Premium
Mistletoe ( Tapinanthus bangwensis Reichenbach) infestation of indigenous and non‐indigenous trees at Amani Nature Reserve, Tanzania
Author(s) -
Lekunze L. M.,
Hassan M. M.
Publication year - 2001
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/j.1365-2028.2001.00278.x
Subject(s) - transect , tanzania , indigenous , canopy , forestry , infestation , biology , woodland , geography , agroforestry , ecology , botany , environmental planning
A survey of Tapinanthus bangwensis was carried out in a plantation in the botanic garden at Amani Nature Reserve, which forms part of the East Usambara Mountain, located in the north‐east of Tanzania. A total of 169 trees were examined on four transects of 100 × 50 m (5000 m 2 ) each, located about 700 m apart. Three treatment transects were established in open woodland with a control transect in the closed canopy. Out of 101 trees (81 non‐indigenous and 20 indigenous) examined in the open canopy, T. bangwensis was present on 24; eighteen non‐indigenous and six indigenous. Of all the infested trees, a non‐indigenous species, silky oak ( Grevillea robusta ) was the most common (37.4%), followed by an indigenous species, mzindanguruwe ( Blighia unijugata ) with 16.6%. Chi‐squared tests showed that there was no significant difference in frequency of infestation between non‐indigenous and indigenous species (χ 2 = 0.715, P = 0.5826). t ‐Testing showed that T. bangwensis preferred taller and larger trees ( t = − 3.930, P = 0.0002 and t = − 2.416, P = 0.0175, respectively). No T. bangwensis was found on the 68 trees examined in the closed canopy.