Prevalence of Seed-dispersers in a Semi-deciduous Forest of Ghana

Full text

Current Research Journal of Biological Sciences 5(2): 62-69, 2013
DOI:10.19026/crjbs.5.5475
ISSN: 2041-076X, e-ISSN: 2041-0778
© 2013 Maxwell Scientific Publication Corp.
Submitted: October 31, 2012 Accepted: December 15, 2012 Published: March 20, 2013
Corresponding Author: Damian Tom-Dery, Department of Forestry and Forest Resources Management, Faculty of Renewable
Natural Resources, University for Development Studies, Nyankpala Campus, P.O. Box TL 1882,
Tamale, Ghana, Tel.: +233203669027
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Internation al License (URL: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
62
Research Article
Prevalence of Seed-dispersers in a Semi-deciduous Forest of Ghana
Damian Tom-Dery, Bernard N. Baatuuwie and Godwin N. Poreku
Department of Forestry and Forest Resources Management, Faculty of Renewable Natural Resources,
University for Development Studies, Nyankpala Campus, P.O. Box TL 1882, Tamale, Ghana
Abstract: Seed dispersal is a necessary process for plant reproduction. The research seeks to give an overview of
mammals and birds that exist and utilize a plantation in the semi-deciduous forest. The questions asked in this regard
are: (1) which native mammalian fauna and or birds utilize the plantation area (2) what ecological roles do the
mammals/bird play (3) Do different bird species inhabit the various vegetation types within the plantation. The study
was carried out on a private plantation (7°3’ N and 1°34’ W) 42 km north of Kumasi, the Ashanti region, Ghana. An
indirect questionnaire method was used to estimate the distribution of mammalian species that are good seed
dispersers. Interviews were conducted with a total of 9 hunters in two near-by villages bordering the plantation area.
The point count method was used for the bird survey, because it was easy to gather large amounts of data within a
short period of time. A total of 45 counting stations were located in the plantation for the point count survey. Based
on the evaluation of the questionnaire, eleven of the mammals were found in or around the plantation. A total of 32
bird species were sighted in the general bird survey and the point count sampling. The similarity of bird species in
the remnant natural forest compared to the agro forestry area was 0.21, while that for the remnant natural forest
compared to the actual plantation area was 0.18 using the Jaccards index. However the Shannon diversity index for
birds calculated for the remnant natural forest was 1.682 while that of the actual plantation area and agro forestry
areas are 1.693 and 2.074, respectively. It was concluded that seed-dispersal mammals and birds occurred on the
plantation.
Keywords: Birds, mammals, natural forest, plantation, seed-dispersers
INTRODUCTION
Dispersal is a crucial process for plants at several
scales, because it connects end of the reproduction
cycle of adult plants with the establishment of their
offsprings (Lorts et al., 2008). Seed dispersers therefore
play an important role in not only regeneration but also
plant species diversity. There will be negative
consequences for plant populations if the dispersal
process is absent or impaired (Cordeiro and Howe,
2003; Guimara˜es et al., 2008). Seed dispersal generally
involves the removal and deposition of seeds away
from parent plants (Terborgh et al., 2008). Success of
flowering plants is greatly dependent on effective seed
dispersal though specific fruit types support different
mechanisms of seed dispersal (Lorts et al., 2008).
Despite the fact that tropical trees vary in their ability to
disperse seeds, theories of tropical tree diversity
emphasize dispersal limitation as a potential mechanism
for separating species in space and reducing
competitive exclusion (Seidler and Plotkin, 2006).
Mammals are excellent indicators of biodiversity
and state of a habitat and represent an important
biological and functional component of tropical forest
ecosystems (Hunter, 1996; Davies and Hoffmann,
2002). Large seeds have been found to co-evolve with
particular animal dispersers (Harrington et al., 1997)
since plant-mammal interactions are inevitable in
ecosystems. Mammals are also important vectors of
seed dispersal; the elephant a typical example (Sayer
et al., 1992). They play a crucial role in the ecology of
tropical forests, especially in the reproductive biology
of flowering plants through activities such as
pollination, seed dispersal and predation (Harrington
et al., 1997). Auffret (2011) reported grazing animals as
important propagule dispersers. Local extinction of a
fruit-eating bird, bat or primate might, for instance
diminish recruitment of fruiting trees dependent upon it
for reproduction and therefore increases the chance of
local extinction of the focal trees, of other animals that
eat their fruits and eventually of other trees dispersed
by members of the initial assemblage (Howe, 1984).
Birds are important indicator species that exhibit
characteristics that give insights into a local
environment without having to study the local
environment itself. The suitability of a habitat for birds

Curr. Res. J. Biol. Sci., 5(2): 62-69, 2013
63
is a good indicator of the ecosystem condition and its
functioning. Indicator species are species whose
abundance can predict some characteristic of the
ecosystem (Johns, 1997). Birds also play an important
role in seed dispersal. Furthermore they can easily be
detected as they are often brightly colored, relatively
easy to see and highly vocal. Sutherland (1996) argues
that birds are perhaps the easiest of animals to census as
a result of which they are the most frequently censused
of all taxa. This has therefore led to reliable data bases
for birds in the form of field guides. There are also
many professionals with high level of identification
skills. Rappole et al. (1993) remark that birds indicate
their presence vocally and therefore many bird species
are best detected in this way. Seed dispersal may assist
seeds to escape predation (Howe, 1984; Sekercioglu
et al., 2004) and hence control plant reproductive
success and spatial distribution (Terborgh et al., 2002;
Jansen et al., 2004).
Germination and growth away from a mother plant
as a result of dispersal, allows opportunities to find
advantageous areas to inhabit, in addition to avoiding
unfavorable conditions around the mother plant such as
inbreeding and sibling competition (Willson and
Traveset, 2000). This research seeks to give an
overview of the existence of mammals and birds on a
plantation site. The questions asked in this regard are:
• Which native mammalian fauna and or birds utilize
the plantation site?
• What ecological roles these mammals/birds play in
the plantation site?
• Do different bird species inhabit the various
vegetation types within the plantation?
These are very essential given the ecological role of
birds and mammals to forest regeneration and plant
species diversity.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Study area: The study was carried out on a privately
owned plantation (7°3’ N and 1°34’ W) 42 km north of
Kumasi, the Ashanti regional capital of Ghana. The
region is located in the semi-deciduous forest zone
(Hall and Swaine, 1981) with soils that are
comparatively rich in nutrients and ideal for the
cultivation of cocoa and other cash crops. The
identified soils in the plantation area are predominantly
sandy and the cation exchange capacity indicates that
the nutrient supply from the clay fraction and organic
matter is adequate and appropriate for the cultivation of
trees (Küster, 2003). The annual rainfall varies between
1200 and 1800 mm, respectively.
The plantation site covers a total area of 164 ha,
which is grouped into four vegetation areas: the tree
Plantation Area (APA), grassland area, farmlands/Agro
Forestry Area (AFA) and Remnants of Natural Forest
(RNF). The grassland area was burnt by fires in
previous years. The tree plantation area was afforested
mainly with teak, to a lesser extent with pine (Pinus
oocarpa Schiede ex Schltdl, Pinus caribaea var.
hondurensis Morelet, Pinus taeda L. and Cedrela
odorata L.). This area is divided in different planting
blocks with planting periods from 1995 to 2003
(Ackermann and Küster, 2004).
Mammal species survey: An indirect questionnaire
method was used to estimate the distribution of various
mammalian species that are good seed dispersers of tree
seeds. Interviews were conducted with a total of 9
hunters in two near-by villages bordering the plantation
area. Colored pictures of mammals expected in the area
were taken from Haltenorth and Diller (1985) and
Kingdom (1997). These were shown to the hunters for
identification in order to have a general idea of the
variety of mammals that occur not only in the
plantation area but in the whole region surrounding the
plantation. All the 20 mammals selected were seed
dispersers. The vernacular names of the mammals were
asked to verify that the hunter knew the animal they
were being questioned about. The place where the
mammal was sighted was included in the questionnaire
to estimate how close that is to the plantation. The time
lapse from the date when the mammal was sighted was
included in the questionnaire to get an idea whether the
mammal still existed in the area or whether it was
probably extinct. The ecological roles played by these
animals were taken from literature (Kingdom, 1997;
Grubb et al., 1998; Hofmann et al., 1999).
For the purposes of interpretation, the answer ‘a
few days’ on the questionnaire implied the time period
one day to one month. ‘A few months’ implied one
month to one year and a few years implied one year to
ten years. These time periods give an indication of the
fact that a species still exists in and around the
plantation or is extinct. The distance from the plantation
where the mammal was sighted was interpreted as
follows: Very close is a distance of up to 1.6 km radius
around the plantation. Not too far implies a distance of
3.2 km radius around the plantation site and Very far
implied a distance of 8.0 km radius around the
plantation site. These distances were estimated by the
author.
Bird survey: The point count method was appropriate,
because it was easy to gather large amounts of data
within a short period of time. Sutherland (1996)
suggests this method as the most recommended in
patchy habitats. This method can also be used outside
the breeding season and the counting stations are
relatively easy to allocate randomly. Birds were
identified with the help of a native ornithologist and in

Curr. Res. J. Biol. Sci., 5(2): 62-69, 2013
64
cases of doubt verified using the descriptions in Borrow
and Demey (2010) and Fry et al. (1997, 2000). The
study was carried out in only three vegetation strata
namely: actual plantation stratum, agro forestry stratum
and the remnants of natural forest.
Counting stations were located 100 m apart and
fixed time periods of five minutes was spent at each
counting station. Each point-count was used once. All
birds located within 30 m diameter of the counting
station were recorded. A total of 45 counting stations
were located in the plantation which means 225 min
was spent on the point count survey. The total distance
covered in this survey was approximately 4.5 km. The
survey was carried out during the early hours of 6:00
am to 9:00 am in the mornings and 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm
in the evenings. Additionally a general bird survey was
carried out during the other hours of the day in all the
vegetation strata. During these time periods good
observation posts were set up to observe any species of
birds that passes. One to two hours was spent at these
posts, noting the bird species that occur in the area.
Data analysis: To assess the relationship between bird
communities in the sample areas, the Jaccards
Similarity Index (Magurran, 1988) was calculated:
Jaccards Index = C/N1 + N2 - C (1)
N1 = The number of bird species in area one
N2 = The number of bird species in area two
C = The number of birds common to both sites
To assess the diversity of the various areas, the
Shannon diversity index was used since the two
populations were selected randomly from a larger
population (Magurran, 1988):
H´ = - Σpi ln pi (2)
pi = Is the proportional abundance of the ith species =
n1/N
ni = Number of individual bird species
N = Total number of birds
RESULTS
Mammal survey: The results from the questionnaire
indicate at least 78% of all hunters interviewed
(Table 1) have seen or killed all of the 20 mammals.
Out of the 20 mammals, 5 have never been sighted near
the area indicating that they are not in or around the
plantation area. These are Cercopithecus pestaurista
(Lesser white-nosed monkey), Cercopithecus atys
lunulatus (White-naped mangabey), Hystrix cristata
(African crested porcupine), Gorilla gorilla (Gorilla)
and Loxondonta africana (African elephant). Based on
the evaluation of the questionnaire, it can be said with
70% certainty that eleven of the mammals are found in
or around the plantation. These are Eidolon helvum
(straw colored fruit bat), Hypsignathus monstrosus
(hammerheaded fruit bat), Cephalophus niger (black
duiker), Cephalophus maxwelli (Maxwell's duiker),
Cephalophus dorsalis (bay duiker), Cephalophus
sylvicultor (yellow-backed duiker), Genetta tigrina
(large-spotted genet), Civettictis civetta (African civet),
Tragelaphus scriptus (bushbuck), Epixerus ebi (Palm
squirrel) and Atherurus africanus (African brush-tailed
porcupine). Table 2 illustrates the ecology of the
selected mammals found in this research with reference
to Kingdom (1997), Grubb et al. (1998) and Hofmann
et al. (1999).
Table 1: The total of all the answered questions by the 9 hunters interviewed. 5 mammals have never been sighted in or around the plantation
Species
Have ever seen or killed
this animal?
-------------------------------
Where did you kill it?
--------------------------------------------- ---
When did you kill it?
--------------------------------------------- ---------
Yes
No
Very close
Not too for
Very far
A few days
A few months
A few years
Eidolon helvum
9
8
1
6
3
Hypsignathus monstrous
8
1
7
1
4
2
2
Lissonycteris angolensis
4
5
4
2
1
1
Cercopithecus lowei
7
2
7
3
4
Cercopithecus petaurista
5
4
Cercopithecus atys lunlatus
7
2
Gorilla gorilla
8
1
Cephalophus Niger
9
8
1
3
4
2
Cephalophus maxwelli
9
9
2
6
1
Cephalophus dorsalis
9
8
1
2
5
2
Cephalophus syslvicultor
7
2
6
1
5
2
Loxondonta Africana
9
Tragela phus scriptus
7
2
6
1
1
4
2
1
Tragela phus euryceros
7
2
2
2
3
7
Genetta tigrina
9
9
3
5
1
Civetticitis civetta
9
9
7
2
Nandinia binotata
6
3
5
1
1
3
2
Hystrix cristata
8
1
Epixerus ebi
8
1
8
5
2
1
Atherurus africanus
9
9
1
7
1

Curr. Res. J. Biol. Sci., 5(2): 62-69, 2013
65
Table 2: Ecology of mammals dispersers found to be in or around the survey area (Kingdom, 1997; Grubb et al., 1998; Hofmann et al., 1999)
Common name
Scientific name
Habitat
Diet/food
Straw-colored
fruit bat
Eidolon helvum
Forest and savannah z ones
Juices of various fruits are the preferred food, though this bat also feeds on
the blossoms and perhaps young shoots of the silk-cotton tree (ceiba). It
will eat directly into the fruit of the borassus palm and has the unusual
habit of chewing soft wood, apparently to obtain moisture
Hammer bat
Hypsignathus
monstrosus
Forest, common in
swamps, mangroves and
palms along rivers
Figs make up most of its diet, but this bat may also include the juice and
soft pulp of mangos , bananas an d guavas
Angola fruit bat
Lissonycteris
angolensis
Tropical African lowland
and highland forest
Fruits and flowers
Lowe's monkey
Cercopithecus
lowei
Primary seconda ry and
gallery forests
Mainly fruits; pulp of oil-palm seeds, figs, cola, baphia and garden fruits
Black duiker
Cephalophus
niger
Prefer primary forest but
adapts to secondary forests
Fallen fruits and flowers, leaves and herbs, buds, young shoots, grasses,
herbs and berries.
Maxwell's duike r
Cephalophus
maxwelli
Lowland and montane
rainforest
Mostly fruits, but also foliage with traces of flowers. Preferred fruits are
small berries. It also eats dry fallen leaves
Bay duiker
Cephalophus
dorsalis
Lowland rainforest
Hard fibrous fruits, such as wild mango, kleinedoxa, treculia,
chrysophyllum, strychnos and myrianthus
Yellow-backed
duiker
Cephalophus
sylvicultor
Rainforest, montane forest
and the forest-savannah
mosaics
Fallen seed s, fruits, berries and the ba rk of shrubs. Favored fruits include:
waterberry, dog plum, yellow wood, forest stem fruits, African
mangosteen, the duiker tree, raisin tree and the snake beans
Large-spotted
genet
Genetta tigrina
Associated with riverine
habitats
Eat a broad variety of food items including small rodents, birds, reptiles,
fruits, and invertebrates
African civet
Civettictis civetta
Forested or partl y forested
areas
It consumes mainly wild fruit, carrion, rodents and insects
African palm
civet
Nandinia
binotata
Rainforest
They are omnivorous and highly opportunistic: they feed on the following
fruits: musa nga, uapaca , myrianthu s an d wild fig s
Bushbuck
Tragela phus
scriptus
Forest edges or b rushy
cover associated with rivers
and streams
Largely shrubs, leguminous herbs and growing grass. Also pods and fruits
of many species
Bongo
Tragela phus
euryceros
Disturbed forest mosaics
Bongos are grazers and browsers. They typically eat leaves, flowers, twigs,
thistles, garden produce and cereals. Additionall y, bongos favor younger
leaves, suggesting that high protein and low fibre c ontent influence their
plant choice
Giant squirrel
Epixerus ebi
Forest but largely terrestrial
Feeds mainly on plam fruits but also eats insects
African brush-
tailed porcupine
Atherurus
africanus
Rainforest
Fallen fruits, root tubers and stems, oil-palm, crab wood and ginger fruit
preferably
Table 3: Ecology of potential seed dispersing birds encountered in the survey area (Borrow and Demey, 2010; Fry et al., 1997, 2000)
Common name
Scientific name
Family
Food sources
Double spurred
francolin
Francolinus
bicalcaratus
Phasian idae
They are opportunistic feeders; predominantly vegetable material
including: fruits, roots, green leaves, seeds, millet, corn, r ice and peanuts
Splendid glossy
starling
Lamroto rnis
splendidus
Sturnidae
Fruit eater
Common garden
bulbul
Pycnonnotus
barbatus
Pycnonotidae
Wild and cultivated fruits; also flowers, nectar, insects and some seeds.
They eat any fruit available including figs, guava, mango, trema, banana,
apple, morida, macaranga and acacia spp
Grey hornbill
Tockus nasutus
Bucerotidae
Feeds mainly on fruits and insects, the y are also plan tain eaters
Black-and-white-tailed
hornbill
Tockus fasciatus
Bucerotidae
Feeds mainly on fruits and insects, the y are also plantain eaters
Green fruit-pigeon
Treron australis
Columbidae
Cultivated fruits including prunus, morus, raisins, banana and pawpaw.
they also eat cereals and wild grass
Red-eyed dove
Streptopelia
semitorquata
Columbidae
They eat seeds; also berries (Lantana cama ra etc.), rhizomes (Cyperus
esculentus) and flowers (Cedrella toona)
Red-billed wood-dove
Turtur a fer
Columbidae
They eat seeds of grasses and also castor-oil racinus seeds
Bird survey: A total of 32 different bird species were
sighted in both the general bird survey and the point
count sampling. Out of these, 23 were sighted during
the point count sampling. There were a higher number
of individual birds recorded in the point count survey
on the Agro Forestry Area (AFA) than in the other two
areas, with the agro forestry area recording a total of
62% of all birds while the Remnant Natural Forest
(RNF) and the actual plantation area recorded 31 and
7% birds respectively. The agro forestry area also
recorded the highest number of different bird species,
with a total of 16 species as compared to 7 and 6 by the
remnant natural forest and the actual plantation area
respectively. The Bishops, which were in eclipse at the
time of this research, recorded the highest number of
individuals as compared to all the other species
recorded. It was also realized that most of the bird
species recorded were savannah species with 59%
being strictly savannah species. Thirty four percent of
birds were forest/savannah species with no recorded
species being a strictly forest species, however 6% of
the species recorded were open species that are
associated with open fields generally (Table 3).

Curr. Res. J. Biol. Sci., 5(2): 62-69, 2013
66
Fig. 1: Cumulative number of individual birds sampled in
various survey areas; the number of individual birds
increases with increasing sampling number of point
counts
Fig. 2: Bird species diversities in the various survey areas
The cumulative number of individual birds in the
various survey plots is plotted against the number of
point counts in Fig. 1. As expected there is generally an
increase in the cumulative number of birds with
increasing number of point counts. In the case of the
actual plantation area, there was a gradual increase in
the number of species which eventually leveled up at
the last three point counts indicating sufficient sampling
was carried out. The graph also indicates that, a low
number of individual birds were recorded as compared
to the other areas. In the RNF, it was seen that the
number of birds increases with each point count. The
whole remnant natural forest of 5.0 ha was sampled
since the distance between each point count was 100 m.
In the case of the AFA area, there was a sharp increase
in the number of individual birds initially, but this
increase turned to a gradual increase with increasing
number of point counts. It also seems that sufficient
sampling was not carried out in this case since the
number of species still increased even at the last point
count.
Bird species diversity: The Jaccards similarity index
based on the number of birds was calculated using
Eq. (2). This showed the similarity between the bird
species diversity in the remnant natural forest compared
to the agro forestry area to be equal to 0.21, while that
for the remnant natural forest compared to the actual
plantation area is equal to 0.18. These results indicate
that the three survey areas are different in terms of
number of bird species occurring in them. However the
Shannon diversity index for birds calculated for the
remnant natural forest as shown in Fig. 2 is 1.682 while
that of the actual plantation area and agro forestry areas
are 1.693 and 2.074, respectively. Figure 2 illustrates
the bird diversities of the respective areas. The bird
species diversity values indicate the agro forestry area
as being the most diverse followed by actual plantation
area and then the remnant natural forest.
Seed dispersal: Of the 32 different bird species
recorded in this survey, 25% of these birds are seed
dispersing birds. These include Francolinus
bicalcaratus, Lamrotornis splendidus, Pycnonnotus
barbatus, Treron australis, Tockus nasutus,
Streptopelia semitorquata and Turtur afer. However
seed eating birds belonging mainly to the families
Ploceidae and Estrildidae were not considered seed
dispersers because these birds destroy the seeds they eat
through digestion and don’t disperse them.
DISCUSSION
Mammal survey: The questionnaire method used for
this study met the objectives of the study which was to
assess the presence or absence of various seed
dispersing mammals in and around the plantation. With
this method, it was easy to gather large amounts of data
within a relatively short period of time. In addition it
can easily be adjusted to meet the goals of a specific
study. The method was used with success by Hofmann
et al. (1999) for an economic analysis of bush meat: a
natural resource of the moist forest regions of West
Africa. This study was carried out in Toumodi (Côte
d’Ivoire) and Kumasi (Ghana). Nett (2002) used this
method to study the population trends of selected
mammals in south eastern Côte d’Ivoire. The research
site of her study shares boundaries with the semi-
deciduous forest of Ghana and also studied all the
mammals that were studied in the current research.
Vordzogbe et al. (2005) and Owusu et al. (2005) both
used this method together with other methods and
recorded 19 and 24 mammalian species in Sefwi-
Wiawso (semi-deciduous forest) and
Afadjato/Agumatsa range (dry semideciduos/savanna)
respectively.
Ofori et al. (2012) also combined the questionnaire
method with a transect-walk in their study of mammals
in the semi-deciduous forest of Ghana and reported 23
mammals.
Bush meat is a delicacy for both rural and urban
folks of Ghana. Knoell (2004) reports that 44% of
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
20
12345678910 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19
Cummulative number of Spp
Point count
RNF
AFA
APA
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
Remnant
natural
forest
Planted
area
Agro-
Forestry
area
Shannon diversity index
Survey area

Curr. Res. J. Biol. Sci., 5(2): 62-69, 2013
67
households practice hunting. But this number probably
includes occasional hunters. Only nine regular hunters
were found in Papasi and Dwendabi all together and
therefore only these were considered hunters since
specific information about various seed dispersing
mammals were required. Hunting in groups is a
common but unlawful practice in Ghana, which is often
tied to customary rites and practices. Sayer et al. (1992)
cited bush meat as the most important non timber forest
product in Ghana. The mammal survey indicates that
most of the species surveyed are in or around the
plantation and therefore play or have the potential to
play an important role of seed dispersal. Frugivory and
seed dispersal play an important role in tropical forest
regeneration (Bleher and Böhning-Gaese, 2001). It is
vital that these mammals are protected so that they can
play their required role in the ecosystem. As there are
only a few hunters in the two surrounding villages
around the plantation, it should be easy to educate these
hunters about the need for the protection of these
mammals. It is also worthwhile to provide an
alternative source of income for these hunters.
Considering the fact that three of the species found
in or around the plantation area, Atherurus africanus,
Epixerus ebi and Tragelaphus euryceros are listed on
the Convention on International Trade in Endangered
Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (Inskipp and Gillett,
2003), it gives credence to the protection of these
species. It is also important to note that 40% of the
species found in or around the plantation are of
conservation concern. These include Cercopithecus atys
lunulatus, Cephalophus niger, Cephalophus dorsalis,
Cephalophus sylvicultor, Epixerus ebi and Hystrix
cristata (IUCN, 2008). It is believed that large seeds
coevolved with particular animal dispersers (Harrington
et al., 1997). It will be important to protect these
mammal species since it will be disadvantageous to the
plants if the disperser population is disrupted (Thébaud
and Strasberg, 1997; Harrington et al., 1997).
Bird survey: The methods used for this survey are
widely used by many ecologists (Sutherland, 1996;
Hawkins and Goodman, 1999; Goodman et al., 2000).
The 32 species of birds recorded in this study are low
compared to other studies conducted on the African
continent. Hawkins and Goodman (1999) reports 123
species in the Réserve Naturelle Intégrale
d’Andohahela, in southern Madagascar which is a
nature reserve. However this study was conducted
within a three months period as compared to 10 days in
the current survey. Goodman et al. (2000) however
recorded 84 species in Parc National (PN) de Marojejy
in northeastern Madagascar in a study conducted within
one month.
Research in the semi-deciduous forests of Ghana
by Beier (1993) reported 83 species of birds in a study
carried out within a 4 months period while Kangah-
Kesse et al. (2007) reported 41 species in three months
at the Abiriw Sacred Grove also in the semi-deciduous
forest of Ghana. The relatively short period of ten days
within which the current bird survey was carried out
could be a factor responsible for the low number of bird
species recorded. The high number of individual birds
recorded in the AFA compared to the other sites, might
be due to higher food abundance for birds in this than in
the other areas. The natural forest also had a higher
number of individual birds as well as bird species
because there is more food in form of fruits on which
birds feed. There is however no known bird species that
feeds on Teak seeds which might explain the low
numbers of birds recorded in the APA, though birds
may rest on teak trees. The present data of the number
of birds does not differ between the RNF and the AFA.
But fewer birds occurred in the actual plantation area.
In terms of species numbers more species were found in
the RNF than in either the AFA or the APA.
In conclusion a considerable number of the seed
dispersing mammals selected for the mammalian survey
are still found in the area and may in one way or the
other be responsible for seed dispersal of native tree
species within the plantation and beyond. Protecting the
RNF provides suitable habitats for these mammals and
birds. A high number of individual birds were recorded
in the Agro Forestry Area (AFA) compared to the
remnant natural forest and the Actual Plantation Areas
(APA).
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