Influence des voisins sur le développement des espèces locales introduites dans les formations naturelles soudaniennes et guinéennes du Bénin

This study aimed at assessing the influence of local environment on the development of four local species introduced in natural degraded stands in the Sudanian and Guineo-Congolian zones in Benin: Terminalia superba, Holoptelea grandis, Khaya grandifoliola and Khaya senegalensis. 170 and 31 circular plots of 10 m radius were randomly selected and established around each introduced tree-species in the Guineo-Congolian and Soudano-Guinean zones, respectively. In each plot diameter, height, social status (dominant, codominant, dominated) and distance between introduced species and neighbors were recorded. A principal component analysis was applied on the dendrometric parameters and the main axes from the PCA were extracted and correlated with the diameter, the height and the social status of the introduced trees. This was done to analyse the influence of competitors (neighbors) on the development of introduced trees. Results showed that in the enriched stands of the Guineo-Congolian zone, the high number of competitors around the introduced individuals and their large diameter size and great height, maintained introduced species, H.grandis, K. grandifoliola and K. senegalensis in the lower vegetation layer (dominated trees). On the contrary, large diameter size and great height of competitors with their high number had positively affected growth of T. superba in height (dominant and codominant trees). Conversely, in the enriched degraded gallery forests of the Sudano-Guinean zone, the competitors had no significant influence on T. superba and K. senegalensis; yet they negatively affected diameter growth and positively altered growth in height for K. grandifoliola.

Source de publication: International Journal of Biological and Chemical Sciences, 5(4): 1403-1413.

Contacts du ou des auteurs: Djodjouwin L. (djodjou@yahoo.fr), Glèlè Kakaï R. (glele.romain@gmail.com) & Sinsin B.