Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-wg55d Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-06-10T10:28:19.500Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Vegetation changes following human disturbance of mid-montane forest in the Wau area, Papua New Guinea

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 July 2009

Johan L. C. H. Van Valkenburg  and
Pieter Ketner
Johan L. C. H. Van Valkenburg
Affiliation:
Department of Nature Conservation, PO Box 8080, 6700 DD, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
Pieter Ketner
Affiliation:
Department of Nature Conservation, PO Box 8080, 6700 DD, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

This paper examines the floristic changes that occur following human disturbance in mid-montane forest in the Wau area in Papua New Guinea. The study was restricted to a 1600–2400 m altitudinal range on Mt Kaindi, with disturbed forest, and Mt Missim, with undisturbed forest. Special attention was given to the status of Nothofagus pullei which is locally dominant on Mt Kaindi.

A major change in floristic composition was observed between 1800 and 2000 m. The abundance and species composition of ferns and mosses above 2000 m characterizes the floristic differences. Nothofagus pullei was found to be a pioneer species with a long life-span, one which does not regenerate under its own cover. There were no other important floristic differences between Notho-fagus-dominated forest and mixed mid-montane forest. Nothofagus pullei locally dominates the canopy and thereby suppresses the growth of other trees.

Keywords

mid-montane forestNothofagusPapua New Guineavegetation successionzonation
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Tropical Ecology , Volume 10 , Issue 1 , February 1994 , pp. 41 - 54
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1994

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

LITERATURE CITED

Airy Shaw, H. K. 1980. The Euphorbiaceae of New Guinea. Kew Bulletin additional series VIII. Her Majesty's Stationery Office, London.Google Scholar
Ash, J. 1982. The Nothofagus Blume (Fagaceae) of New Guinea. Pp. 355–380 in Gressit, J. L. (ed.). Biogeography and ecology of New Guinea Vol. I. Dr W. Junk Publishers, The Hague, Boston, London.Google Scholar
Brass, L. J. 1964. Results of the Archbold Expeditions no. 86. Summary of the sixth Archbold Expedition to New Guinea (1959). Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 127 (Art. 4): 182–184.Google Scholar
Coode, M. J. E. 1981. Elaeocarpaceae. Pp. 38–135 in Henty, E. E. (ed.). Handbooks of the flora of Papua New Guinea. Vol. II. Melbourne University Press, Melbourne.Google Scholar
Gressit, J. L. & Nadkarni, N. 1978. Guide to Mt Kaindi: background to montane New Guinea ecology. Handbook 5. Wau Ecology Institute.Google Scholar
Howard, T. M. 1973. Studies in the ecology of Nothofagus cunninghamii Oerst., 1–3. Australian Journal of Botany 21:67–102.Google Scholar
Johns, R. J. 1982. Plant zonation. Pp. 309–330 in Gressit, J. L. (ed.). Biogeography and ecology of New Guinea. Vol I. Dr W. Junk Publishers, The Hague, Boston, London.Google Scholar
Johns, R. J. 1986. The instability of the tropical ecosystems in New Guinea. Blumea 31:341–371.Google Scholar
KalkMan, C. & Vink, W. 1970. Botanical exploration in the Doma Peaks region, New Guinea. Blumea 18:88–135.Google Scholar
Paijmans, K. 1976. Vegetation. Pp. 23–105 in Paijmans, K. (ed.). New Guinea vegetation. Australian National University Press, Canberra.Google Scholar
Robbins, R. G. 1960. Montane formations in the central highlands of New Guinea. Proceedings of the symposium on Humid Tropics Vegetation, Tjawi (Indonesia) December 1958. Unesco Science Cooperation Office for South East Asia.Google Scholar
Sauli, S. & Lamb, D. 1991. Regeneration following pulpwood logging in lowland rain forest in Papua New Guinea. In Gomez-Pomp, A., Whitmore, T. C. & Hadley, M. (eds). Rain forest regeneration and management. Man and the Biosphere, series vol. 6. Unesco, Paris.Google Scholar
Seddon, G. 1984. Logging in the Gogol Valley, Papua New Guinea. Ambio 13:5–6, 345–350.Google Scholar
Steenis, C. G. G. J. van et al. , (eds). 1950–. Flora Malesiana. Vol. 1, 4–10. Centre for Research and Development in Biology, Bogor, Indonesia, and Rijksherbarium, Leiden, the Netherlands. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, Boston, London.Google Scholar
Valkenburg, J. L. C. H. 1987. Floristic changes following human disturbance of mid-montane forest. MSc thesis Wageningen. [iii] + 25 pp., unpaged appendices.Google Scholar
Valkenburg, J. L. C. H. van. 1989. Mid-montane forest in Papua New Guinea and the impact of man. Programme and abstracts, Flora Malesiana Symposium, August 1989. Leiden.Google Scholar