Vegetative Composition Survey of Yaba College of Technology, Epe Campus, Lagos, South-Western, Nigeria
- June 19, 2020
- Posted by: RSIS
- Categories: Agriculture, IJRSI
International Journal of Research and Scientific Innovation (IJRSI) | Volume VII, Issue VI, June 2020 | ISSN 2321–2705
Rosulu, H. O., Hassan, T. I., Areo, O. E., Ginikanwa, M., Akpan, I. E.
Department of Agricultural Technology, Yaba College of Technology, Nigeria
Abstract-A survey was conducted on 54 ha of land in 2017at Yaba College of Technology, Odoragushin, Epe Campus, Lagos, Western Nigeria for their vegetative composition. The land was before now used for arable cropping and abandoned to fallow for more than a decade. The fallow land was sub-divided into 16 different transects run with a base line, each measuring 100m x 100m. Collection of data was done using belt method for plant taxonomy (forms), ecological status, habitat, species frequency/diversity and ethno-botanical values. Altogether, 83 plants represented by 45 families were encountered with 82 different medicinal plants, shrubs being the highest with 22 species, while epiphyte, fern and palm had specie. For taxonomy and frequency distribution of plant families, Euphorbiaceae and Poaceae had the highest number of plant species occurrence of 6 each while Caealpiniondeae and Mimosoideae had 4 occurences. On the basis of life forms, plants were classified into shrubs, herbs, trees, climbers, palms, fern and epiphyte with shrub having the highest relative density of 36.14% with palm, epiphyte and fern respectively having the lowest relative density of 1.20%. Product collected from these plants have varying uses categorized as edible leafy vegetables, non-edible leaves, flowers, chew stick, firewood and timber as well as medicinal uses, such as treatment of pile, gonorrhoea, malaria and curing infertility problems. It is hereby recommended that conservation efforts should be undertaken through the establishment of botanical gardens, sanctuaries, rare breed centres, gene banks and on-site gene banks as well as equipped herbarium.
Keywords: Vegetative, transect, ethno-botanical, plant species, Plant taxonomy.
I. INTRODUCTION
Throughout the history of the earth, many changes have occurred that determined present vegetative composition surrounding us today. The study of the past natural ecosystems and their response to climate and time can help to understand probable future variation of vegetation. Disturbance may influence the composition, organization and dynamic communities. Both large scale distribution such as fire and small scales disturbance such as wind-throws may maintain species richness or provide foci for regeneration in the forest (Grubb, 1977).
The nature and magnitude of species response to disturbance generated environmental features may be expected to vary relatively to the type and intensity of the disturbance and the disturbance history of the forest.
