Check-List of the Poaceae of the High Altitude Part of the Kahuzi-Biega National Park Preserved in the Lwiro Collection Since 1953
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East African Scholars Journal of Agriculture and Life Sciences Abbreviated Key Title: East African Scholars J Agri Life Sci ISSN 2617-4472 (Print) | ISSN 2617-7277 (Online) | Published By East African Scholars Publisher, Kenya Volume-2 | Issue-6 | Jun-2019 | Research Article Check-list of the Poaceae of the high altitude part of the Kahuzi-Biega National Park preserved in the Lwiro Collection since 1953 Sylvie Cirhuza Cimwemwesa1, Orléanne Nangalire Nankafu 2, Joseph Masirika Matunguru3, Corneille Ewango Ekokinya4 1Systematic and Taxonomy of Plant laboratory, Botanical Section, Research Centre in Natural Sciences, CRSN/Lwiro, DS/Bukavu, South-Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo 2 Ecology Plant laboratory, Botanical Section, Research Center in Natural Sciences, CRSN/Lwiro, DS/Bukavu, South-Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo 3Department of Environment and Sustainable Development, Higher Institute of Development Techniques (ISTD / Kalehe) 4Faculty of Forestry & Renewable Natural Resource Management, Kisangani University (UNIKIS) Democratic Republic of the Congo *Corresponding Author Sylvie Cirhuza Cimwemwesa Abstract: This article focuses on the botanical collection of the Poaceae family in the Research Centre in Natural Sciences (CRSN / Lwiro) Herbarium harvested at Kahuzi-Biega National Park (PNKB) in the high altitude portion (Tshivanga, Mount Kahuzi, Mount Bièga and Tshibati), east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRCongo) since 1953. The classical methods of Herbarium taxonomy were used in this study for the identification and hierarchical classification of Poaceae species. Inventoried in the Lwiro Herbarium (LWI). 57 species of Poaceae (84 individuals) were inventoried in the altitudinal range of 1200 and 3324 m. A total of 25 specimens were identified, corrected and updated during this study. For the biological type, the Hemicryptophytes dominate with 65.48% while the perennials dominate for the morphological type, with 73, 81%. The swamp forest species are more abundant (34, 52%) compared to all the habitats observed. The subfamily Panicoideae dominates with 67, 85%. All these species of Poaceae are of socio- economic importance (Corn, Wheat, Barley, Rice, Millet, Sorghum, etc.) and fodder. Keywords: Herbarium, Poaceae, Altitudinal Slice, Hemicryptophytes, Perennial and Forage herbs. BACKGROUND of the stems. The leaves are narrow, with parallel veins Poaceae form an important botanical family. with inflorescences formed of spikelets. The fruit is a They derive their current name from the Poa genre caryopsis. (Dewet, 2004). They present a large number of species essential in the world economy and whose use is vital It is a family rich in species, with an estimated for the food of humans and their livestock (Piperno et number of 12,000 distributed in about 700 genera al., 2005). They are used in the manufacture of several (Dewet, 2004). It occupies fifth place in the tools including baskets, handbags, calabashes, cabinets, Angiosperms, in relation to its specific richness. Its huts etc. Several species of this family are cultivated in subdivision into subfamilies is still difficult because fields and gardens and are also ornamental and honey. each time one observes taxa changes during taxonomic revisions (APG I 1998, APG II 2003, APG III 2009 and The species of this family are generally APG IV 2016). herbaceous, annual or perennial plants with hollow cylindrical stem bearing nodes, the stubble generally In 1998, the APG I classification unbranched except at the level of the ground where the (Angiosperms Phylogeny Group) subdivided it into four phenomenon of tillering often occurs, which leads to subfamilies: Bambusoideae, Pooideae, Chloridoideae the formation of characteristic tufts . Some species and Panicoideae. Then in 2003, the authors group of produce rhizomes and stolons that allow surface APG II subdivided into eight subfamilies namely: occupation and lawn formation (Chase and Reveal, Bambusoideae, Centothecoideae, Chloridoideae, 2009). The roots form an important hair, thanks to the Danthonioideae, Ehrhartoideae, Panicoideae, formation of many adventitious roots arising at the base Pharoideae and Pooideae. Under the APG III Quick Response Code Journal homepage: Copyright © 2019 The Author(s): This is an open- http://www.easpublisher.com/easjals/ access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Article History License (CC BY-NC 4.0) which permits unrestricted Received: 25.05.2019 use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium Accepted: 08.06.2019 for non-commercial use provided the original author and source are credited. Published: 27.06.2019 DOI: 10.36349/easjals.2019.v02i06.008 Published By East African Scholars Publisher, Kenya 336 Sylvie Cirhuza Cimwemwesa et al., East African Scholars J Agri Life Sci; Vol-2, Iss-6 (Jun, 2019): 336-345 classification, Mark and James (2009) classified In 1975, this Research Institution was renamed Poaceae into two groups with thirteen sub-families Lwiro Center in the Institute for Scientific Research including: (IRS), established by Law No. 075-029 of October 22, 1975.By Order-Law No. 082-042 of November 5, 1982 The group of ancestral families: the three on the organization of Scientific and Technological ancestral subfamilies (Anamochlooideae, Research in our country, the Lwiro Center was renamed Pharoideae and Puelioideae) the " Research Center in Natural Sciences" Two monophyletic groups BEP clade (CRSN/Lwiro) with legal personality and financial (Bambusoideae, Ehrhartoideae and Pooideae). autonomy by then disposing of Uvira and Mabali PACCMAD clade (Panicoideae, Arundinoideae, stations, Goma and Irangi branches and a liaison office Chloridoideae, Centothecoideae, Micrairoideae, in Kinshasa. Aristidoideae and Danthonioideae). Lwiro Herbarium The family Poaceae or Graminae is classified The four laboratories of Lwiro Herbarium are: among the monocotyledonous plants, in the order of Systematics and Taxonomy of Plant, Ethnobotany, Poales. Grasses are angiosperms (Magnoliopsida). In Plant Ecology and Phytochemistry. The botanical difference of gymnosperms, the angiospermsegg is section has a Herbarium. The latter is a museum or enclosed in the ovary.It comprises about 10,000 species botanical sanctuary where specimens or plant and 600 to 700 genera, depending on the classification collections are kept (samples of well-dried and well- used. The Poaceae are subdivided into 13 sub-families treated plants ready for storage for further studies. This of very unequal sizes, themselves subdivided into 46 museum has been created since 1953 with two tribes. Subfamilies can be grouped phylogenetically researchers: the first was a Belgian agronomist called into two main groups, the BEP clade and the PACMAD Mrs CHRISTIANSEN. After, Georges TROUPIN clade (Kellegs, 2016). considered as the pioneer of the Herbarium for putting order in the description, collection, classification and This study aims to present the synoptic list of identification of plants. He was assisted by his assistant species of Poaceae populating the high altitude zone of Jean Petit (Mwangamwanga, 2013). the Kahuzi-Biega National Park (PNKB) including Tshivanga, Tshibati, Mont-Kahuzi and Mont-Bièga. This Herbarium is the second in our country They cover the specimens kept in the herbarium DRC after YANGAMBI in Kisangani. It was created to ofLwiro since 1953. The key idea is to identify the promote and preserve all the specimens of the DRC. It species of this family harvested for 65 years, to provide has a historical and geological importance for the data for researchers and students, to guide future studies endemic plants that emerged a natural disaster of this group in the collectionand in their natural (Mwangamwanga, 2013). environment, finally to encourage the conservation of these species given their socio-economic interests. Location Area This study was carried out in Lwiro, Bugorhe With regard to the plants from which samples grouping. It is located between 28 ° 48 ' E and 2 ° 15' were collected in 1953, this study will be supplemented SE on the side of the Kahuzi-Biega massif between by field data to confirm the state of conservation of 1470 and 2200 masl of altitude. This environment is these species in the current state, in case ofknowing characterized by a humid tropical climate including a their socio-economic roles and the demographic long rainy season of 9 months (September to May) and dynamics in the region after 65 years they may have a short dry season of 3 months (from June to August). been ravaged. The average annual temperature varies between 18 and 20 oCand the air humidity between 68 and 75% (CRSN- MATERIALS AND METHODS Lwiro Climatology Station). This region with volcanic Study Area soil is formed by the alternation of hills and wide Presentation of the Lwiro Research Center valleys that contain marshes irrigated by streams and The Institute for Scientific Research in Central tributaries of Lake Kivu that take in sources in the Africa (IRSAC) currently Research Center in Natural Kahuzi-Biega National Park (PNKB) and even in the Sciences (CRSN/Lwiro) was created on July 1, 1947 by valleys (Mushayuma et al., 2012). The vegetation Prince Charles of Belgium.Since its creation, the consists of a grassy mountain savanna dominated by IRSAC had set itself the goal of creating, promoting, highly diversified grasses and some shrubs. This carrying out and coordinating especially in the Belgian vegetation replaced a very primitive one that consisted