The aim of this study was to apply some of the vegetative and fruit traits which are easily recognised to identify the variation and the diversity level of the most famous Sudanese date palm cultivars grown on farm in the northern region of Sudan. Sixteen phenotypic traits consisting of ten quantitative and six qualitative characteristics were used for describing the vegetative and fruit characteristics. The principal components analysis (PCA) and UPGMA clustering were used to analyse the data set. The results revealed high variability among the cultivars according to PCA. Fourteen out of the sixteen quantitative and qualitative traits investigated showed a strong discriminating factor suggesting their possible uses in the initiation of Sudanese date palm morphological descriptor list. UPGMA clustering exhibited strong relationship between some cultivars according to their fruit and vegetative characteristics similarity. Based on morphological traits, cultivars Wad-laggi (Lag) and Wad-khateeb (Kha) formed a distinct group suggesting their close relatedness. Similarly, the cultivars sharing the dry fruit texture such as Gondaila (Gon), Tamoda (Tam), Kolmah (Kol), and Barkawi (Bar) were grouped together according to their vegetative traits. Further investigations on Sudanese date palm using more phenotypic characteristics are recommended in order to shape and complete the set of the morphological descriptor list.

Mohammed Elsafy

Larisa Garkava-Gustavsson

Claid Mujaju

Phenotypic Diversity of Date Palm Cultivars (Phoenix dactylifera L.) from Sudan Estimated by Vegetative and Fruit Characteristics

The major impact of humans on forest ecosystems including loss of forest area, habitat fragmentation, and soil degradation leads to losses of biodiversity. These problems can be addressed by integration of agriculture with forests and maintaining the existing forests. This study was initiated to assess woody species diversity of traditional agroforestry practices. Three study sites (Burkitu, Chire, and Erba) were selected based on the presence of agroforestry practice. Forty-eight (48) sample quadrants having an area of 20 m × 20 m, 16 sample quadrants in each study site, were systematically laid using four transect lines at different distance. The diversity of woody species was analyzed by using different diversity indices. A total of 55 woody species belonging to 31 families were identified and documented. There were significantly different (<svg xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" style="vertical-align:-0.7022505pt" id="M1" height="9.29899pt" version="1.1" viewBox="-0.0498162 -8.59674 45.6962 9.29899" width="45.6962pt"><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,0,0)"><path id="g50-81" d="M622 479C622 589 545 650 400 650H146L140 618C229 609 230 602 215 527L135 132C117 43 112 41 27 32L18 0H305L313 32C213 40 205 44 222 132L251 284L324 262H365C484 269 622 333 622 479ZM528 477C528 356 420 305 344 305C300 305 276 314 259 321L303 554C311 597 313 600 331 606C345 611 361 614 379 614C463 614 528 580 528 477Z"/></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,11.766,0)"><path id="g54-91" d="M530 -6V57L144 261V263L530 468V530L81 290V234L530 -6Z"/></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,23.385,0)"><path id="g50-49" d="M245 635C92 635 37 457 37 312C37 149 91 -12 244 -12C395 -12 449 166 449 312C449 469 395 635 245 635ZM243 598C332 598 358 454 358 312C358 173 334 26 245 26C158 26 128 174 128 313S152 598 243 598Z"/></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,29.716,0)"><path id="g50-47" d="M117 -12C153 -12 178 12 178 50C178 84 153 110 118 110C84 110 59 84 59 50C59 12 84 -12 117 -12Z"/></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,32.797,0)"><use xlink:href="#g50-49"/></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,39.128,0)"><path id="g50-54" d="M158 548H390L417 615L410 623H122L83 318C105 326 143 337 185 337C296 337 350 275 350 188C350 116 308 42 225 42C164 42 122 74 100 93C90 101 82 99 72 92C60 82 51 68 50 59C48 46 52 38 66 24C82 9 125 -12 172 -12C225 -11 292 15 346 59C408 108 437 166 437 226C437 309 371 397 242 397C214 397 170 382 133 369L158 548Z"/></g></svg>) among the study Kebeles (peasant associations). Mangifera indica, Entada abyssinica, and Croton macrostachyus were found to have the highest Important Value Index. The results confirmed that traditional agroforestry plays a major role in the conservation of native woody species. However, threats to woody species were observed. Therefore, there is a need to undertake conservation practices before the loss of species.

Abiot Molla

Gonfa Kewessa

Woody Species Diversity in Traditional Agroforestry Practices of Dellomenna District, Southeastern Ethiopia: Implication for Maintaining Native Woody Species

Highland bamboo (Arundinaria alpina) and lowland bamboo (Oxytenanthera abyssinica) are indigenous to Ethiopia and endemic to Africa. Seeds of A. alpina were collected from Dawa Wereda (District), while O. abyssinica seeds were collected from Pawe and Sherkole Weredas. In this study, seed presowing treatments, effects of dry heat, moist heat, and light/dark treatments on the germination of seeds were tested. The averages were of 59,416 and 8,393 seeds contained within 1&#x2009;kg of A. alpina and O. abyssinica seeds within 86 and 91&#x25; pure seeds, respectively. From 1&#x2009;kg of pure seeds 37,301 and 7,168 seedlings are raised in the laboratory in their respective orders. The result revealed that control seeds of A. alpina and O. abyssinica showed the best germination of 73 and 98&#x25;. Germination of both dry and moist heat treatments of O. abyssinica seeds was significantly improved at 60 and 80&#xb0;C. Unlike A. alpina seeds, seeds of O. abyssinica had better germination for light treatment compared to dark. For effective large scale plantation and raising of A. alpina and O. abyssinica seedlings from its seeds for laboratory, control seeds supply to necessary light source (for O. abyssinica seeds) is recommended.

Tinsae Bahru

Yigardu Mulatu

Berhane Kidane

Germination Ecology of Arundinaria alpina (K. Schum.) and Oxytenanthera abyssinica (A. Rich.) Munro Seeds: Indigenous Bamboo Species in Ethiopia

ISSR markers were employed to reveal genetic diversity and genetic relatedness among 28 Mangifera accessions collected from Yan (Kedah), Bukit Gantang (Perak), Sibuti (Sarawak), and Papar (Sabah). A total of 198 markers were generated using nine anchored primers and one nonanchored primer. Genetic variation among the 28 accessions of Mangifera species including wild relatives, landraces, and clonal varieties is high, with an average degree of polymorphism of 98&#x25; and mean Shannon index, <svg xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" style="vertical-align:-3.291101pt" id="M1" height="11.927pt" version="1.1" viewBox="-0.0498162 -8.6359 51.8475 11.927" width="51.8475pt"><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,0,0)"><path id="g113-73" d="M828 650H570L564 622C646 614 650 609 634 524L604 366H253L281 524C296 608 308 615 382 622L388 650H132L126 622C211 615 214 609 198 524L121 122C106 42 102 35 23 28L17 0H276L282 28C196 35 191 40 206 122L243 324H597L559 123C544 42 537 35 452 28L446 0H710L716 28C632 35 628 43 643 122L719 524C735 610 741 615 822 622L828 650Z" /><glyph.data ascent="3473" descent="-2876" horiz-adv-x="840" vert-adv-y="840" /></g><g transform="matrix(.0091,0,0,-0.0091,10.075,3.132)"><path id="g50-49" d="M245 635C92 635 37 457 37 312C37 149 91 -12 244 -12C395 -12 449 166 449 312C449 469 395 635 245 635ZM243 598C332 598 358 454 358 312C358 173 334 26 245 26C158 26 128 174 128 313S152 598 243 598Z" /><glyph.data ascent="3443" descent="-2856" horiz-adv-x="487" vert-adv-y="487" /></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,18.653,0)"><path id="g117-34" d="M535 323V373H52V323H535ZM535 138V188H52V138H535Z" /><glyph.data ascent="3473" descent="-2876" horiz-adv-x="587" vert-adv-y="587" /></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,29.916,0)"><path id="g113-56" d="M447 623H65C61 580 56 530 47 475H76C100 541 106 550 172 550H388C308 376 196 170 91 -1L98 -12L172 -2C268 204 360 408 455 611L447 623Z" /><glyph.data ascent="3473" descent="-2876" horiz-adv-x="480" vert-adv-y="480" /></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,36.158,0)"><path id="g113-47" d="M113 -12C146 -12 170 11 170 46C170 78 146 103 114 103S58 78 58 46C58 11 82 -12 113 -12Z" /><glyph.data ascent="3473" descent="-2876" horiz-adv-x="228" vert-adv-y="228" /></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,39.122,0)"><path id="g113-54" d="M153 550H386L412 615L406 623H120L82 318C104 327 142 338 184 338C294 338 347 275 347 187C347 112 305 39 221 39C160 39 119 71 97 89C88 97 80 96 71 90C59 80 50 67 49 57C48 45 52 36 66 23C80 9 123 -12 169 -12C221 -11 288 15 342 59C403 109 431 165 431 225C431 308 366 395 238 395C212 395 165 379 127 364L153 550Z" /><glyph.data ascent="3473" descent="-2876" horiz-adv-x="480" vert-adv-y="480" /></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,45.363,0)"><path id="g113-49" d="M241 635C89 635 35 457 35 312C35 153 89 -12 240 -12C390 -12 443 166 443 312C443 466 390 635 241 635ZM238 602C329 602 354 454 354 312C354 172 330 22 240 22C152 22 124 173 124 313S148 602 238 602Z" /><glyph.data ascent="3473" descent="-2876" horiz-adv-x="480" vert-adv-y="480" /></g></svg>. Analysis on 18 Mangifera indica accessions also showed high degree of polymorphism of 99&#x25; and mean Shannon index, <svg xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" style="vertical-align:-3.291101pt" id="M2" height="11.927pt" version="1.1" viewBox="-0.0498162 -8.6359 51.8475 11.927" width="51.8475pt"><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,0,0)"><path id="g113-73" d="M828 650H570L564 622C646 614 650 609 634 524L604 366H253L281 524C296 608 308 615 382 622L388 650H132L126 622C211 615 214 609 198 524L121 122C106 42 102 35 23 28L17 0H276L282 28C196 35 191 40 206 122L243 324H597L559 123C544 42 537 35 452 28L446 0H710L716 28C632 35 628 43 643 122L719 524C735 610 741 615 822 622L828 650Z" /><glyph.data ascent="3473" descent="-2876" horiz-adv-x="840" vert-adv-y="840" /></g><g transform="matrix(.0091,0,0,-0.0091,10.075,3.132)"><path id="g50-49" d="M245 635C92 635 37 457 37 312C37 149 91 -12 244 -12C395 -12 449 166 449 312C449 469 395 635 245 635ZM243 598C332 598 358 454 358 312C358 173 334 26 245 26C158 26 128 174 128 313S152 598 243 598Z" /><glyph.data ascent="3443" descent="-2856" horiz-adv-x="487" vert-adv-y="487" /></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,18.653,0)"><path id="g117-34" d="M535 323V373H52V323H535ZM535 138V188H52V138H535Z" /><glyph.data ascent="3473" descent="-2876" horiz-adv-x="587" vert-adv-y="587" /></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,29.916,0)"><path id="g113-54" d="M153 550H386L412 615L406 623H120L82 318C104 327 142 338 184 338C294 338 347 275 347 187C347 112 305 39 221 39C160 39 119 71 97 89C88 97 80 96 71 90C59 80 50 67 49 57C48 45 52 36 66 23C80 9 123 -12 169 -12C221 -11 288 15 342 59C403 109 431 165 431 225C431 308 366 395 238 395C212 395 165 379 127 364L153 550Z" /><glyph.data ascent="3473" descent="-2876" horiz-adv-x="480" vert-adv-y="480" /></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,36.156,0)"><path id="g113-47" d="M113 -12C146 -12 170 11 170 46C170 78 146 103 114 103S58 78 58 46C58 11 82 -12 113 -12Z" /><glyph.data ascent="3473" descent="-2876" horiz-adv-x="228" vert-adv-y="228" /></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,39.12,0)"><path id="g113-56" d="M447 623H65C61 580 56 530 47 475H76C100 541 106 550 172 550H388C308 376 196 170 91 -1L98 -12L172 -2C268 204 360 408 455 611L447 623Z" /><glyph.data ascent="3473" descent="-2876" horiz-adv-x="480" vert-adv-y="480" /></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,45.363,0)"><path id="g113-53" d="M456 178V225H360V632H320C217 496 115 347 20 206V178H280V106C280 40 276 34 189 27V0H445V27C364 34 360 39 360 106V178H456ZM280 225H82C149 335 214 431 278 520H280V225Z" /><glyph.data ascent="3473" descent="-2876" horiz-adv-x="480" vert-adv-y="480" /></g></svg>. Dice index of genetic similarity ranged from 0.0938 to 0.8046 among the Mangifera species. The dendrogram showed that the Mangifera species were grouped into three main divergent clusters. Cluster 1 comprised 14 accessions from Kedah and Perak. Cluster II and cluster III comprised 14 accessions from Sarawak and Sabah. Meanwhile, the Dice index of genetic similarity for 18 accessions of Mangifera indica ranged from 0.2588 to 0.7742. The dendrogram also showed the 18 accessions of Mangifera indica were grouped into three main clusters. Cluster I comprised 10 landraces of Mangifera indica from Kedah. Cluster II comprised 7 landraces of Mangifera indica followed by Chokanan to form Cluster III.

Zulhairil Ariffin

Muhammad Shafie Md Sah

Salma Idris

Nuradni Hashim

Genetic Diversity of Selected Mangifera Species Revealed by Inter Simple Sequence Repeats Markers

This research was conducted in four sites at Mahazat as-Sayd reserve in Saudi Arabia to determine the optimum habitats&#x2019; constituents for Asian houbara bustard Chlamydotis macqueenii via assessing abiotic and biotic factors with special reference to vegetation aspects. Vegetative parameters were quantified using combinations of distance and line intercept methods. Acquired data were analyzed using cluster analysis and analysis of variance tests. Results indicated that three of the four plant communities of the study sites were dominated by Acacia tortilis with underground cover composed of lesser species. On the other hand, White Jabal was dominated by scrubs composed mainly of Fagonia indica with sparse Acacia trees. Rumrumiyya site recorded the highest species abundance and vegetative coverage (133&#x25;) among the sites. It is concluded that Black Jabal and White Jabal sites are used as nesting and foraging habitats for houbaras, whereas Jabal Khurse is specifically a males&#x2019; display site. Nevertheless, Rumrumiyya site was used for foraging and shelter. The study confirmed that density and vegetation cover are of prime importance for houbara site selection. However, other factors affecting feeding and behavior of the species must be considered in further studies.

Naseraldeen Baqer Asadalla

Mohammad Sulaiman Abido

Asma Abahussain

Mohamed Shobrak

Assembly of Optimum Habitats for Asian Houbara Bustard (Chlamydotis macqueenii) in the Arabian Peninsula: The Vegetation Aspects

Ecological processes, such as reproduction, mobility, and interaction between species, play important roles in the maintenance of biodiversity. Classically, the cyclic dominance of species has been modelled using the nonhierarchical interactions among competing species, represented by the &#x201c;Rock-Paper-Scissors&#x201d; (RPS) game.  Here we propose a cascaded channel model for analyzing the existence of biodiversity in the RPS game.  The transition between successive generations is modelled as communication of information over a noisy communication channel.  The rate of transfer of information over successive generations is studied using mutual information and it is found that &#x201c;greedy&#x201d; information transfer between successive generations may lead to conditions for extinction. This generalized framework can be used to study biodiversity in any number of interacting species, ecosystems with unequal rates for different species, and also competitive networks.

Ranjan Bose

Information Transfer between Generations Linked to Biodiversity in Rock-Paper-Scissors Games

Conventional medicines are very important part of Indian culture. In this study the outcome of two-year study of ethnomedicinal uses of plants in Chandra Prabha Wildlife Sanctuary (CPWLS) and nearby area is reported. Information related to different plants which are used by local community in the treatment of many common diseases and well-being in the area was collected. Data on the use of medicinal plants were collected using structured interview of about 122 participants and thorough observations and conversations with local communities. Approximately 100 plants belonging to 43 families used by the local healers were reported in this study. The plant species with the highest fidelity level (Fl) were Holarrhena antidysenterica, Lawsonia inermis, Gymnema sylvestre, Dalbergia sissoo, Cassia fistula Linn., Butea monosperma (Lam.) Kuntze., Boerhaavia diffusa Linn., Albizia lebbeck Benth., Aegle marmelos Correa., Sphaeranthus indicus Linn., and Solanum surattense Burm. f. The most frequent ailments reported were hepatitis, jaundice, constipation, and skin and urinary problems. The parts of the plants most frequently used were fruit, roots, and whole plants (17&#x25;) followed by leaves (16&#x25;) and bark (15&#x25;). This study presents new research efforts and perspectives on the search for new drugs based on local uses of medicinal plants.

Maurya Santosh Kumar

Seth Ankit

Dev Nath Singh Gautam

Singh Anil Kumar

Biodiversity and Indigenous Uses of Medicinal Plant in the Chandra Prabha Wildlife Sanctuary, Chandauli District, Uttar Pradesh

Social seed systems are important for the maintenance of crop genetic diversity on farm. This is governed by local and informal system in the community through a farmers’ network. This paper analyses these local seed systems through application of social network analysis tools and mappings and examines the network member and its stability over space and time in a small rice farming community in Nepal.  NetDraw software is used for data analysis and network mapping. We found that the dynamic network structure had key role in provisioning of traditional varieties and maintaining of crop genetic diversity on farm. We identify and ascertain the key network members, constituted either as nodal or bridging (connector) farmers, occupying central position in the network who promote seed flow of local crop diversity, thus strengthening crop genetic resource diversity on farm.

Diwakar Poudel

Bhuwon Sthapit

Pratap Shrestha

An Analysis of Social Seed Network and Its Contribution to On-Farm Conservation of Crop Genetic Diversity in Nepal

Loss of phylogenetic diversity (PD) has gained increasing attention in conservation biology. However, PD is not equally distributed in a phylogeny and can be better assessed when species relatedness (phylogenetic structure: PS) is also considered. Here, we investigate PD and PS in two refuges of biodiversity in northeastern Brazil: the Bahia Costal Forest (BCF) in the Atlantic Forest domain and Chapada Diamantina (CD) in the Caatinga domain. We used geographic data of 205 species at two spatial scales and a chronogram of Apocynaceae based on matK sequences to estimate PD and PS. Our results show an exceptionally high PD in both refuges, overdispersed in BCF and clustered in CD, although this difference is less evident or absent for recent relationships, especially at a smaller spatial scale. Overall, PS suggests long-term competitive exclusion under climatic stability, currently balanced by habitat filtering, in BCF, and biome conservatism and limited dispersal leading to in situ diversification and high density of microendemics in CD. The phylogenetically clustered flora in CD, also threatened by climate changes, are naturally more vulnerable than BCF. Therefore, while in situ conservation may ensure protection of biodiversity in BCF, emergency ex situ conservation is strongly recommended in CD.

Lara Pugliesi

Alessandro Rapini

Tropical Refuges with Exceptionally High Phylogenetic Diversity Reveal Contrasting Phylogenetic Structures

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International Journal of Biodiversity