Patch Enclosure and Localized Effects of Selected Acacia Species on Herbaceous Richness and Soil Properties of Rangelands in Somali Regional State in Ethiopia
الموضوعات :
Buli Tasisa
1
(Department of Plant and Natural resource management, Collage of Natural and Computational Science, Dambi Dollo University, Ethiopia)
Sileshi Nemomissa
2
(Department of Plant Biology and Biodiversity Management, Addis Ababa University)
الکلمات المفتاحية: Soil properties, Richness, Rangeland, Enclosure, Acacia shade,
ملخص المقالة :
Enclosure and Acacia shade availability to plants are basic variable in arid and semi-arid rangelands. the aim of this study was investigation the impact of patch enclosure and Acacia shade using four treatments which are Inside Enclosure Under Acacia shade (IEUA), Inside Enclosure Without Acacia shade (IEWA), Outside Enclosure Under Acacia shade (OEUA) and Outside Enclosure Without Acacia shade (OEWA) on herbaceous species richness and soil chemical properties of rangelands in Shinile Woreda, Somali regional state. The effects of enclosures and Acacia shade were completely different. Herbaceous species richness was significantly high in Acacia enclosure. All soil chemical properties showed significance difference under Acacia shade compared to areas without it except soil pH. On the other hand, there was no significant difference for soil chemical properties between inside enclosures and the nearby open grazing areas except for soil pH which was significantly higher inside enclosures. The result of study revealed that soil pH, Organic Carbon (OC) and Organic Matter (OM) were positively correlated with species richness in all of treatments. Electro Conductivity (EC) and potassium (K) showed positive correlation with species richness only under Acacia shade inside enclosures but they were negatively correlated in other treatments. Phosphorous (P) showed positive correlation with species richness at place without Acacia shade inside and outside of enclosure. Determining the relationship between soil and plants is a useful way to better understand the ecosystem condition and can help to manage the rangeland ecosystem. The degraded rangelands can be restored by an increase of an enclosure and Acacia shade which will benefit pastoral community from it.
Abdallah, F., Noumi, Z., Touzard, B., Ouled Belgacem. A., Neffati, M., Chaieb, M., 2008. The influence of Acacia tortilis (Forssk.) Subsp. Raddiana (Savi) and livestock grazing on grass species composition, yield and soil nutrients in arid environments of South Tunisia. Flora 20, 116-125.
Abbasi Kesbi, M., Tataian, M. R., Tamartash, R., Fattahi, B., 2017. Relationships between Soil Properties and Plant Diversity Indices (Case Study: Lashgardar Protected Rangeland, Malyer, Iran). Journal of Range Science. 7(1):38-45
Abule, E., Snyman, H.A., Smit, G.N., 2007. Rangeland evaluation in the middle awash valley of Ethiopia: I. Herbaceous vegetation cover. Journal of Arid Environment, 25 (253-271).
Abule, E., Snyman, H.A., Smith, G.N., 2005. The influence of woody plants and livestock grazing on grass species composition, yield and soil nutrients in the Middle Awash Valley of Ethiopia. Journal of Arid Environ. 60, 343-358.
Alemayehu, M., 2004. Pasture and forage resource profiles of Ethiopia. Alemayehu Mengistu and Associates, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Alison, N., and Solomon, D., 2011. Review of pastoral rangeland enclosures in Ethiopia, PLI Policy Project. Feinstein international center, Tufts University, USAID.
Angassa, A., 1999. Range condition and traditional grazing management in Borana. An MSc Thesis presented to the school of Graduate Studies of Alemaya University of Agriculture, Ethiopia. Addis Ababa. 2(284).
Angassa, A., 2014. Effects of grazing intensity and bush encroachment on herbaceous species and rangeland condition in southern Ethiopia. Land Degrad. Dev., 25, 438–451.
Bahareh, B., Hossein, B., Ahmad A. S., Mohammad R. S., Mohsen S., 2016. Rangeland degradation assessment: a new strategy based on the ecological knowledge of indigenous pastoralists. Solid Earth, 7, 611–619.
Berhanu, W., and Colman. D. 2007. Farming in the Borana rangelands of southern Ethiopia: The prospects for viable transition to agro-pastoralism. Eastern African Social Science Review XXIII (3), 79–101.
Chen, J., and Tang, H., 2016. Effect of grazing exclusion on vegetation characteristics and soil organic carbon of Leymus chinensis grassland in Northern China. J. 8, 56. Doi: 10.3390/su8010056
Coppock, D. L., 1994. The Borana plateau of the southern Ethiopia: syntheses of the pastoral research, development and change, 1980-91. Int. livestock. Center for Africa, ILCA system study
Cumming, D.H.M., 1982. The influence of large herbivores on savanna structure in Africa. In: Ecology of tropical savanna (Eds: Huntley, J.B. and Walker, B.H.)Springer verlag, Berlin. Pp.219-246.
Donahue, R.L., Miller, R.W., and Shickluna, J.C., 1977. Soils: An introduction to soils and plant growth. Prentice-Hall, Upper Saddle River.
Ethiopia Agricultural Research Organization (EARO). 2002. National pastoral and agro- pastoral research planning document. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. p.51.
Friedel, M.H., Lay cock, W.A., Basin, G-N., 2000. Assessing rangelands condition and trend. In L‘t Mannetje and RM Jones, eds. LPP 227-262.
Gamoun, M. 2014. Grazing intensity effects on the vegetation in desert rangelands of Southern Tunisia. J Arid Land 6(3), 324–333.
Gemedo- Dalle, T., Isselstein, J., and Maass, B. L., 2006. Indigenous ecological knowledge of Borana pastoralists in southern Ethiopia and current challenges. International Journal of Sustainable Development and World Ecology, 13, 113-130.
Gezu, B. 2011. Assessment of pastoralists‟ views on enclosures in Shinille and Dollo. Presentation for PLI Policy. Project NRM Review Workshop, Jijiga, November 2011.
Gohl, B. 1981. Tropical feeds. Feed information summary and nutritive values. FAO, Animal Production and Health series 12. FAO, Rome.
Hagos, M. G., and Smit, G. N., 2005. Soil enrichment by Acacia mellifera subsp. detinens on nutrient poor sandy soil in a semi-arid southern African savanna. J. Arid Environ. 61,47-59.
Hanke, W., Thomas, M., Svenja, T., Heidi, M., Jennifer, K., 2014. The impact of livestock grazing on plant diversity. 64(06), 214-223.
Herrera, G., Arreola, Y., Herrera, B. G., Reyes, R., Dendoovena, L., 2007. Mesquite (Prosopis juliflora (Sw.) DC.), huisache (Acacia farnesiana (L.) Willd) and catclaw (Mimosa biuncifera Benth.) and their effect on dynamics of carbon and nitrogen in soils of the semi-arid highlands of Durango Mexico. J. Arid Environ. 69,583–598.
Ibrahim, M. A., 2016. Impact of enclosure on plant species composition and biomass production in Ewa Woreda of Afar Region State, Ethiopia. J Biodiversity Endanger Species 4,157. doi:10.4172/2332-2543.1000157
Kassahun, A., Snyman, H. A. & Smit, G. N. 2008. Impact of rangeland degradation on the pastoral production systems, livelihoods and perceptions of the Somali pastoralists in Eastern Ethiopia. Journal of Arid Environments, (72), 1265–1281
Mahgoub, H. G. Arabi, N. Y., Mubarak, A. R., 2016. Changes in physico-chemical properties of a desert soil under different long-term land use systems. Academia Journal of Agricultural Research 4(3), 105-112.
National Herbarium of Floras and Faunas of Ethiopia (NHFFE). 1987. Guidelines for field assessment and sampling techniques of plant communities in Ethiopia. Addis Ababa University. Ethiopia.
Nuray-Müftüoğlu, M., and Ahmet Gökkuş., 2016. Effects of different shrubby rangeland reclamation practices on some of soil characteristics. Türk Tarım ve Doğa Bilimleri Dergisi 3(1), 90-97.
Okalebo, J. R., Gathua, K. W., Woomer, P. L., 2002. Laboratory methods of soil and plant analysis: A Working Manual. TSBF Program UNESCO – ROSTA Soil Science Society of Eastern Africa technical Publication No. 1. Marvel EPZ Ltd., Nairobi, Kenya.
Onatibia, G. R., Aguiar, M.R., Semmartin, M., 2015. Are there any trade-offs between forage provision and the ecosystem service of C and N storage in arid rangelands? Ecol. Eng. 77, 26–32.
Palpurina, S., Wager,V., von Wehrden, H., 2017. The relationship between plant species richness and soil pH vanishes with increasing aridity across Eurasian dry grassland. Global Ecology and Biogeography 26 (4): 425 – 434.
Panchal, N.S. and Pandy, AN., 2002. Study on soil properties and their influences on vegetation in western region of Gujarat state in India. 12th ISCO Conference, Beijing p 610- 615.
Pilania, P.K. and Panchal, N.S., 2014. Soil and plant relation at little Rann of Kutch in Mallya Teshsil of Gujarat in western India. International Journal of Advanced Research, 2(7), 1-10.
Pilania, P.K. and Panchal, N.S., 2016. Influence of soil properties on plant density and species richness of saline desert. Anales de Biologia, 38, 81 – 90.
Qiu, L., Wei, X., Zhang, X., Cheng, J., 2013. Ecosystem carbon and nitrogen accumulation after grazing exclusion in semiarid grassland. PLoS ONE 8.
Sandford, S., 1983. Management of pastoral development in the Third World, Overseas Development Institute, London. Public administration and development 4(3) pp 376
Sebastia, M. T., Marks, E. Poch, R. M., 2008. Soil carbon and plant diversity distribution at farm level in the savannah region of North Togo (West Africa). Biogeoscience Discussions 5:1-21.
Somali Region Pastoral and Agro-Pastoral Research Institute (SoRPARI). 2005. Rangeland management and ecology research strategy document of Somali region, Ethiopia. Agricultural Science and Technology Indicator pp 222.
Somali Region Pastoral and Agro-Pastoral Research Institute (SoRPARI). (2011). Range and forestry biophysical business process, project proposal on establishment of area enclosures to rehabilitate and improve degraded rangelands at Arara, Gashamo, Adadle, Wardher and Kebridahar Woredas of Somali Regional State for R&D.
Steffens, M., Kölbl, A., Kögel-Knabner, I., 2009. Alteration of soil organic matter pools and aggregation in semi-arid steppe top soils as driven by organic matter input. European J. Soil Sci. 60,198–212.
Sugule, J., & Walker, R. 1998. Changing pastoralism in the Ethiopian Somali National Regional State (Region 5), University of Pennsylvania – African Studies Center, UNDP‐EUE, AddisAbaba.
Tache, B., 2010. Participatory impacts assessment of drought reserve areas in Guji and Borana Zones, Oromia Region. Report prepared for Save the Children USA, March 2010, Addis Ababa.
Tache, B., and Oba, G., 2010. Is poverty driving Borana herders in Southern Ethiopia to Crop Cultivation, Human Ecology, 38:639-670, DOI 10.1007/s10745-010-9349-8.
Talasan Consultancy PLI (TCC) (2009). The impact of enclosures on access to rangelands: Findings of a cross‐border (Somali land and Somali Region) study commissioned by Oxfam GB. Oxfam GB.
Tanentzap, A. J., Coomes, D. A., 2012. Carbon storage in terrestrial ecosystems: Do browsing and grazing herbivores matter? Biol. Rev., 87, 72–94.
Tang, C., and Yu, Q., 1999. Impact of chemical composition of legume residues and initial soil pH on pH change of a soil after residue incorporation. Plant Soil 215, 29-38.
Wang, C.Y., He, N.P., Zhang, J.J., LV, Y.L., Wang, L., 2015. Long-term grazing exclusion improves the composition and stability of soil organic matter in Inner Mongolian grasslands. PLoS ONE, 10. 10(6): https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0128837.
Wiebke, H., Jürgen, B., Niels, D., Norbert J., Ute, S., Dirk, W., Jürgen D., 2014. The impact of livestock grazing on plant diversity: an analysis across dryland ecosystems and scales in southern Africa. Ecological Applications 24,1188–1203.
Wiesmeier, M., Steffens, M., Kölbl, A., Kögel-Knabner, I., 2009. Degradation and small-scale spatial homogenization of top soils in intensively-grazed steppes of northern China. Soil Tillage Res., 104,299–310.
Wiesmeier, M., Steffens, M., Mueller, C.W., Kolbl, A., Reszkowska, A., Peth, S., Horn, R., Kogel-Knabner, I., 2012. Aggregate stability and physical protection of soil organic carbon in semi-arid steppe soils. Eur. J. Soil Sci. 63, 22–31.
Zhao, L., Su, J., Wu, G., Gillet, F., 2011. Long-term effects of grazing exclusion on aboveground and belowground plant species diversity in a steppe of the Loess Plateau, China. Plant Ecol. Evol., 144, 313–320.
