Browsing by Author "Malinga, Geoffrey M."

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    Population structure and regeneration status of prunus Africana (Hoof.f.) Kalkm. after selective and clear felling in Kibale National Park, Uganda.
    (2014-12) Owiny, Arthur A.; Malinga, Geoffrey M.
    Prunus Africana is aglobally threatened indigenous medicinal tree species, and food for many primates. Its population has declined in sub-Saharan Africa due to unsustainable harvest and poor protection. In this study, we determined the population density, population structure and regeneration status of P. Africana in the former clear felled, selectively logged and primary forests of kibale National Park, and assessed the effects of dense cover of Acanthus pubescens on its regeneration. Trees were measured from 180 randomly established plots. The densities of P. Africana seedlings and saplings differed significantly among the three forests while that of poles and mature trees did not. The density of seedlings was significantly higher in the selectively logged than in primary forests. The density of saplings was higher in clear felled than selectively logged forests. Tree density was not negatively affected by A. pubescens cover. Clear felled areas had a more stable population structure with better regeneration, while selectively logged and primary forests had unstable population structures with poor recruitment potential. Our results show that P. Africana regenerates more in intensively disturbed forest areas than less disturbed or primary forests, highlighting the importance of regenerating forests in the conservation of P. Africana.
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    Tree communities of different aged logged areas in an Afrotropical rainforest
    (2016-03-09) Owiny, Arthur A; Valtonen, Anu; Nyeko, Philip; Malinga, Geoffrey M.; Roininen, Heikki
    Predicting the recovery processes in tree communities after logging is critical when developing conservation strategies. We assessed the patterns in tree communities in logged and primary forests in Kibale National Park, Uganda, representing 9- to 19-year-old clear-cuts of former conifer plantations, 42- to 43-year-old logged forests and primary forests. Species density and diversity were lower and dominance higher in the 9- to 19-year-old forests compared to the 42- to 43-year-old forests or primary forests. The tree species density, diversity and dominance of 42- to 43-year-old forests did not differ significantly from primary forests. However, they had a lower stem density, and higher cover of Acanthus pubescens, a shrub known to arrest the succession in Kibale. The tree community compositions of 9- to 19-year-old, 42- to 43-year-old and primary forests differed from each other. A large group of tree species (21) were primary forest indicators, that is, they were either missing or relatively rare in logged forests. The results of this study show that even after four decades of natural recovery, logged Afrotropical forests can still be distinguished from primary forests in their tree community compositions, emphasizing the slow community recovery and the important role of primary forests when preserving the tree communities in tropical rainforests.