SPATIAL STRUCTURE OF ECTOMYCORRHIZAL TREES IN WOODED SAVANNAS OF GUINEO-SUDANIAN ECOZONE IN WEST AFRICA

SPATIAL STRUCTURE OF ECTOMYCORRHIZAL TREES IN WOODED SAVANNAS OF GUINEO-SUDANIAN ECOZONE IN WEST AFRICA

The Guineo-Sudanian and Sudanian zones are home to predominantly ectomycorrhizal (EcM) plant communities dominated by members of the families Fabaceae (subfamily Ceasalpinioidae), Phyllanthaceae and Dipterocarpaceae. Numerous studies have shown that the aggregation of EcM trees is facilitated in par...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of tropical forest science Vol. 31; no. 1; pp. 1 - 11
Main Authors: Houdanon, RD, Tchan, IK, Laourou, GA, Codjia, JEI, Badou, SA, Aignon, LH, Boni, S, Yorou, NS
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Kuala Lumpur FOREST RESEARCH INSTITUTE MALAYSIA 01-01-2019
Forest Research Institute Malaysia
Subjects:
Carbon
Dipterocarpaceae
Ecology
Ectomycorrhizas
Fabaceae
Forest ecology
Forest regeneration
Forest trees
Forestry
Forests
Fungi
Mycelia
Nutrients
Phyllanthaceae
Plant communities
Plant ecology
Plant populations
Savannahs
Seedlings
Spatial distribution
Stand structure
Trees
Tropical forests
Vegetation
Vegetation type
Woodlands
West Africa
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Summary:The Guineo-Sudanian and Sudanian zones are home to predominantly ectomycorrhizal (EcM) plant communities dominated by members of the families Fabaceae (subfamily Ceasalpinioidae), Phyllanthaceae and Dipterocarpaceae. Numerous studies have shown that the aggregation of EcM trees is facilitated in part by the shared mycelial networks of EcM fungi. Mycelial networks involving mature trees would thus directly affect the survival of the seedlings of EcM trees and, thereby, the spatial structuring of the trees. In this study, we investigated the structure and spatial interactions of three vegetation types dominated by different EcM trees, namely, Isoberlinia doka, I. tomentosa and Uapaca togoensis. Three 50 m × 50 m plots were installed for each vegetation type. All EcM trees present in each plot were counted for estimation of density. Ripley’s second order function K was used to estimate the spatial structure of EcMs trees. Spatial distribution of trees differed between species. Repulsion occurred at scales of 1 to 5 m between the different EcM trees species. By sharing nutrient through mycelial network, repulsion mechanisms observed during interaction between plants should have been cancelled but this was not observed in this study.
ISSN:0128-1283
2521-9847
DOI:10.26525/jtfs2019.31.1.001011