Arbuscular Mycorrhizae of Phormium Tenax in a restored New Zealand wetland across hydrological gradients

<p>New Zealand has lost over 90% of its former wetlands and many that remain are in a degraded state. Restoration projects are often impeded by the failure of native plants to establish back into non-native dominated communities. Phormium tenax is fast growing and acts a nurse plant in wetlands, accelerating the establishment of slower growing native woody species. The roles of below ground organisms are increasingly recognised as affecting plant community dynamics, and this study investigates the diversity of a group of pervasive organisms, the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), growing in symbiosis with Phormium tenax. Next generation sequencing was used to create two libraries to determine the sensitivity of coding and non-coding molecular markers when characterising the AMF community associated with Phormium tenax. AMF communities colonising individual plants were found to be diverse, and varied across restoration stages, but uncorrelated with soil moisture. The composition of of AMF communities changed seasonally and I observed more AMF hyphae and arbuscules in winter.</p>

Arbuscular Mycorrhizae of Phormium Tenax in a restored New Zealand wetland across hydrological gradients

<p>New Zealand has lost over 90% of its former wetlands and many that remain are in a degraded state. Restoration projects are often impeded by the failure of native plants to establish back into non-native dominated communities. Phormium tenax is fast growing and acts a nurse plant in wetlands, accelerating the establishment of slower growing native woody species. The roles of below ground organisms are increasingly recognised as affecting plant community dynamics, and this study investigates the diversity of a group of pervasive organisms, the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), growing in symbiosis with Phormium tenax. Next generation sequencing was used to create two libraries to determine the sensitivity of coding and non-coding molecular markers when characterising the AMF community associated with Phormium tenax. AMF communities colonising individual plants were found to be diverse, and varied across restoration stages, but uncorrelated with soil moisture. The composition of of AMF communities changed seasonally and I observed more AMF hyphae and arbuscules in winter.</p>

Effects of invasion level of Prosopis juliflora on native species diversity and regeneration in Afar region, Northeast Ethiopia

The study aimed to assess (i) the effects of Prosopis juliflora invasion on the diversity of plant species, and floristic composition at Awash Fentale and the Amibara districts of the Afar region and (ii) the effects of P. juliflora invasion on the regeneration potential of native woody species. Sample collection was performed in habitats of P. juliflora thicket, P. juliflora mixed with native species stands, non-invaded woodlands, and open grazing lands. A stratified random sampling technique was used for data collection. Among species of plants, the highest proportion of species, 87 (27.4%), was recorded under non-invaded woodlands, but the lowest proportion of species, 70 (22%), was recorded under open grazing lands. The invasion level of P. juliflora caused significantly reduced Shannon diversity index. The mean values of Shannon diversity index and species richness under P. juliflora mixed with native species (H’=2.22, R=14) and non-invaded woodlands (H’=2.23, R=13) were significantly higher than P. juliflora thicket (H’=1.96, R=12) and open grazing lands (H’=1.84, R=10). In this study, 102 trees ha-1native woody species were recorded under P. juliflora thicket, but 1252 trees ha-1native species were recorded under non-invaded woodlands. If the present effects of the invasion of P. juliflora on native species diversity were to continue coupled with a drier climate, plant diversity of the Afar flora region will be highly affected. As a result the ecosystem services will be under threat. Thus, the participation of all stakeholders and multidisciplinary research approaches should be designed for the management of invaded rangelands to reverse the situation.

Role of Cities in Native Woody Species Conservation and Carbon Storage Insight From Niger

Loss of native tree species constitutes a major socio-economic and ecological problem. Nevertheless, there is scanty data on the role of Sahelian cities in native woody species conservation and climate change mitigation. This study tried to determine the native woody diversity, structure, and carbon stocks in Niamey, and Maradi, Niger. The study used the plot method to inventory dendrometric variables based on a stratified sampling approach from peri-urban areas to the built environment. Biodiversity indices and allometric models were used for the data analysis. A total of 63 native woody species representing 47 genera and 24 families were recorded in the overall urban forests in two cities. In Niamey, 46 species belonging to 35 genera and 19 families were recorded while in Maradi, 50 species, 41 genera, and 19 families were inventoried. Fabaceae was the dominant families in both cities with equal richness (13 species).