Floristic diversity, stand structure and plant life traits of Mount Nlonako forest (Littoral, Cameroon)

Cameroonian mountain forests are regarded as biodiversity concentration areas. These forests, already naturally isolated from each other within the country due to climatic or geomorphologic variations, are today extremely fragmented by anthropogenic activities. This study was aimed to assess the floristic diversity and characterizing the population structure of Mount Nlonako Forest. In total, 80 quadrats of 40 m × 40 m (12.8 ha) were established with respect to altitudes (lower altitude (A) and higher altitude (B)) in the Mount Nlonako forest. All individuals having a diameter at breast height (DBH) of 10 cm or greater were identified in each established quadrat. A total of 6,181 trees (3,720 at lower altitude (A); 2,461 at higher altitude (B)) were categorized into 278 species (177 at A; 203 at B), belonging to 177 genera (111 at A; 144 at B) and 52 families (40 at A; 46 at B). Sterculia rhinopetala and Pycnanthus angolensis were the predominant plant species at elevated and lower altitude, respectively. The predominant plant groups (FIV) in terms of families were Fabaceae and Myristicaceae at elevated altitude, whereas Malvaceae and Apocynaceae were prevalent at lower altitude. The Shannon-Wiener index value of 3.12 bits in the entire study area (3.17 bits at A; 3.14 bits at B) indicates that the Mount Nlonako forest is less diversified but has a good distribution of species within individuals (Pielou’s index ≥ 0.89) as well as individuals within species (Simpson’s index ≥ 0.93). Average stand density ranges from 585.5 stems/ha (A) to 384.53 stems/ha (B). The distribution of trees by diameter class reveals a majority of shrubs and a few large trees. The abundance of mesophanerophytes suggests adaptive plant strategies similar to the striving approach. The dominance of Guinean-Congolese domain species demonstrates a remarkable regeneration of species in this forest despite anthropogenic pressures. This emphasizes the vital necessity for the conservation of this area. published by the Journal of Biodiversity and Environmental Sciences (JBES)