Summary
The environmental conditions and vegetation associated with high elevations in south-eastern Nigeria are described. The forest flora is the richest and very diverse, many families in it being represented by small numbers of species. In the grassland flora the majority of species belong to a few well-represented families. The transition zone vegetation is poorest in species but in other respects intermediate between the forest and the grassland.
The affinities of the vegetation are discussed. Highland species are very well represented throughout. The forest vegetation shows affinities with forest further east, is of considerable age and contains fewer species restricted to higher elevations because of lower temperatures there. The grassland is younger, reflects interference and many of its highland constituents have invaded this area from high ground to the east. The grassland shows high affinities with the vegetation of distant elevated areas and this is considered to indicate the sensitivity of many of the species to the higher temperatures of the lowlands.
Zusammenfassung
Standortsverhältnisse und Vegetation auf großen Höhen im Südosten von Nigeria werden beschrieben. Die Waldflora ist am reichsten und mit vielen Familien durch jeweils wenige Arten vertreten. Die Mehrzahl der Arten von Weiden und Wiesen gehört zu einigen weit vertretenen Familien. Die Vegetation de Übergangszone ist floristisch am armsten, jedoch intermediär in anderen Hinsichten.
Die floristische Ähnlichkeitsbeziehungen werden diskutiert. Hochland-Arten sind durchaus gut vertreten. Die Waldvegetation zeigt Übereinstimmung mit weiter östlich vorhandenen Wäldern, hat ein hohes Altertum und enthält weniger Arten mit einer Beschränkung auf großeren Höhen wegen der dortigen niedrigen Temperaturen. Die Weiden und Wiesen sind junger und zeigen menschlichen Einfluß. Manche Hochland-Arten haben dieses Gebiet von östlichen Hochländern erreicht. Die Weiden zeigen eine große Ähnlichkeit mit der Vegetation von weiter entfernten Hochländern. Diese Erscheinung hängt mit der Empfindsamkeit vieler Arten für die höheren Temperaturen im Tiefland zusammen.
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Nomenclature for plants follows Alston (1959) and Hutchinson & Dalziel (1954–1972).
We are grateful to the curators of the herbaria at the Federal Department of Forest Research, Ibadan, and the Department of Botany, University of Ibadan for access to material in their charge and to individuals too numerous to name who gave us opportunities to examine their collections. Dr. J. M. Lock kindly placed Fig. 4 at our disposal.
The senior author gratefully acknowledges financial support from the Research Grants Sub-committee of the Development Committee of the University of Ibadan which enabled a recent visit to the area yielding some of the information reported.
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Hall, J.B., Medler, J.A. Highland vegetation in south-eastern Nigeria and its affinities. Plant Ecol 29, 191–198 (1975). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02390010
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02390010