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dc.contributor.authorAbotsi, K.E.
dc.contributor.authorBose, R.
dc.contributor.authorAdjossou, K.
dc.contributor.authorDeblauwe, V.
dc.contributor.authorRouhan, G.
dc.contributor.authorSegla, K.N.
dc.contributor.authorAtsri, K.H.
dc.contributor.authorKokou, K.
dc.date.accessioned2019-12-04T11:36:53Z
dc.date.available2019-12-04T11:36:53Z
dc.date.issued2020-01
dc.identifier.citationAbotsi, K.E., Bose, R., Adjossou, K., Deblauwe, V., Rouhan, G., Segla, K.N., ... & Kokou, K. (2020). Ecological drivers of pteridophyte diversity and distribution in Togo (West Africa). Ecological Indicators, 108, 1-11.
dc.identifier.issn1470-160X
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12478/6373
dc.descriptionPublished online: 19 Sept 2019.
dc.description.abstractThe conservation and sustainable management of biodiversity requires an understanding of the biotic and abiotic factors that condition the presence and survival of organisms in natural habitats. The global distribution and ecological hypersensitivity of pteridophytes have made them ideal candidates for studying the impact of biotic and abiotic factors on levels of biodiversity. This study aims to determine the effect of vegetation cover, human disturbance, and climatic factors on the distribution and diversity of pteridophytes in Togo with a view to guide conservation efforts. Our data comprises 130 plots of 500 m2 representing all ecological zones of the country, complemented by several opportunistic collections. After determining the patterns of pteridophyte distribution, multivariate analysis of variance and the calculation of diversity indicators made it possible to determine the influence of the factors studied. We found that pteridophyte species diversity and distribution in Togo are strongly influenced by climatic variables, with more than 90% of species diversity being concentrated in the submontane forest areas. Humidity related variables, insolation, and human disturbances are the main drivers of their distribution. Species diversity is positively associated with an increase in humidity, but decreases with increasing insolation and human disturbance. Importantly, our results emphasize the association of specific species to particular conditions created by climate, land cover, and human disturbances, highlighting the role of pteridophyte species as indicators of environmental conditions or exposure to stress. Within humid forest areas, our analysis of the impact of disturbance indicates that about a quarter of the pteridophyte flora of humid forests is sensitive to minor disturbances, whereas almost all rainforest species decline in the face of high levels of disturbance. Agroforests are a particular case of moderately disturbed rainforests, and have the potential to harbour at least 30.5% of Togolese rainforest pteridophyte species diversity. We conclude that the conservation of pteridophytes in Togo requires the protection of submontane rainforests and the adoption of less destructive practices in terrestrial species habitats in coffee/cocoa-based agroforests.
dc.format.extent1-11
dc.language.isoen
dc.rightsCopyrighted; all rights reserved
dc.subjectIndicators
dc.subjectClimate
dc.subjectBiodiversity Conservation
dc.subjectBiotic Stress
dc.subjectAbiotic Stress
dc.titleEcological drivers of pteridophyte diversity and distribution in Togo (West Africa)
dc.typeJournal Article
dc.description.versionPeer Review
cg.contributor.affiliationUniversité de Lomé
cg.contributor.affiliationInternational Institute of Tropical Agriculture
cg.contributor.affiliationUniversité Libre de Bruxelles
cg.contributor.affiliationUniversity of California
cg.contributor.affiliationSorbonne Université
cg.coverage.regionAfrica
cg.coverage.regionWest Africa
cg.coverage.countryTogo
cg.creator.identifierVincent Deblauwe: 0000-0001-9881-1052
cg.isijournalISI Journal
cg.authorship.typesCGIAR and developing country institute
cg.iitasubjectBiodiversity
cg.iitasubjectNatural Resource Management
cg.journalEcological Indicators
cg.howpublishedFormally Published
cg.accessibilitystatusLimited Access
local.dspaceid108012
cg.targetaudienceScientists
cg.identifier.doihttps://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2019.105741


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