3. RESULTS
3.1. Floristic richness of Muwaro corridor
The species surveyed are divided into different taxa in a
phylogenetic order according to the new classification of Judd et al. (2002),
Lejoly (2006-2007) and APG II (2003) and this in alphabetical order (see
attached list). Table 2 presents the numbers of species identified per family
in the permanent plot and transect open in Mwaro ecological corridor.
Table 2: Number of species per family in Mwaro ecological
corridor
N. espèces
Famille
Famille
N°
N. espèces
N°
1
Amaranthaceae
1
Asteraceae
21
32
1
Amygdalaceae
2
13
33
Ferns
1
Apocynaceae
3
Urticaceae
11
34
1
Aquifoliaceae
4
Rubiaceae
10
35
1
Asclepiadaceae
Acanthaceae
36
5
7
1
Basellaceae
6
Fabaceae
7
37
1
Begoniaceae
6
Euphorbiaceae
38
7
1
Boraginaceae
6
8
39
Rosaceae
1
Capparaceae
5
Cucurbitaceae
9
40
1
Clusiaceae
5
Poaceae
10
41
1
Conaraceae
4
Lamiaceae
11
42
1
Convolvulaceae
Araliaceae
12
3
43
1
Cornaceae
Liliaceae
13
3
44
1
Cyperaceae
Meliaceae
14
3
45
1
Dioscoreaceae
15
Moraceae
3
46
1
Ericaceae
Oleaceae
16
3
47
1
Flacourtiaceae
17
Polygonaceae
3
48
1
Geraniaceae
18
Ranunculaceae
3
49
1
Lobeliaceae
19
3
50
Rutaceae
1
Loganiaceae
20
Apiaceae
2
51
1
Maesaceae
21
Araceae
2
52
1
Melianthaceae
22
Asparagaceae
2
53
1
Menispermaceae
23
Balsaminaceae
2
54
1
Monimiaceae
2
Bignoniaceae
24
55
1
Musaceae
2
Celastraceae
25
56
1
Olacaceae
2
Malvaceae
26
57
1
Passifloraceae
27
Myrsinaceae
2
58
1
Phyllantaceae
28
Piperaceae
2
59
1
Pittosporaceae
Rhamnaceae
29
2
60
1
Smilacaceae
Sapindaceae
30
2
61
1
Ulmaceae
Alangiaceae
31
1
62
173
Total
Table 2 presents a total of 173 species grouped into 61
families. Families most specificaly represented are Asteraceae (21
species); Urticaceae (11 species); Rubiaceae (10 species);
Acanthaceae and Fabaceae (7 species); Euphorbiaceae
and Rosaceae (6 species) and finaly Cucurbitaceae and
Poaceae (5 species). The total number of species identified is 181,
when
Biodiversity survey of Mwaro corridor, Altitudinal
distribution of the vegetation and assessment of Gorilla food
availability
Page 18
Page 19
including 8 not yet determined and not listed in Table 2.
Additionaly, ferns were not identified at species level due to lack of adequate
documentation.
3.2. Morphological types of identified species
So far, a total of 181 species have been identified in the
permanent 1-ha plot and 7 km long transect in the Mwaro ecological corridor.
Morphological types of the identified species are presented in Table 3.
Table 3: Morphological types of species inventoried
|
Morphological type
|
Woody plants
|
Herbaceous plants
|
Ferns
|
Total
|
|
Trees
|
Shrubs
|
Woody lianas
|
Herbs
|
Herbaceous liana
|
|
Nbr of species
|
42
|
24
|
15
|
64
|
23
|
13
|
181
|
|
%
|
23,2
|
13,25
|
8,28
|
35,35
|
12,7
|
7,18
|
100
|
The reading of Table 3 shows a dominance of herbaceous species
over other species with 87 species (herbs and herbaceous lianas), versus 81
woody species (Trees, Shrubs and woody lianas). This is likely attributable to
the fact that the line transect was done across Mikeno mountain and the higher
we went in altitude, the rarer woody species became.
Table 4: Distribution of species in morphological types in
prospected phytocenoses
|
Morphological types /site
|
1-ha Plot
|
7 Km line transect
|
|
Trees
|
31
|
35
|
|
Shrubs
|
13
|
17
|
|
Woody lianas
|
10
|
15
|
|
Herbs
|
26
|
53
|
|
Herbaceous lianas
|
15
|
20
|
|
Ferns
|
4
|
12
|
|
Total
|
99
|
152
|
|
Area
|
1 ha
|
0.7 ha*
|
*total area of the 7 segments of 0.1 ha each. Each Segment has
500 m long and 2 m wide. 500 m segment has been suggested as best method for
rapid assessment of forest habitats and plant diversity. It is useful to
compare different habitats in terms of forest structure and composition of
their flora (GENTRY 1982).
Biodiversity survey of Mwaro corridor, Altitudinal
distribution of the vegetation and assessment of Gorilla food
availability
When examining Table 4, we notice that, though the plot
surface is slightly bigger than the transect, it is on the line transect where
we found a high specific diversity with a good proportion between the different
morphological types, probably because the transect covers differet altitudes,
given that some plant species are specific to a type of altitude. We also
notice a great dominance of herbaceous species in both phytocenoses.
| 
