Biodiversity islands in the Savanna : analysis of the phytodiversity on termite mounds in northern Benin

Authors

  • Ivana Kirchmair
  • Marco Schmidt
  • Georg Zizka
  • Arne Erpenbach
  • Karen Hahn

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21248/fvss.15.17

Keywords:

geophytes, succulents, termitaria, W National Park, zonation

Abstract

Termite mounds represent abundant microhabitats of high biodiversity in tropical savanna ecosystems and are an important source of landscape heterogeneity in Sub–Saharan West Africa. Floristic composition as well as density, structure and zonation of plant cover on the mounds were investigated in northern Benin and compared to the adjacent savanna vegetation. A total of 57 abandoned and densely vegetated termite mounds of comparable size and similarly affected by erosion  located  in different types of savannas inside and outside of the W National Park and in cotton fields were studied. This study revealed that termitaria are special habitats differing in density, composition and structure from surrounding savannas. The plant cover of termite mounds showed a distinctive zonation. Succulents, geophytes, and lianas were much more abundant on mounds, the family Capparaceae was found exclusively on mounds. The floristic composition and vegetation on termitaria proved to be rather homogeneous; although those mounds located in cotton fields differed by higher abundance of Poaceae and lower species richness.

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Published

2012-12-12

How to Cite

[1]
I. Kirchmair, M. Schmidt, G. Zizka, A. Erpenbach, and K. Hahn, “Biodiversity islands in the Savanna : analysis of the phytodiversity on termite mounds in northern Benin”, FVSS, vol. 15, pp. 3–14, Dec. 2012.

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Articles