Aspects of Tree Species Phenology and Diversity for Conservation in the Chimpanzee Forest Habitat Kwano, Gashaka Gumti National Park, Nigeria

Abstract

Changes in lifecycle forms of tree species seriously affect their production leading to global warming which has a lot of influence on peoples’ economic status through the provision of ecosystem services. It is important to study the lifecycle changes occurring in tree species and their diversity as a result of global warming since a lot of tree species serves as food to wild animals their absence means animals which depend on them for food will starve to death or migrate thereby affecting conservation activities as well as the wellbeing of people who depends on the park and conservation projects operating within the park for a means of livelihood. An aspect of Tree species Phenology and Diversity for Conservation in Chimpanzee Forest Habitat at Kwano, Gashaka Gumti National Park, Nigeria was conducted with the view to examine the phenology and diversity of tree species in the forest for better conservation strategy. An 8km transect with tagged trees was monitored on foot for phenological activities of leafing, flowering, fruiting and leaf shedding for 3 months. Shannon-Wiener’s Diversity Index (SWDI) was used to determine tree species diversity. ANOVA was used to compare the phenological data among the months of study. SWDI was 4.115. A total of 867 individual tree species consisting of 127 species from 45 families and with 4 unidentified tree species found on this transect indicated that Anogeissus leiocarpus (7.04%) is the highest in the number of the tree species, Trichilia martineani (6.34%) and Crossopteryx febrifuga (5.65%). Euphorbiaceae family (17.42%) was the highest among the diverse tree species observed in Kwano forest followed by Combretaceae (9.80%) and third by Caesalpinoideae (8.65%). Cappar idaceae, Lecythidaceae, Calophyllaceae, Melianthaceae, Celtidaceae, Celastraceae, Ma esaceae, Burseraceae, Rutaceae, and Dracaeroaceae each with 0.12% were the least family es observed. Only 0.12% tree species was observed leafing, 3.92%, 2.19% and 1.73% flowering I                                    n June, July and August respectively while 3.92%, 7.27% and 7.96% were fruiting in June, July and August respectively, none was observed shedding leaves. Comparison of the phenological data reveals significant differences in fruiting and flowering (P < 0.05), none in leafing and leaf shedding (P >0.05). Understanding the phenology and tree species diversity of this forest could enhance better conservation strategies. More phenological studies are recommended in the Park.