An Ecological Study of the Lowland Vegetation of Key Afer-Shala Luqa and Southwest of Lake Chamo, Southern Ethiopia
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Date
1997-11
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
Studies in the vegetation of Key Afer-Shala Luqa ailG SouthWest of take Chaino Southern
Ethiopia were conducted from Nov. 21, 1996 to February 27, 1997. The data on
aboveground herbaceous phytomass was collected using 1m2 quadrat from 13 selected sites.
To determine the different plant communities, data from 71 quadrats (400 m2) was
collected following a 1-9 modified Braun Blanquet scale (van der Maarel, 1979). The
environmental data collected consists of soil, altitude, slope and aspect.
The average aboveground herbaceous phytomass ranged between 35.9 gm-2 in Shala plain
to 1016.8 gm-2 in Southwest of Lake Chamo. Multivariate methods were employed to
summarise the vegetation data. Seven community types and an outliers were identified.
Statistical test (post-hoc comparison of means) among the community types showed
significant variation in altitude indicating that altitude is the most important factor.
Analysis of diversity among community types showed that the Hyparrhenia jilipendula-
Combretl/Ill moUe dominated community is richer in species than others, while the
Commiplwra cyclophylla-Actilliopteris radiata-Sallsevieria ehrenbergii dominated
community is the least species rich community.
The low aboveground herbaceous phytomass in sites like Shala might be attributed to
ecological incompatibility with prevailing stocking rate. To ameliorate the interrelated
causes of resource degradation, destocking should be taken into consideration.
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Botnical Science