Stratigraphy and Properties of Soil Profiles Along Transects in Burkina Faso and Benin and Their Influence on Phytodiversity
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STRATIGRAPHY AND PROPERTIES OF SOIL PROFILES ALONG TRANSECTS IN BURKINA FASO AND BENIN AND THEIR INFLUENCE ON PHYTODIVERSITY Dissertation zur Erlangung des Dorktorgrades der Naturwisscchenschaften vorgelegt beim Fachbereich Geowissenschaften/Geographie der Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universität in Frankfurt amMain von Cheikh Amadou Tidiane Anne aus Kaolack (Sénégal) Frankfurt 2012 STRATIGRAPHY AND PROPERTIES OF SOIL PROFILES ALONG TRANSECTS IN BURKINA FASO AND BENIN AND THEIR INFLUENCE ON PHYTODIVERSITY I. Content _____________________________________________________________________________________ I. TABLE OF CONTENT II. ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS III. LIST OF FIGURES AND ILLUSTRATIONS IV. LIST OF TABLES 1. THEMATIC BACKGROUND AND GOALS OF RESEARCH 1 1.1. The BIOTA-West Africa project 1 1.2. Problems and goals of research 2 2. STATE OF THE ART 8 2.1.Review of pedological and geomorphological studies in West Africa 8 2.2.Dynamics and properties of soils and pedisediments 10 2.2.1. Pedogenesis processes in South East Burkina Faso and North West Benin 10 2.2.1.1. Planation surfaces and pedogenesis 10 2.2.1.2. Weathering processes and soil profiles 13 2.2.1.3. Denudation processes 20 2.2.2. Soil classification 26 2.2.2.1. Principles and rules of soil classification 27 2.2.2.2. Soil groups in West Africa 30 2.3. Biodiversity in West Africa 31 3. PHYSICO-GEOGRAPHICAL FEATURES IN THE STUDY AREA 36 3.1. Transects in the Biodiversity Observatories (BO) 37 3.2. Geological and geomorphological features 40 I. Content _____________________________________________________________________________________ 3.3. Climate 47 3.4. Hydrology 52 3.5. Soils 53 3.6. Vegetation units and dynamics 55 3.7. Population dynamics and land use 58 4. METHODS 60 4.1. Soil sampling 60 4.2. Laboratory processing 61 4.3. Botanical inventories 63 4.4. Processing of soil and botanical data 64 4.4.1. Analysis of soil data 64 4.4.2. Analysis of botanical data 65 5. RESULTS 67 5.1. Physical and chemical soil properties in Kikideni and Natiabouani 67 5.1.1. Transect and soil profiles in Kikideni 67 5.1.2. Transect and soil profiles in Natiabouani 81 5.2. Physical and chemical properties in the Pendjari National Park 95 5.2.1. Transect sequence and soil profiles in the hunting zone 95 5.2.2. Transect sequence and soil profiles in the Pendjari National Park 106 I. Content _____________________________________________________________________________________ 5.3. Discussion on soil properties in protected and land use areas 116 5.4 Diversity of plants and soil properties 124 5.4.1. Influence of soil properties on the diversity woody plants 124 5.4.2. Vegetation structure in the land-used and protected sites 125 5.4.2.1. Characteristics of the phytosociological relevés 125 5.4.2.2. Structural analysis of vegetation types 132 5.4.2.3. Multivariate analysis of woody plant communities 146 6. DISCUSSION 152 6.1. Interaction between soil properties and woody plants diversity 152 6.2. Variation of soil profiles and stratigraphy within the transects 155 SUMMARY 157 ZUSAMMENFASSUNG 161 RESUME 165 REFERENCES 169 APPENDIX ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Abbreviations and acronyms ____________________________________________________________________________ II. ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS BIOTA: Biodiversity: Biodiversity Transect Monitoring Analysis BO: Biodiversity Observatory BIOLOG: Biodiversity and global change CBD: Convention on Biological Diversity BMBF: Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung BF: Burkina Faso; BN: Benin IRD: Institut de Recherche pour le Développement ex - O.R.S.T.O.M G.E.R.D.A.T: Groupement d´Étude et de Recherche pour le Développement de l´Agronomie Tropicale CEC: Cation Exchange Capacity SOM: Soil Organic Matter; PSD: Particle Size Distribution USDA: United States Department of Agriculture UNEP: United Nations Environment Programme ISSS: International Society of Soil Science WRB: World Reference Base for Soil Resources UNCCD: United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification UNFCCC: United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change ACCNNR: African Convention on the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources CILSS: Comité Inter-état de Lutte contre la Sécheresse au Sahel DBH: Diameter Breast Height DCA: Detendred Correspondence Analysis; CCA: Canonical Correspondence Analysis HZ: The Hunting Zone PNP: Pendjari National Park III. List of figures and illustrations _____________________________________________________________________________ III. LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: Interlinkage of the analysis levels of the goal researches. 6 Figure 2: Changes in the profile layers along a West African catena. 9 Figure 3: Basic features of tropical savanna catena’s. 10 Figure 4: Simplified representation of section geomorphological units. 13 Figure 5: Weathering pattern of clay formation and associated soil types. 15 Figure 6: Schematic representation of a lateritic profile. 18 Figure 7: Interaction of soil erosion with environment conditions. 26 Figure 8: The distribution of biodiversity following the eco-regions. 32 Figure 9: Variation of forest covers in West Africa from 1990 to 2005. 33 Figure 10: Forest areas in West African countries. 33 Figure 11: Relations desertification-climate change-biodiversity. 34 Figure 12: Study areas 36 Figure: 13: Biodiversity Observatories. 38 Figure 14: Biodiversity Observatories the Pendjari National Park. 39 Figure 15: Surveyed transect. 40 Figure 16: Generalised geological map in West Africa. 41 Figure 17: Geological units of BF and of the east Province. 42 Figure 18: Generalised and simplified map of the Eastern domain of Pan African. 44 Figure 19: Geological map in the Tanguieta district and in the PNP. 46 Figure 20: Climate and phytogeographical zones of BF. 48 Figure 21: Long term means climatic variability in the station of Fada Ngourma. 50 Figure 22: Long term means climatic variability in the station of Natitingou. 51 Figure 23: Hydrological Basin in the study areas. 53 Figure 24: Soil units in BF and BN. 55 Figure 25: Land cover and vegetation communities in the study areas 57 Figure 26: Population density in the study areas. 59 Figure 27: Standard hectare plot around a soil profile. 64 Figure 28: Chart showing the percentage of clay, sand and silt basic textural classes. 68 Figure29: Schematical representation of the transect in the land-used area. 74 Figure 30: Variation of chemical parameters of soil profiles in land-used transect. 82 III. List of figures and illustrations _____________________________________________________________________________ Figure 31: pH (KCL) and pH (H2O) in the upper layer of soils along the Kikideni transect. 78 Figure 32: Sample of soil types in the land-used site. 83 Figure 33: Reserve partielle de Pama in South East BF. 84 Figure 34: Schematical representation of transect in the partly protected reserve. 91 Figure 35: Variations of chemical parameters within the partly protected reserve. 99 Figure 36: Samples of soil types in the partly protected site. 100 Figure 37: Schematical representation in the hunting zone of PNP. 107 Figure 38: Variation of chemical parameters along the hunting zone of PNP. 113 Figure 39: Samples of soil types in the hunting zone of the PNP. 114 Fig 40: A) Schematical representation transect 1within the central part of PNP. 119 Figure 41: Chemical parameter variations along transect 1 in the PNP. 125 Figure 42: Sample of soil types in the PNP, transect 1 in the PNP. 126 Figure 45: Relative abundance of woody population in the land-used site. 137 Figure 46: Relative abundance of woody population in the partly protected site. 137 Figure 47: Relative abundance of woody plants in the hunting zone of the PNP. 140 Figure 48: Comparison of diameter classes following the study areas. 146 Figure 49: Diameter classes following the dominant species in land-used site. 147 Figure 50: Diameter classes following the dominant species in the partly protected site. 149 Figure 51: Comparison height class in the land-used and protected zones. 150 Figure 52: Height classes following the dominant species in the study areas. 151 Figure 53: Ordination diagram of detrended correspondence analysis (DCA). 159 IV. List of tables _____________________________________________________________________________ IV. LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Factors for distinguishing clay silicates. 15 Table 2a: Precipitation, soil characteristics and vegetation cover in West Africa. 22 Table 2b: Erosion (t/ha/year) and runoff (% of annual precipitation) of different soil surfaces and slope percentages. 22 Table 3: Measurements of the selective losses of nutrients. 25 Table 4: An overview of the WRB Reference Soil Groups. 27 Table 5: World Reference Base modifiers and related soil management problems. 29 Table 6: Biodiversity opportunities in West Africa 31 Table 7: Physical and environmental conditions in the upper layer of Kikideni. 70 Table 8: Physical and environmental conditions 2nd layer Kikideni transect. 71 Table 9: Physical and environmental conditions in the third layer of Kikideni. 73 Table 10: Particle size distributions in the upper layer along profiles of Kikideni transect. 75 Table 11: Particle size distributions in layer 2 along the profiles Kikideni transect. 76 Table 12: Particle size distributions in layer 3 of Kikideni transect. 77 Table 13: Physical and environmental conditions in the upper layer of Natiabouani. 87 Table 14: Physical and environmental conditions in layer 2 of Natiabouani. 88 Table 15: Description of physical and environmental conditions in layer 3 of Natiabouani transect 90 Table