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Distribution and Regeneration Status of Guibourtia copallifera Benn. in Sierra Leone

Received: 15 April 2023     Accepted: 15 May 2023     Published: 29 May 2023
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Abstract

This study was conducted to assess the species distributional range, structure, and regeneration status of G. copallifera Benn. A distributional survey was conducted in over 30 villages and communities where claims were made about the presence of this species. At four locations, pairs of large plots measuring 500m x 20m were laid out 400m apart and each subdivided into ten (10) subplots (50m x 20m). For the regeneration studies (Seeds, seedlings and saplings), four quadrats of 5m x 5m were established in each subplot (giving a total of 320 quadrats). A total of 1,294 live individuals from 74 tree species and 12 lianas were recorded, representing 61 genera in 27 families. Guibourtia copallifera has the highest dominance, followed by Nesogordonia papaveriefera (A. Chev.) Capuron ex N. Hallé., Memecylon normandii Jacq.-Fél. and Gmelina arborea Roxb. Species such as Homalium africanum (Hook. f.) Benth. Lindackeria dentata (Oliv.) Gilg, Pentadesma butyracea Sabine. and Santiria trimera (Oliv.) Aubrév. were recorded at low levels. Regarding family dominance, the Leguminosae - Caesalpiniaceae scores the highest, followed by Sterculiaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Melastomataceae and Verbenaceae. The density of regenerating individuals varied significantly between subplots based on the amount of degradation. The regeneration and spatial patterns of the species examined in this study exhibited clear relationships with disturbance intensity. Urgent action is needed to conserve this species, together with other ecologically and economically important tree species, before they are locally exterminated.

Published in Journal of Plant Sciences (Volume 11, Issue 3)
DOI 10.11648/j.jps.20231103.11
Page(s) 39-53
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2023. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Regeneration, Distribution, Management, Status, Density, Guibourtia

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Cite This Article
  • APA Style

    Jonathan Johnny, Aiah Lebbie, Richard Wadsworth. (2023). Distribution and Regeneration Status of Guibourtia copallifera Benn. in Sierra Leone. Journal of Plant Sciences, 11(3), 39-53. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jps.20231103.11

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    ACS Style

    Jonathan Johnny; Aiah Lebbie; Richard Wadsworth. Distribution and Regeneration Status of Guibourtia copallifera Benn. in Sierra Leone. J. Plant Sci. 2023, 11(3), 39-53. doi: 10.11648/j.jps.20231103.11

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    AMA Style

    Jonathan Johnny, Aiah Lebbie, Richard Wadsworth. Distribution and Regeneration Status of Guibourtia copallifera Benn. in Sierra Leone. J Plant Sci. 2023;11(3):39-53. doi: 10.11648/j.jps.20231103.11

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  • @article{10.11648/j.jps.20231103.11,
      author = {Jonathan Johnny and Aiah Lebbie and Richard Wadsworth},
      title = {Distribution and Regeneration Status of Guibourtia copallifera Benn. in Sierra Leone},
      journal = {Journal of Plant Sciences},
      volume = {11},
      number = {3},
      pages = {39-53},
      doi = {10.11648/j.jps.20231103.11},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jps.20231103.11},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.jps.20231103.11},
      abstract = {This study was conducted to assess the species distributional range, structure, and regeneration status of G. copallifera Benn. A distributional survey was conducted in over 30 villages and communities where claims were made about the presence of this species. At four locations, pairs of large plots measuring 500m x 20m were laid out 400m apart and each subdivided into ten (10) subplots (50m x 20m). For the regeneration studies (Seeds, seedlings and saplings), four quadrats of 5m x 5m were established in each subplot (giving a total of 320 quadrats). A total of 1,294 live individuals from 74 tree species and 12 lianas were recorded, representing 61 genera in 27 families. Guibourtia copallifera has the highest dominance, followed by Nesogordonia papaveriefera (A. Chev.) Capuron ex N. Hallé., Memecylon normandii Jacq.-Fél. and Gmelina arborea Roxb. Species such as Homalium africanum (Hook. f.) Benth. Lindackeria dentata (Oliv.) Gilg, Pentadesma butyracea Sabine. and Santiria trimera (Oliv.) Aubrév. were recorded at low levels. Regarding family dominance, the Leguminosae - Caesalpiniaceae scores the highest, followed by Sterculiaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Melastomataceae and Verbenaceae. The density of regenerating individuals varied significantly between subplots based on the amount of degradation. The regeneration and spatial patterns of the species examined in this study exhibited clear relationships with disturbance intensity. Urgent action is needed to conserve this species, together with other ecologically and economically important tree species, before they are locally exterminated.},
     year = {2023}
    }
    

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  • TY  - JOUR
    T1  - Distribution and Regeneration Status of Guibourtia copallifera Benn. in Sierra Leone
    AU  - Jonathan Johnny
    AU  - Aiah Lebbie
    AU  - Richard Wadsworth
    Y1  - 2023/05/29
    PY  - 2023
    N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jps.20231103.11
    DO  - 10.11648/j.jps.20231103.11
    T2  - Journal of Plant Sciences
    JF  - Journal of Plant Sciences
    JO  - Journal of Plant Sciences
    SP  - 39
    EP  - 53
    PB  - Science Publishing Group
    SN  - 2331-0731
    UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jps.20231103.11
    AB  - This study was conducted to assess the species distributional range, structure, and regeneration status of G. copallifera Benn. A distributional survey was conducted in over 30 villages and communities where claims were made about the presence of this species. At four locations, pairs of large plots measuring 500m x 20m were laid out 400m apart and each subdivided into ten (10) subplots (50m x 20m). For the regeneration studies (Seeds, seedlings and saplings), four quadrats of 5m x 5m were established in each subplot (giving a total of 320 quadrats). A total of 1,294 live individuals from 74 tree species and 12 lianas were recorded, representing 61 genera in 27 families. Guibourtia copallifera has the highest dominance, followed by Nesogordonia papaveriefera (A. Chev.) Capuron ex N. Hallé., Memecylon normandii Jacq.-Fél. and Gmelina arborea Roxb. Species such as Homalium africanum (Hook. f.) Benth. Lindackeria dentata (Oliv.) Gilg, Pentadesma butyracea Sabine. and Santiria trimera (Oliv.) Aubrév. were recorded at low levels. Regarding family dominance, the Leguminosae - Caesalpiniaceae scores the highest, followed by Sterculiaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Melastomataceae and Verbenaceae. The density of regenerating individuals varied significantly between subplots based on the amount of degradation. The regeneration and spatial patterns of the species examined in this study exhibited clear relationships with disturbance intensity. Urgent action is needed to conserve this species, together with other ecologically and economically important tree species, before they are locally exterminated.
    VL  - 11
    IS  - 3
    ER  - 

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Author Information
  • Department of Wildlife Management and Conservation, School of Natural Resources Management, Njala University, Bo, Sierra Leone

  • Department of Biological Sciences, School of Basic Sciences, Nala University, Bo, Sierra Leone

  • Department of Biological Sciences, School of Basic Sciences, Nala University, Bo, Sierra Leone

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