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opencc-zeroNov 2021View details →

Landscape genetics Afromontane forest birds - microsatellite data

<a name="_Hlk61564128"></a>Species confined to naturally fragmented habitats may exhibit intrinsic population complexity which may challenge interpretations of species response to anthropogenic landscape transformation. In South Africa, where native forests are naturally fragmented, forest‐dependent birds have undergone range declines since 1992, most notably among insectivores. These insectivores appear sensitive to the quality of natural matrix habitats, and it is unknown whether transformation of the landscape matrix has disrupted gene flow in these species. We undertook a landscape genetics study of four forest‐dependent insectivorous songbirds across southeast South Africa. Microsatellite data were used to conduct a priori optimization of landscape resistance surfaces (land cover, rivers and dams, and elevation) using cost‐distances along least‐cost pathway (LCP), and resistance distances (IBR). We detected pronounced declines in effective population sizes over the past two centuries for the endemic forest specialist Cossypha dichroa and Batis capensis, alongside recent gene flow disruption in B. capensis, C. dichroa and Pogonocichla stellata. Landscape resistance modelling showed both native forest and dense thicket configuration facilitates gene flow in P. stellata, B. capensis and C. dichroa. Facultative dispersal of P. stellata through dense thicket likely aided resilience against historic landscape transformation, whereas combined forest‐thicket degradation adversely affected the forest generalist B. capensis. By contrast, Phylloscopus ruficapilla appears least reliant upon landscape features to maintain gene flow and was least impacted by anthropogenic landscape transformation. Collectively, gene flow in all four species is improved at lower elevations, along river valleys, and riparian corridors— where native forest and dense thicket better persist. Consistent outperformance of LCP over IBR land‐cover models for P. stellata, B. capensis and C. dichroa demonstrates the benefits of wildlife corridors for South African forest‐dependent bird conservation, to ameliorate the extinction debts from past and present anthropogenic forest exploitation.

opencc-zeroApr 2022View details →

Spatial variation in human disturbances and their effects on forest structure and biodiversity across an Afromontane forest

Context Human disturbances can have large impacts on forest structure and biodiversity, and thereby result in forest degradation, a property difficult to detect by remote sensing. Objectives To investigate spatial variation in anthropogenicdisturbances and their effects on forest structure and biodiversity. Methods In 144 plots of 20 x 20 m distributed across a forest area of 750 km2 in Southwest Ethiopia, we recorded: landscape variables (e.g., distance to forest edge), different human disturbances, forest structure variables, and species composition of trees and epiphyllous bryophytes. We then first assessed if landscape variables could explain the spatial distribution of disturbances. Second, we analysed how forest structure and biodiversity were influenced by disturbances. Results Human disturbances, such as coffee management and grazing declined with distance to forest edges and penetrated at least a kilometer into the forest. The slope was not related to disturbance levels, but several types of disturbances were less common at higher elevations. Among human disturbance types, coffee management reduced liana cover and was associated with altered species composition of trees. The presence of large trees and basal areas was not related to any of the disturbance gradients. Conclusions Although most anthropogenic disturbances displayed clear edge effects, surprisingly the variation in the chosen forest degradation indices was only weakly related to these disturbances. We suggest that the intersection between edge effects and forest degradation is very context-specific and relies much on how particular societies use the forests. For example, in this landscape coffee management seems to be a key driver.

opencc-zeroSep 2023View details →

Environment differentially affects the functional and phylogenetic structures of plant communities in a dry evergreen Afromontane tropical forest

Testing how local environmental conditions influence plant community assembly is important to understand the underlying mechanisms that promote and/or maintain biodiversity. Functional traits are used to find the broad spectrum of resource use strategies that plants use to respond to environmental variation. The patterns and drivers of plant community assembly through the lens of traits and phylogeny, however, remain to be studied in a uniquely biodiversity rich but poorly known fragmented dry Afromontane forest of Ethiopia. Here, we combined trait and community phylogenetic data from thirty sampling plots of 20 × 20 m size to determine the functional and phylogenetic structures and their drivers in a fragmented, human-dominated dry evergreen Afromontane forest. We found phylogenetic and functional clustering of plants in which the effect of environment was found to be trait specific. A weak phylogenetic signal for traits was detected suggesting that species resource use strategies may not be inferred using species phylogenetic distance. Additionally, we found functional traits to be weak in predicting species abundance distribution. Overall, while this study shows a non-random community assembly pattern, it also highlights the importance of deterministic processes being trait specific.

publicSep 2023View details →

Environment differentially affects the functional and phylogenetic structures of plant communities in a dry evergreen Afromontane tropical forest

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publicApr 2022View details →

Spatial variation in human disturbances and their effects on forest structure and biodiversity across an Afromontane forest

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publicNov 2021View details →

Landscape genetics Afromontane forest birds - microsatellite data

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opencc-zeroAug 2019View details →

Data from: Damage to artificial seedlings across a disturbed Afromontane forest landscape

Seedling mortality is an important demographic bottleneck for forest regeneration, yet the factors influencing recruitment are often poorly characterised across space and time. In African highlands, where extensive patches of previously disturbed forests remain in persistent shrub-dominated states, patterns of damage to seedlings have not been examined in detail. We used artificial seedlings to determine how (non-herbivory related) damage varies across a fragmented forest landscape in the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda. A total of 848 artificial seedlings were established in 106 plots, each with 8 seedlings, across a gradient of environmental factors, including habitat type, topographic position, distance to water, and distance to human activity. We divided damage into that due to vertebrates, plant debris, and unknown agents. From our 16,960 monthly stem assessments, 1,289 damage events were recorded. The mean "seedling" damage per year (± 1 SE) was 59.5 ± 2.3%. Damage was significantly more frequent in sites dominated by short herbs (66.1 ± 3.0) than in sites dominated by shrubs (60.1 ± 2.6) and ferns (47.9 ± 2.7). The mean percentage of damage by each class of agents was 45.8 ± 2.1% for vertebrates, 21.4 ± 2.1% for plant debris, and 3.8 ± 0.6% for unknown agents. These rates surpass those reported in other montane forests, likely reflecting the density of large vertebrates in our site. Our results indicate that most damage to artificial seedlings arises from large vertebrates but that most spatial variation in this damage reflects the impacts of falling plant debris. These damage processes appear sufficient to constrain the regeneration of tree species in areas where forest cover is patchy and fragmented.

opennotspecifiedMar 2013View details →

Distribution. Endemic to the Albertine Rift, with confirmed presence in remnant Afromontane forests of E DR Congo and SW Uganda (Mt Sabinyo and Mt Mgahinga) in the W Virunga Volcanoes and in W Rwanda (Gishwati and Nyungwe forests); it is also believed to occur at Burunga and Rubengera in the E Virunga Volcanoes. in Cercopithecidae

Distribution. Endemic to the Albertine Rift, with confirmed presence in remnant Afromontane forests of E DR Congo and SW Uganda (Mt Sabinyo and Mt Mgahinga) in the W Virunga Volcanoes and in W Rwanda (Gishwati and Nyungwe forests); it is also believed to occur at Burunga and Rubengera in the E Virunga Volcanoes.

opencc-zeroDec 2013View details →

Data from: Population signatures of large-scale, long-term disjunction and small-scale, short-term habitat fragmentation in an Afromontane forest bird

The Eastern Afromontane cloud forests occur as geographically distinct mountain exclaves. The conditions of these forests range from large to small and from fairly intact to strongly degraded. For this study, we sampled individuals of the forest bird species, the Montane White-eye Zosterops poliogaster from 16 sites and four mountain archipelagos. We analysed 12 polymorphic microsatellites and three phenotypic traits, and calculated Species Distribution Models (SDMs) to project past distributions and predict potential future range shifts under a scenario of climate warming. We found well-supported genetic and morphologic clusters corresponding to the mountain ranges where populations were sampled, with 43% of all alleles being restricted to single mountains. Our data suggest that large-scale and long-term geographic isolation on mountain islands caused genetically and morphologically distinct population clusters in Z. poliogaster. However, major genetic and biometric splits were not correlated to the geographic distances among populations. This heterogeneous pattern can be explained by past climatic shifts, as highlighted by our SDM projections. Anthropogenically fragmented populations showed lower genetic diversity and a lower mean body mass, possibly in response to suboptimal habitat conditions. On the basis of these findings and the results from our SDM analysis we predict further loss of genotypic and phenotypic uniqueness in the wake of climate change, due to the contraction of the species' climatic niche and subsequent decline in population size.

FIGURE 2 in A new species of Dugesia (Platyhelminthes, Tricladida, Dugesiidae) from the Afromontane forest in South Africa, with an overview of freshwater planarians from the African continent

FIGURE 2. Dugesia afromontana. Habitus of living specimens, (A) fissiparous individual, (B) ex-fissiparous individual.

FIGURE 1 in A new species of Dugesia (Platyhelminthes, Tricladida, Dugesiidae) from the Afromontane forest in South Africa, with an overview of freshwater planarians from the African continent

FIGURE 1. Geographic distribution of all species of the genus Dugesia recorded from the African continent.

FIGURE 3. Dugesia afromontana. Holotype ZMA V in A new species of Dugesia (Platyhelminthes, Tricladida, Dugesiidae) from the Afromontane forest in South Africa, with an overview of freshwater planarians from the African continent

FIGURE 3. Dugesia afromontana. Holotype ZMA V.Pl. 7108.1, sagittal reconstructions of the copulatory apparatus (anterior to the left), (A) male copulatory apparatus, (B) female copulatory apparatus.

opencc-zeroNov 2022View details →

Factors limiting plant recruitment in a Tropical Afromontane Forest

Predicting how forest species composition may change in response to global change is essential for meaningful management. Which species are most likely to successfully recruit depends on a multitude of factors, but processes operating at the seed-to-seedling transition being especially important. Here we explore how insufficient seed dispersal (dispersal limitation) and ecological filtering of seedlings (establishment limitation) influence species recruitment in an Afromontane Forest. We combined census data from seeds in seed traps and seed-seedling transition plots in a Nigerian montane forest to measure dispersal and establishment limitation across species, life history strategies and seed sizes. From 106 seed traps and 318 seedling plots we recorded 11,278 seeds from 38 species and 2,688 seedlings of 61 species. All species except for one liana showed strong dispersal limitation while 23 out of the 30 species showed establishment limitation. The two lianas sampled had significantly lower dispersal limitation compared to the trees investigated in the study. Our results suggest that both dispersal and establishment limitation are markedly high in this Afromontane forest than would be expected in a lowland counterpart.

publicJan 2014View details →

Data from: Population signatures of large-scale, long-term disjunction and small-scale, short-term habitat fragmentation in an Afromontane forest bird

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publicMar 2017View details →

Data from: Carbon stocks and dynamics at different successional stages in an Afromontane tropical forest

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publicNov 2022View details →

Factors limiting plant recruitment in a Tropical Afromontane Forest

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publicAug 2019View details →

Data from: Damage to artificial seedlings across a disturbed Afromontane forest landscape

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Figure 1 from: Kipkoech S, Melly DK, Muema BW, Wei N, Kamau P, Kirika PM, Wang Q, Hu G (2020) An annotated checklist of the vascular plants of Aberdare Ranges Forest, a part of Eastern Afromontane Biodiversity Hotspot. PhytoKeys 149: 1-88. https://doi.org/10.3897/phytokeys.149.48042

Figure 1 The locality of Aberdare Ranges Forest. (i) Five major water catchment forests in Kenya (ii) Two sections of the Aberdare Ranges Forest with numerous watersheds.

opencc-by-4.0Jun 2020View details →

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FIGURE 4 in A new species of Dugesia (Platyhelminthes, Tricladida, Dugesiidae) from the Afromontane forest in South Africa, with an overview of freshwater planarians from the African continent

FIGURE 4. Dugesia afromontana. (A) metaphasic plate, (B) karyogram, (C) karyotype idiogram.