Taxonomic Assessment of Diversity of Tree and Shrub Species in Three Tropical Forest Sites in Anambra State, Nigeria

In Anambra State, the accelerated loss of plant diversity due to habitat destruction and changing land use patterns has endangered the survival of tree and shrub species. This research investigated the taxonomic diversity of tree and shrub species in three tropical forests in Anambra State using line transects and plot sampling. The study reported taxonomic diversity as alpha diversity (species richness, abundance, Shannon diversity index, and Simpson diversity index) and beta diversity (Sørensen similarity coefficient). Python programming language was used for data analysis, utilizing libraries such as Pandas, NumPy, and Scikit-Learn for data manipulation. In the species abundance study, Elaeis guineensis had the highest Importance Value Index (IVI) at Nnamdi Azikiwe Conservation Forest (NACF) with a value of 7.128, followed by Carapa procera (6.585) and Newbouldia laevis (6.177). At the Ishigwu Forest Umuomaku (IFU) site, Elaeis guineensis, Cananga odorata, and Nauclea latifolia were the most common IVI-based species. The most abundant species in Umuikwu Forest Anam (UFA) were Elaeis guineensis, Newbouldia laevis, and Dacryodes edulis. The Simpson diversity index indicated that NACF and IFU had lower dominance of a few species compared to UFA, which had a more even distribution of species. The Sørensen similarity coefficient revealed a significant overlap in species composition between Ishigwu Forest Umuomaku (IFU) and Umuikwu Forest Area (UFA). These findings provide valuable insights for informed decisions regarding conservation and sustainable management based on species relationships, environment, and ecosystem services.