant invasion influence biodiversity.Understanding the effects of land-use types and invasive plants on the ecosystem is crucial for better management and the development of strategic plans for increasing biodiversity in Jeju Island,Korea,a designated Biosphere Reserve by the United Nations Education,Scientific,and Cultural Organization.The effect of the most dominant invasive exotic species,Hypochaeris radicata,on the four land-use types of Jeju Island was investigated.Plant composition,soil characteristics,and plant diversity among four land-use types(cropland,green space,neglected land,and residential)were compared.Among the land-use types,croplands had the most diverse plant composition and the highest richness in exotic and native plant species.Croplands,such as tangerine orchards,which are widely distributed throughout Jeju Island,showed the highest plant diversity because of medium intensity disturbance caused by weed removal.The relative cover of H.radicata did not differ between land-use types.However,H.radicata invasion was negatively related with plant species richness,making this invasive species a threat to the biodiversity of native herbs present in land-use areas.H.radicata adapts to areas with a broad range of soil properties and a variety of land-use types.Therefore,it is crucial to monitor land-use types and patterns of plant invasion to guide the implementation of consistent management and conservation strategies for maintaining ecosystem integrity of the transformed habitat in Jeju Island.

Forest structure and anthropogenic pressures in the Pachmarhi biosphere reserve of India

A critical first step in establishing biosphere reserves--under the Man and Biosphere Programme of UNESCO--is to generate baseline information for future courses of action. The present study aims to assess the structure and composition of forests--along with anthro- pogenic pressures mounting on these forests in the buffer zone of one such biosphere reserves--the Pachmarhi bio- sphere reserve of India. The quadrat method was employed for sampling vegetation, and information on anthropogenic pressures was collected by conducting interviews with local people and forest officials and collecting it from secondary sources. A total of 39 tree species were sampled in 82 quadrats; of these 26 tree species were in standing stage, 25 in sapling, and 35 in seedling. Chloroxylon swi- etenia emerged as the most dominant tree species having highest importance value index, followed by Tectona grandis, Terminalia tomentosa, and Hardwickia binata. Nine tree species and their saplings, including Sterculia urens and Terminalia arjuna, were exploited so badly that they were only found in the seedlings stage. The unavail- ability of standing trees of 12 important tree species including Aegle marmelos and Phyllanthus emblicaindicates the intensity and gravity of anthropogenic pres- sures on these important tree species. If the present anthropogenic pressure continues, which has inhibited the regeneration of several tree species, then substantial neg- ative ecological and societal consequences can be expected.

Segmentation by domestic visitor motivation: Changbai Mountain Biosphere Reserve, China

Protected areas have become important tourism products that promoted as attractions by the tourism industry. Taking the Changbai Mountain Biosphere Reserve in Northeast China as a case, this study addresses visitor needs as a basis for developing a tourism strategy aimed at enhancing tourist opportunities at this reserve. A factor-cluster approach was employed to identify visitor segment profiles based on their visit motivations. Through random sampling, a pencil-and-paper questionnaire in Chinese language was collected from 637 domestic tourists in the study area. A principal components analysis of motivations revealed eight motivational factors, and four distinct groups of tourists – Nature travelers, Cultural landscape tourists, Food & shopping enthusiasts, and Eclectic adventurers – were identified. Understanding the differences in these visitor segments will help the management authority effectively analyze nature reserve attributes and provide alternative activities and services to tourists. Finally, within the dual framework of market segmentation and destination management some management recommendations and marketing implications are suggested.

Disturbance and forest recovery in the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve,Mexico

Analysis of the change in forest cover is important to determine stand dynamics and the processes involved in disturbance and recovery.Forests of the core zone of the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve were studied using photo interpretation techniques,considering biennial changes between 1999 and 2013 and changes over the whole period of study 1999–2013.Error matrices were elaborated to determine the processes of change involved in both recovery and disturbance.The biennial changes for the whole period amounted to 2274 ha;343 ha accounted as degraded in more than one biennial period.The total changes in forest cover between 1999 and 2013 involved 4902 ha,out of which,2912 ha were affected by disturbance,and 1990 ha were recovered.For density and 2013 vegetation cover maps,the overall accuracy was 95.6%and 90.2%,respectively.By combining both maps,gradual processes were revealed that were not evident in separate analyses.This methodology is useful for the management and conservation of natural protected areas.

Alien species of mammals and their impact on natural ecosystems in the biosphere reserves of Russia

The paper analyses the results of a survey of 37 Russian biosphere reserves using questionnaires concerning thepresence of alien species of mammals, their pathways of penetration, and their impacts on protected ecosystems.The penetration of alien mammals into terrestrial ecosystems of Russia is extensive, both in places with maximumhuman environmental impact (inhabited areas and agricultural lands) and in biosphere reserves with minimal humanimpact. There are 62 mammal species registered as alien in Russian ecosystems and they account for 22% of theterrestrial mammal fauna of Russia. The percentage of alien species in biosphere reserves is 32.6% at most. In mostregions, Castor fiber, Ondatra zibethicus, Nyctereutes procyonoides, Canis familiaris, Neovison vison and Susscrofa are very dangerous, and both Castor fiber and Sus scrofa can have environment-forming impacts.

Leaf thickness and elevation explain naturalized alien species richness in a tropical mountain forest: A case study from Mount Gede-Pangrango National Park,Indonesia

Exotic plant invasion is one of the major causes of species extinction.In many contexts,mountainous forests are the last refuge for native species.There are several inventory studies conducted in mountainous and tropical forests in Indonesia.However,there are no studies yet on the factors that explain the abundance and richness of surveyed naturalized alien species.This study investigated whether the number of individuals and abundanceweighted species richness(AWR) of naturalized alien plant species in the hiking-trail of Mount GedePangrango National Park(MGPNP) forest area correlated with leaf traits(specific leaf area(SLA) and leaf thickness) and environmental factors(elevation,slope,and normalized difference vegetation index(NDVI)).We showed that leaf thickness and habitat elevation explained the AWR variations of naturalized alien species.We did not detect any important effect of leaf traits and environmental factors on the number of individuals per exotic species per plot.The influence of leaf thickness and habitat elevation indicates the important role of both biotic and abiotic factors on exotic species to develop a high species richness and become an invasive species in the tropical mountain forest ecosystem.

Species Abundance in a Forest Community in South China：A Case of Poisson Lognormal Distribution

Case studies on Poisson lognormal distribution of species abundance have been rare, especially in forest communities. We propose a numerical method to fit the Poisson lognormal to the species abundance data at an evergreen mixed forest in the Dinghushan Biosphere Reserve, South China. Plants in the tree, shrub and herb layers in 25 quadrats of 20 m× 20 m, 5 m× 5 m, and 1 m× 1 m were surveyed. Results indicated that: (i) for each layer, the observed species abundance with a similarly small median, mode, and a variance larger than the mean was reverse J-shaped and followed well the zero-truncated Poisson lognormal; (ii) the coefficient of variation, skewness and kurtosis of abundance, and two Poisson lognormal parameters (& and μ) for shrub layer were closer to those for the herb layer than those for the tree layer; and (iii) from the tree to the shrub to the herb layer, the α and the coefficient of variation decreased, whereas diversity increased. We suggest that: (i) the species abundance distributions in the three layers reflects the overall community characteristics; (ii) the Poisson lognormal can describe the species abundance distribution in diverse communities with a few abundant species but many rare species; and (iii) 1/α should be an alternative measure of diversity.

Diversity and seasonal variation of ground and understory spiders from a tropical mountain cloud forest

We made intensive samplings to study the seasonal response of spiders across different forest strata(ground and understory)in a tropical mountain cloud forest from Mexico.We sampled spiders from ten plots in six sampling events during the dry and rainy season,to analyze their abundance,structure(distribution of abundance among species),diversity and the response of the five dominant species at each stratum.Results demonstrated that seasonal patterns of spider communities differed among strata,revealing a complex spatiotemporal dynamic.Abundance,structure,diversity of ground spiders,as well as the responses of four dominant species at this stratum,showed low seasonal variations.In contrast,a strong seasonal variation was observed for the understory assemblage,with lowest abundance and highest diversity in the rainy season,and different assemblage structures for each season.Seasonal patterns of each assemblage seem linked to the responses of their dominant species.We found high co-occurrence among most of the ground dominant species with similar habitat use and with multivoltine patterns,contrasting with low co-occurrence among most of the understory dominant species with similar habitat use and univoltine patterns.Our results showed that the spiders’assemblages of tropical mountain cloud forest(opposed to what is found in temperate and boreal forests)increase their species richness with the height,and that their responses to seasonal change differ between strata.Management programs of these habitats should consider the spatial and temporal variations found here,as a better understanding of their ecological dynamics is required to support their sustainable management.

The coexistence of Baird’s tapir (Tapirus bairdii) and indigenous hunters in northeastern Honduras

The Baird’s tapir(Tapirus bairdii)is a popular game species throughout Central America,particularly among in-digenous populations,and is currently endangered.Research on Miskitu hunting was conducted over 4 months in a remote region in northeastern Honduras that overlaps with the Río Plátano Biosphere Reserve.The hunting zone was mapped together with hunters and interviews were conducted with elders and other community mem-bers about tapir hunting.Results show that tapir harvesting is targeted toward specific habitats at specific times of year.Harvest rates for one year suggest that tapir hunting in the area exceeds estimates of maximum sustain-able production.Nevertheless,field surveys reveal the presence of tapir within 1 km of the community,and its harvest tends to be nearby,in both forested and agricultural landscapes,suggesting that the animal has not been depleted in the area.It appears that the existence of forest areas adjacent to the hunting zone that do not experi-ence hunting,together with the anthropogenic habitats created through shifting cultivation,are factors that help explain the presence of tapirs in the area.The article concludes with a discussion regarding the potential posi-tive role of indigenous hunters in tapir conservation throughout its distribution range.

Nitrogen addition inhibits total monoterpene emissions in subtropical forest floor of South China

Monoterpenes(MTs)play crucial roles not only in atmospheric chemistry and global climate change but also in soil processes and soil ecology.Elevated nitrogen(N)deposition can influence soil microbial community and litter decomposition,and consequently alters MT fluxes from forest floors and litter.Yet,the responses of soil and litter MT to increased N deposition remain poorly understood and the influences of N addition are sometimes contradictory.In the present study,static chambers were placed in masson pine forest(PF)and in monsoon evergreen broad-leaf forest(BF)at Dinghushan,subtropical China.The preconcentrator-GC–MS was used to analyze the effect of N addition on MT fluxes from the forest floors and litter.The results showed that under control treatment(without N addition),the total MT emission rates were 279.90±137.17 and 102.70±45.36 pmol m^(–2)s^(–1) in the PF and BF floors,respectively,withα-pinene being the largest MT species in the PF and limonene in the BF.α-pinene andβ-pinene emission rates decreased significantly in both forest floors after N addition,whereas a diverse trend was found for limonene and camphene in the PF floor.Furthermore,some MT fluxes showed significant negative correlations with soil respiration and soil temperature.Litter was important in MT fluxes from forest floors and its emission rates were enhanced by N addition.Moreover,different MT response to elevated N was found between the forest floor and litter.This study indicated that the elevated N deposition in the future would inhibit the MT emissions from the subtropical forest floor.