Diversity and Ecological Analysis of Vascular Epiphytes in Gera Wild Coffee Forest, Jimma Zone of Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia
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Date
2013-07
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Addis Ababa,University
Abstract
The diver,sifY (llId ecological allaly:,'i:,' of 1'(M'Clilar epiphyte:,' was s flldied ill Cera Foresl in southwesfem
Erhiopia af a/fillides befweell 1600 alld 2400 III a .. d . A loral area of 4.5 ha was surveyed ill coffee alld
1101I-coffee forest vegetafion. Fifty salllplillg plofs, each 30 III X 30 III (900 11/ 1), were used for the purpose
of daw col/eeliOIl. A lotal of 59 species of vascular epiphyte:,' were recorded alld of which 34(59%) were
holo ep'j)hyte:", 111'0 (4%) were hemi epiphyles alld 22 (37%) :,pecies were accidenwl vascular epiphytes.
To :,·tudy Ille allitlldinal dislribulioll of vascular epiphYles. altitudes were classified into higher >2000,
//Iiddle 1800- 2000 and Jower 1600- 1800//1 a.s.1. accordillg to Shanl/otl- Wiener Index (HI = 3.411) of
tJ.
alpha dil'ersily file epiphyte COllll111111ily ill the sllldy area is medium. There was a stjlistically sigmjicalll
dljerence belween host bark Iype and epiphyte richlless as determined by Olle~way ANOVA (F(3, 91) "'"
21 .833, p = 0.001). The p(w- hoc fesl shows Ihal there is sigllificallf difference of vascular epiphyles
riclme.\'S be/lt"eell Slllooll1 bark willi rough jlack and corky bark (P =0,00 I < 0.05), as we/J as rough alld
cork bark (p =0.43 <0.05). Howevefjbelll'eetl rough alld j lack bark (p = 0,753 > 0.05) tmd belll'eenjlack
alld corky bark (p = 0.854 > 0.05) 110 SigllijiC(lIIt differellce of epipllyte abwu/allce was observed. ROllgh
bark had 38%, corky, 26%. jlack, 25%, alld ollly 11% ~'ascular epiphyles abundance occurred oll :"l1/ooth
bark. 71te regressioll correlation test, (lr :: 0,773. p "" 0.0001 < 0.05), showed Ihal the /llIll/ ber of species
of vascular epiphytes and hosl DBH size are positively correlaled. The regression correlalioll tel'l (If =
0.28, p == 0.0001 < 0.05), showed Illat tlte /lllIlIber of specie:,' ami hosllree height positively correlated.
The host Iree preference of vascular epiphyles was recorded for ollly Villaria volkensii species hosted 0 11
Sy=ygiulII guilleellse Irees. The result of similarily mwlysis indicated Ihal Cera Forest showed Ihe higllesl
I'ascular epiphytic simi/aril)' (0.35) lI'illl Yayu Fore:,'t alld shared Ihe least l-'CIscular epiphYlic similarity
(0.295) lI'ith Haremw Foresl. It was concluded thai horizOlltal siems and branches, large and rough.
jlack alld corky bark type Irees are more s uitable for vaSCII/ar epiphytes seedling allachmelllS alld
growth. COllsen'atiol1 and prolectioll of Ihese phorophytes are importalll for the surivivlli of vascular
epiphytes ami increase Ilteir ecological importtlllce.
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Keywords
Accidelllal eplj)/iy tes, 8ark lexture, Diversity, Hellli epiphyte, Halo epiphyte. Pltorophyle.