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Natural regeneration potential of abandoned agricultural land in the southern G adarif R egion, S udan: implications for conservation
Author(s) -
Sulieman Hussein M.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
african journal of ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.499
H-Index - 54
eISSN - 1365-2028
pISSN - 0141-6707
DOI - 10.1111/aje.12108
Subject(s) - vegetation (pathology) , regeneration (biology) , shrub , ecology , climax , agroforestry , species diversity , geography , herbaceous plant , ecological succession , biology , medicine , pathology , microbiology and biotechnology
The present study seeks to provide a contribution to the understanding of vegetation regrowth on abandoned agricultural land by investigating the impacts of the previous cultivation period and the duration of the fallow on the subsequent natural regeneration in terms of vegetation composition, structure and diversity. The results of the study show that both factors have significant effects on the subsequent regeneration of plant species and thus the vegetation development in the southern G adarif R egion, S udan. The oldest abandoned farmlands were recolonized by tree/shrub species, whereas recently abandoned ones are covered with herbaceous vegetation. There is a general tendency regarding the number of species to decrease with an increase in the period of cultivation. The plant species diversity pattern shows domination of herbaceous species with some scattered woody species. Vegetation changes due to land abandonment may have implications for the conservation of plant species diversity and composition of fauna harboured in the region. Although natural regeneration could be recommended as means of restoring natural vegetation that previously dominated that region, the current regeneration capacity might not be sufficient to reach the climax vegetation except for some pockets, which received more regenerative resources.