Browsing by Author "Mohammed, Elmugheira M. I."

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Anthropogenic Pressure on Tree Species Diversity, Composition, and Growth of Balanites aegyptiaca in Dinder Biosphere Reserve, Sudan
(MDPI, 2021-03-04) Mohammed, Elmugheira M. I.; H., Elhag A. M.; Ndakidemi, Patrick A.; Treydte, Anna C.
Anthropogenic disturbances, such as illegal harvesting and livestock browsing, often affect natural forests. However, the resulting tree species diversity, composition, and population structure have rarely been quantified. We assessed tree species diversity and importance value indices and, in particular, Balanites aegyptiaca (L.) Del. population structure, across 100 sample plots of 25 m × 40 m in disturbed and non-disturbed sites at the Dinder Biosphere Reserve, Sudan, from April 2019 to April 2020. We found that the tree species diversity in non-disturbed sites was more than double that of disturbed sites (p < 0.001, T = 32.6), and seedlings and saplings comprised more than 72% of the entire tree population (F2,48 = 116.4, p = 0.034; F2,48 = 163.2, p = 0.021, respectively). The tree density of B. aegyptiaca in the disturbed site was less than half that of the non-disturbed site (p = 0.018, T = 2.6). Balanites aegyptiaca was seven times more aggregated in disturbed sites compared to more regularly spaced trees in non-disturbed sites (T = 39.3 and p < 0.001). The poor B. aegyptiaca population status of the disturbed site shows that the conservation of this vulnerable species is essential for a sustainable management and utilization scheme.
Livestock Browsing Threatens the Survival of Balanites aegyptiaca Seedlings and Saplings in Dinder Biosphere Reserve, Sudan
(Taylor & Francis Online, 2021-06-03) Mohammed, Elmugheira M. I.; Hammed, Abbas M. E.; Minnick, Tamera J.; Ndakidemi, Patrick A.; Treydte, Anna C.
While the impact of livestock grazing has been frequently assessed for grasses, little is known about how livestock affects tree seedlings and saplings. We explored the effects of goat, cattle and camel browsing on the survival of Balanites aegyptiaca seedlings and saplings, a broadleaved evergreen tree species indigenous to Sudan, in Dinder Biosphere Reserve-Sudan (DBR). We used a stratified sampling design with four sites: GOA (mainly browsed by goats), CAT and CAM being mainly browsed by cattle and camels, respectively, while CON was a control area without any livestock browsing. We tested the survival, mortality and recovery of seedlings and saplings across different sites. Our results revealed that mortalities of seedlings in GOA were almost four times higher than that of CAM and CON and twice that of CAT (F3,196 = 100.39, P < .001). Further, sapling mortality was three times higher in GOA than that observed in CAT and CON (F3,196 = 73.4, P < .001). We found that seedlings recover better than saplings, and, unexpectedly, goat browsing severely affected the natural regeneration of B. aegyptiaca in DBR compared to other livestock species. Our study findings contribute to sustainable forest management and show that particularly goat browsing needs to be suppressed for conservation of vulnerable tree species.