scholarly journals Natural History Observations on a Warty Frog: Callulina dawida (Amphibia: Brevicipitidae) in the Taita Hills, Kenya

ISRN Zoology ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Patrick K. Malonza
Keyword(s):  
Natural History ◽  
Cold Season ◽  
Tree Plantations ◽  
Forest Fragments ◽  
Pitfall Trapping ◽  
Taita Hills ◽  
Exotic Tree ◽  
Indigenous Trees ◽  
Indigenous Forest ◽  
Privately Owned

Amphibian populations are declining throughout the world, but most of the susceptible species possess particular biological attributes. Understanding these traits plus the environmental factors responsible for declines greatly aids conservation prioritization and planning. This paper examines the natural history observations and ecological characteristics of Callulina dawida, a frog endemic to the montane forests of the Taita Hills, Kenya. Sampling was accomplished by use of standardized pitfall trapping, transects, and time-limited searches. Mean monthly temperature and elevation significantly influenced the species distribution and abundance but mean monthly rainfall did not. The species was rare or absent during the cold season and its abundance increased with elevation. Breeding occurred during the long dry season (June to October) with juveniles being abundant between January and March. Available evidence shows that this species deposits a cluster of large yolk-rich eggs on the forest floor with maternal care and direct development. Its occurrence only within highly fragmented indigenous forests makes the species worth listing as critically endangered. To conserve this species, all remaining indigenous forest fragments including those communally or privately owned should be preserved and connected through planting of indigenous trees along stream valleys. In addition, the exotic tree plantations should be replaced with indigenous trees to restore the species habitat.

scholarly journals Population status and distribution of Taita White-eye Zosterops silvanus in the fragmented forests of Taita Hills and Mount Kasigau, Kenya

2007 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 141-150 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ronald K Mulwa ◽  
Leon A Bennun ◽  
Callistus K. P. O. Ogol ◽  
Luc Lens
Keyword(s):  
Bird Species ◽  
Small Population ◽  
Forest Fragments ◽  
Population Status ◽  
Conservation Action ◽  
Taita Hills ◽  
Line Transects ◽  
Indigenous Trees ◽  
Fragmented Forests ◽  
Dry Woodland

AbstractOur study focused on the Taita White-eye Zosterops silvanus, one of three bird species endemic to the Taita Hill forests, south-east Kenya. Formerly considered Critically Endangered, Taita White-eye has been down-listed to Endangered following the findings of this study. Between November 1998 and September 1999 we counted this species along line transects to establish their current population status and distribution in its entire range. White-eye censuses were conducted in nine forest fragments of the Taita Hills and the virtually undisturbed Mt Kasigau forest. The total global population of Taita White-eyes was estimated to be c. 7,100 birds. Mt Kasigau was shown to be the species' main stronghold, maintaining a very high density (26 birds ha−1) and holding 80% (5,600 individuals) of the entire population. In the Taita Hills forests, densities were consistently higher in the small isolated fragments than in the large ones, though the former held only a small population (3% of total). At Mt Sagala, a large isolated block where indigenous trees have been largely replaced with exotic plantation, this species was not encountered. We found no evidence of interchange between the White-eye populations on Mt Kasigau and the Taita Hills forests, probably because of the separation by a low-altitude, dry woodland habitat barrier. While prioritization for conservation action should focus more on the Taita Hills forest fragments, Mt Kasigau should be treated as fragile ecosystem which holds a huge, apparently insular population of Taita White-eyes.

scholarly journals Mitochondrial DNA diversity and population structure of a forest-dependent rodent, Praomys taitae (Rodentia: Muridae) Heller 1911, in the fragmented forest patches of Taita Hills, Kenya

2008 ◽  
Vol 104 (11/12) ◽  
Author(s):  
Silvester Nyakaana ◽  
Christopher Tumusiime ◽  
Nicholas Oguge ◽  
Hans R. Siegismund ◽  
Peter Arctander ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mitochondrial Dna ◽  
Demographic History ◽  
Total Sample ◽  
Forest Fragments ◽  
Forest Patches ◽  
Fragmented Forest ◽  
Taita Hills ◽  
Hierarchical Amova ◽  
Indigenous Forest ◽  
The Hill

The population genetic structure of the forest-dependent rodent, Praomys taitae, sampled from nine indigenous forest fragments distributed over three ranges of the Taita Hills in Kenya, was determined using mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control region sequence variation. Thirty-three unique haplotypes were observed in a total sample of 132 individuals, whereas the number of different haplotypes per population ranged from two to 10. An overall low nucleotide diversity of 0.9% was observed in the total sample but varied widely between populations (0.2–1.3%). Significant genetic differentiation was observed in 30 of the 36 possible pair-wise comparisons between populations, while a hierarchical AMOVA revealed significant genetic subdivision between groups of populations on the three hill ranges of Dabida, Mbololo and Kyulu (FCT = 0.404, P less than 0.01), among populations on each of the hill ranges (FSC = 0.112, P less than 0.01) and among populations in the total sample (FST = 0.471, P less than 0.001). Demographic history analyses based on pair-wise nucleotide sequence mismatch distributions revealed that all the populations were in mutation-drift disequilibrium except the populations of the Kyulu and Ronge forest fragments.

Effects of Exotic Tree Plantations on Plant Litter Decomposition in Streams

2021 ◽  
pp. 297-322
Author(s):  
Aitor Larrañaga ◽  
Aingeru Martínez ◽  
Ricardo Albariño ◽  
J. Jesús Casas ◽  
Verónica Ferreira ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Litter Decomposition ◽  
Plant Litter ◽  
Tree Plantations ◽  
Plant Litter Decomposition ◽  
Exotic Tree

scholarly journals Natural regeneration in exotic tree plantations in Hong Kong, China

2005 ◽  
Vol 212 (1-3) ◽  
pp. 358-366 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elsa W.S. Lee ◽  
Billy C.H. Hau ◽  
Richard T. Corlett
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Natural Regeneration ◽  
Tree Plantations ◽  
Exotic Tree

scholarly journals Diversity of Diurnal Raptors in a Suburban Area of a City in Southern Chile

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrés Muñoz-Pedreros ◽  
Varia Dellacasa
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Location ◽  
Suburban Area ◽  
Tree Plantations ◽  
Native Forest ◽  
Southern Chile ◽  
Territorial Planning ◽  
Exotic Tree ◽  
Acoustic Surveys ◽  
Raptor Conservation ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract Raptor conservation programs should be based on knowledge of the birds’ ecology in both natural and urban habitats, justifying the inclusion of ecological studies in suburban zones into regional planning initiatives. The objectives of this study were (a) to determine the use by diurnal raptors of the habitat in a suburban area of a city in southern Chile, and (b) to characterize the different zones into five types of environment, and assess their raptor diversity for consideration in territorial planning. Acoustic surveys were conducted in auditory stations in addition to observations from fixed transects and trails. From a total of 161.39 hours of census, we obtained 664 sightings corresponding to ten species of diurnal raptors. The richest environment was dense forest (eight species), followed by grassland (six species), native forest regeneration (five species), shrubs (four species) and exotic tree plantations (three species). We discuss the relationship between the richness of diurnal raptors, the types of environment in the study area, and the spatial location of the sites, as well as the implications for territorial planning to support the conservation of birds of prey in the suburban zone studied.

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