Wetlands invaded by Pneumatopteris afra (Christ.) Holttum are less diverse and more threatened than non-invaded ones in Nigeria
We compared the diversity indices of wetlands invaded by a fern, Pneumatopteris afra, and those that were not invaded. Six wetlands chosen for this study were each the size of 500×500 m2 which included 3 invaded and 3 non-invaded wetlands. A total of 240 quadrats of size 1.5×1.5 m2 were establishe...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Prince of Songkla University
2020-08-01
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| Series: | Songklanakarin Journal of Science and Technology (SJST) |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://rdo.psu.ac.th/sjstweb/journal/42-4/19.pdf |
| Summary: | We compared the diversity indices of wetlands invaded by a fern, Pneumatopteris afra, and those that were not
invaded. Six wetlands chosen for this study were each the size of 500×500 m2 which included 3 invaded and 3 non-invaded
wetlands. A total of 240 quadrats of size 1.5×1.5 m2 were established at all sites for estimation of abundance and diversity
indices. A total of 1634 individual plants of 9 species were observed at the invaded sites while 1032 individuals of 14 species
were observed at the non-invaded sites. The non-invaded sites exhibited significantly higher diversity indices than the invaded
ones. Non-invaded sites are richer and more diverse than the invaded sites. None of the plant species at the non-invaded sites
exhibited strong dominance over others. The lower species diversity of the invaded sites is also an indicator of the threat level
posed on the wetlands by P. afra. |
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| ISSN: | 0125-3395 |