Tree species diversity and abundance in coffee farms adjacent to areas of different disturbance histories in Mabira forest system, central Uganda

Tree species diversity and abundance in coffee farms adjacent to areas of different disturbance histories in Mabira forest system, central Uganda

Coffee production in Uganda is done on small-scale farms containing a very significant tree component. However, there is little information on how tree species abundance, richness and diversity change in coffee farms as distance from forest changes. The main objectives of this study, therefore, were...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of biodiversity science, ecosystems services & management Vol. 11; no. 4; pp. 309 - 317
Main Authors: Gwali, Samson, Agaba, Hillary, Balitta, Paul, Hafashimana, David, Nkandu, Joseph, Kuria, Anne, Pinard, Fabrice, Sinclair, Fergus
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Taylor & Francis 02-10-2015
Subjects:
analysis of variance
Coffea arabica
Coffea canephora
coffee farms
crop production
farms
forests
Mabira forest
production technology
Robusta coffee
species
species diversity
species richness
tree diversity
trees
villages
Uganda
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Summary:Coffee production in Uganda is done on small-scale farms containing a very significant tree component. However, there is little information on how tree species abundance, richness and diversity change in coffee farms as distance from forest changes. The main objectives of this study, therefore, were to assess (a) abundance and (b) diversity of tree species in the coffee production systems in proximity to disturbed and undisturbed forest around Mabira forest, one of Uganda’s Robusta coffee-growing areas. Seventy-nine 0.1 ha plots were established in nine villages close to undisturbed and disturbed forest, and over 5 km from the forest. A total of 875 trees belonging to 63 species were recorded. There was significant similarity in species composition among the three study sites (analysis of similarity R = 0.09, p < 0.01; analysis of variance: F ₃,₁₂ = 0.353, p = 0.79). Non-metric dimensional scaling supported these findings (stress value = 0.224 at k = 2) and showed that tree species composition in the three proximity categories was very similar. These results demonstrate that tree species composition and diversity is similar in coffee farms regardless of their distance from the nearest natural forest and forest exploitation history.
Bibliography:http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/21513732.2015.1050607
ObjectType-Article-1
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
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ISSN:2151-3740
2151-3732
2151-3740
DOI:10.1080/21513732.2015.1050607