Heliyon (Sep 2022)
Changes in tree structure, composition and soil in different disturbance categories in Miombo and agroecosystems in Malawi, central Africa
Abstract
This study aimed to characterise the floristic, structural composition of vegetation and soil status in the three land use types of protected area (PA), harvested woodland (HW) and traditional agriculture land (TA) in Salima District, Malawi. The HW and TA were further divided into categories based on the number of years the land was subjected to use as a disturbance i.e. into 1–5 years, 6–10 years, and 11+ years. Floristic data were collected on tree species, diameter at breast height (1.3 m from the ground) and regeneration categories of seedlings, saplings and poles. Soil samples were collected from the sampled plots where floristic data were collected. The study found 73 tree species from 58 genera and 31 families. High tree species diversity was recorded in HW used for over 11 years (p < 0.05). Tree species dominance depended on land use. Although the HW and TA showed an inverse J-shaped structure indicating stable tree populations, the HW had fewer big trees. The PA showed signs of ageing tree population shown by the bell-shaped structure. The study area was dominated by Sandy loam soils with very high porosity of above 40%. The more the years of disturbance, the higher the fertility loss within the TA in terms of organic matter and organic carbon but the reverse was true for nitrogen. The decrease in soil fertility loss was however, higher in TA as compared to HW and PA. To address the unstable structural status of some species in the land uses, deliberative silvicultural interventions should be introduced in the land uses. There is need to integrate fertility-improvement tree species and manure use in the agricultural land to improve soil fertility.
