Spatio-Temporal Variation in Species Diversity between Plantation and Secondary Forest of Kakamega Tropical Rain Forest in Kenya

• Main Authors: John Maina Nyongesah, Yuelin Li
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Polish Society of Ecological Engineering (PTIE) 2021-09-01
• Series: Ecological Engineering & Environmental Technology
• Subjects: plantation forest; secondary forest; plant succession; woody species diversity
• Online Access: http://www.ecoeet.com/Spatio-Temporal-Variation-in-Species-Diversity-between-Plantation-and-Secondary-Forest,139410,0,2.html

The Kenyan tropical rain forest is under imminent threat of degradation due to the changes in climatic condition and rapid growing human population. This study determined the changes in woody species diversity between natural forest (secondary forest) and plantation forest during different stages of plant succession. The secondary data from three forest blocks was obtained from Kenya Forest Research Institute and used to derive species diversity. Variation in species diversity and abundance was analyzed by SPSS software. Species richness was significantly different between plantation and secondary forest types (P<0.001). Shannon diversity index (