The project funded two Tanzanian Masters students and leveraged funding for a British PhD student. All three research projects were based in the Usambara forest and generated new information on the status of invasive plant species in the region.
John Richard (MSc) - Ezekiel Edward (MSc) - Wayne Dawson (PhD)
John Richard (MSc)
Title: Status of the Panama rubber (Castilla elastica) in Amani Nature Reserve: Spread and management options. John Richard (MSc)
Supervisors:
S. Madoffe, Department of Forest Biology, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Tanzania.
Dr. Phil Hulme, Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Banchory, Scotland.
Summary
The research examined the abundance and distribution of Castilla elastica which is non-native to the Amani Nature Reserve. The point-centred quarter method was used to determine the relative abundance of Castilla elastica. A modified Weed Risk Assessment (WRA) was carried out to investigate the potential C. elastica has in becoming invasive in the reserve.
Castilla elastica is most abundant in forest edges rather than the forest interior. The distribution is strongly associated with canopy cover and disturbance. The diameter distribution of Castilla suggests an expanding population which is characterized by many young individuals and fewer mature individuals. The total score obtained from the WRA of Castilla in ANR is 11 which suggests that Castilla has a risk of becoming invasive in the reserve. Therefore, this calls for close monitoring and control of its population growth in ANR.
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Ezekiel Edward (MSc)
Title: Population status and spread of Cordia alliodora in Amani Nature Reserve, Tanzania. Ezekiel Edward (MSc)
Supervisors:
Prof. Munishi P. K. T, Department of Forest Biology, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Tanzania.
Dr. Phil Hulme, Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Banchory, Scotland.
Summary
The study's overall objective was to assess the population status and distribution of Cordia alliodora, a potentially invasive alien species within the Amani Nature Reserve. A total of 67 concentric sample plots were systematically laid radiating away from the original plot of Cordia in eight cardinal directions. Plots were established systematically at 50 m intervals. Four life stages, namely seedlings, saplings, sub-adults and adults were sampled. Elevation, slope, canopy density and litter depth were also measured. Disturbance level in each plot was scored using an established index. The screening system questionnaire/ score sheet from Hawaii was adapted with minor modification in order to assess the risk potential of Cordia alliodora in Amani Nature Reserve.
Results indicate the likelihood of seedling, sub adult, and adult establishment was a function of distance from the plantation and this overlaid any effects of native species richness or disturbance on spread.
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Wayne Dawson (PhD)
Title: What determines species invasiveness? Testing traits with tropical trees. Wayne Dawson (PhD)
Supervisors:
Dr. Phil Hulme, Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Banchory, Scotland.
Dr. David Burslem, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, Scotland.
Summary
The Amani Botanical Garden was first established in 1902 as a series of trial plantations, containing over 600 mainly woody species of potential commercial use. This studied surveyed 1005 plots in the Amani Botanic Garden and assessed the invasion status of the surviving 207 species.
The results show that a greater proportion of introduced species were potentially invasive than might be expected from previous analyses of global floras. Eighty four alien species introduced by the Amani Botanic Garden are regenerating of which 49 have naturalised with 17 of these spread widely. A further 18 species with unclear introduction records have also naturalised. Overall just over half of all naturalised species were observed in forest fragments and edges. Results suggest that probability of escape from planted areas maybe explained by the number of species planted, the residence time, and biogeographic origin (paleotropical species were more likely to escape than neotropical ones)
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