Structure and Flora Tree Biodiversity in Congo Basin: Case of a Secondary Tropical Forest in Southwest of Congo-Brazzaville

Félix KOUBOUANA^1, , Suspense Averti IFO^2, , Jean-Marie MOUTSAMBOTE¹, Robia Ridelle Farelle BANZOUZI¹, Adrienne AKOBE¹, Chimelle OPENGA IKAMA¹, Alima Brigitte MANTOTA¹, DZAI Saint¹ and Mackline MBEMBA¹

¹ENSAF, BP 69 Université Marien Ngouabi, Brazzaville, Congo

²ENS, BP 69 Université Marien Ngouabi, Brazzaville, Congo

Cite this paper:
Félix KOUBOUANA, Suspense Averti IFO, Jean-Marie MOUTSAMBOTE, Robia Ridelle Farelle BANZOUZI, Adrienne AKOBE, Chimelle OPENGA IKAMA, Alima Brigitte MANTOTA, DZAI Saint and Mackline MBEMBA. Structure and Flora Tree Biodiversity in Congo Basin: Case of a Secondary Tropical Forest in Southwest of Congo-Brazzaville. Research in Plant Sciences. 2015; 3(3):49-60. doi: 10.12691/plant-3-3-2

Abstract

The Boubissi forest exploitation unit is one of the forest management units assigned to logging. Knowledge of the existing floristic resource through a management inventory is a preliminary operation allowing the planning of the logging activity. In the Boubissi forest exploitation unit, floristic diversity was studied from the floristic surveys made along the inventory tracks on 0.5 ha contiguous plots. Altogether 35 ha of forest were inventoried allowing to count 5158 trees of DBH ≥ 20 cm belonging to 160 species spread within 38 botanical families. In qualitative terms, this forest consists mainly of species from the Fabaceae family in general and Fabaceae-Caesalpinioideae specifically, Meliaceae, Annonaceae, Sapotaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Olacaceae, Burseraceae, Guttifereae, Sapindaceae, Moraceae, Fabaceae-Mimosoideae and Irvingiaceae. Measurement of the phytogeographic spectra showed that the flora of the study area is essentially Guineo-Congolese. Calculation of the Shannon-Weaver index yielded high values indicating a high floristic diversity. Results from the calculation of the Jaccard and Sørensen similarity indices do not show a large floristic heterogeneity between inventory plots. The distribution of tree numbers within diameter classes showed that the forest studied consists of 66% crop trees, 14 % trees that are exploitable in the first cut and 20% will be at the second cut. The floristic composition of the study area is a reflection of an old secondary forest of the central Mayombe. Its operation must be done with the pace of growth of trees to not compromise its regeneration.

Keywords:
Congo basin secondary forest floristic diversity phytogeographical spectrum diametric structure; Republic of the Congo

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