Topography and Logging Structure Liana Community Assemblages in an Upland Evergreen Forest, Ghana

IF 2.7 3区环境科学与生态学 Q2 ECOLOGY

Journal of Vegetation Science Pub Date : 2025-07-29 DOI:10.1111/jvs.70055

Patrick Addo-Fordjour, Enoch Kweku Boakye, Francis Emmanuel Awortwi, Abena Fosua Dankwah

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Abstract

Aims

Lianas form an important component of tropical forests as they contribute to maintaining biodiversity. Thus, understanding the factors that control them is essential for forest management and biodiversity conservation. However, how topography and logging, as well as their interaction, affect liana community structure is not well understood. Therefore, we sought to evaluate the effects of topography and logging on the structure of liana communities in a tropical upland evergreen forest in Ghana.

Location

Tano Offin Forest Reserve, Ghana.

Methods

We assessed liana community structure by quantifying liana species diversity and composition, abundance, and basal area in nine 20 × 20 m plots, each of three topographic habitats (valley, slope, hilltop) in two land-use types (non-logged and logged-over forests) in the Tano Offin Forest Reserve, Ghana. We measured elevation and slope angle, and quantified host tree abundance and basal area for each plot.

Results

Topographic position influenced liana species diversity, abundance and basal area across the forest land-use types, with the valley habitat supporting a significantly greater values than the other habitats. In the same vein, topographic position was a significant predictor of liana species diversity, abundance and basal area in the logged-over forest, but not the non-logged forest. Selective logging also showed significant negative effects on liana species diversity, abundance and basal area, both across forest land-use types and within slope and hilltop habitats. Similarly, there were significant effects of topographic habitat and logging, and their interaction on liana species composition. Liana species composition was significantly driven by elevation, while liana abundance and basal area were predicted by elevation, slope angle, and tree abundance and basal area.

Conclusion

In view of our findings, forest managers should take into account the heterogeneity of topographic landscapes in their management operations and pay particular attention to areas that support higher plant assemblages, such as valleys. The findings further suggest that logging operations in topographic landscapes should be conducted in a manner that does not disrupt the topographic patterns of plant community structure.

Abstract Image

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加纳山地常绿林中藤本植物群落的地形与伐木结构

目的藤本植物是热带森林的重要组成部分，有助于维持生物多样性。因此，了解控制它们的因素对森林管理和生物多样性保护至关重要。然而，地形和伐木对藤本植物群落结构的影响及其相互作用尚不清楚。因此，我们试图评估地形和伐木对加纳热带山地常绿森林藤本植物群落结构的影响。地点：加纳塔诺奥芬森林保护区。方法在加纳Tano Offin森林保护区2种土地利用类型（未采伐森林和被采伐森林）3种地形生境（山谷、斜坡、山顶）的9个20 × 20 m样地中，通过量化藤本植物物种多样性、组成、丰度和基础面积来评估藤本植物群落结构。我们测量了每个样地的高程和坡度角，并量化了宿主树的丰度和基材面积。结果地形位置影响了不同森林利用类型藤本植物的物种多样性、丰度和基带面积，河谷生境对藤本植物的支持值显著大于其他生境。同样，地形位置对砍伐过的森林藤本植物物种多样性、丰度和基底面积有显著的预测作用，而对未砍伐过的森林则无显著的预测作用。选择性采伐对藤本植物物种多样性、丰度和基带面积均有显著的负面影响。同样，地形、生境和伐木对藤本植物的物种组成也有显著影响。藤本植物物种组成受海拔高度的显著驱动，而藤本植物丰度和基面积则由海拔高度、坡角、树木丰度和基面积预测。结论：森林管理者应在经营管理中考虑地形景观的异质性，并特别注意支持高等植物组合的地区，如山谷。研究结果进一步表明，在地形景观中伐木作业应以不破坏植物群落结构的地形模式的方式进行。

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来源期刊

Journal of Vegetation Science 环境科学-林学

CiteScore

6.00

自引率

3.60%

发文量

审稿时长

2 months

期刊介绍： The Journal of Vegetation Science publishes papers on all aspects of plant community ecology, with particular emphasis on papers that develop new concepts or methods, test theory, identify general patterns, or that are otherwise likely to interest a broad international readership. Papers may focus on any aspect of vegetation science, e.g. community structure (including community assembly and plant functional types), biodiversity (including species richness and composition), spatial patterns (including plant geography and landscape ecology), temporal changes (including demography, community dynamics and palaeoecology) and processes (including ecophysiology), provided the focus is on increasing our understanding of plant communities. The Journal publishes papers on the ecology of a single species only if it plays a key role in structuring plant communities. Papers that apply ecological concepts, theories and methods to the vegetation management, conservation and restoration, and papers on vegetation survey should be directed to our associate journal, Applied Vegetation Science journal.