Woody Species Composition and Diversity of Jessu Woodland, Gombe State, Nigeria

Woody Species Composition and Diversity of Jessu Woodland, Gombe State, Nigeria | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Woody Species Composition and Diversity of Jessu Woodland, Gombe State, Nigeria H.M Abba, Ishaku, H, Saaid A.I This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6952875/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Background This study investigated woody species composition and diversity using Point Centered Quarter and questionnaire methods. Results A total of 36 woody species from 32 genera and 18 families were recorded— 30 species belonging to 27 genera and 16 families were trees, while 6 species belonging to 6 genera and 5 families were shrubs The Fabaceae family had the highest number of 6 tree species. Combretaceae, Chrysobalanaceae and Moraceae had 3 species each, Anacardiaceae, Annonaceae, Bombacaceae and Meliaceae had 2 species each and Arecaceae, Burseraceae, Ebenaceae,Rubiaceae,Sapotaceae, Sterculiaceae, Simaroubaceae and Verbanaceae had 1 species each. For the shrub species, the family Fabaceae had the highest number of 2 species while Anacardiaceae, Apocynaceae, Rutaceae and Sapotaceae had 1 species each. Diversity indices showed a Simpson’s index of 0.40 and a Shannon-Wiener index of 2.07 for trees, while shrubs recorded 0.50 and 1.6, respectively. The main causes of deforestation identified were farming, firewood collection, and logging. About 98% of respondents reported a decline in key tree species such as Holarhena floribunda and Vitex doniana , while 94% observed soil and water degradation. Wildlife populations were also noted to be changing. Although 92% expressed support for conservation efforts, more than half were unaware of any existing initiatives, highlighting a significant gap in environmental awareness. Conclusion The study concludesd that species with low Importance Value Index (IVI), such as Piliostigma reticulatum, Holarhena floribunda, Acacia sieberiana, Vitex doniana, and Ficus polita , require urgent conservation. This study recommends reforestation, environmental education, and stricter regulations to protect and restore the woodland ecosystem. Balanga Diversity Woody Species Composition Jessu Woodland Deforestation Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-6952875","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":492824160,"identity":"a4129402-f18d-41dd-81fd-cda181d179df","order_by":0,"name":"H.M Abba","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAABK0lEQVRIie2Pv0vDQBTH33GQLNbORaj/QqRDCPjjX0kIOiVdCl0UjATO5XSOk/9Cp5tTAzoIzZpyk7haSBE0SBXf6Zge6CZyn+H43vE+770DMBj+IA7QJP8OCgt8B7qvTa2yrVNISwGnl6lM9Qq0lK0NddEorj09u6lORN+17w8n9Xh/6Nq5P9h9E9ubFEi9jFqKx4OkiG7lwOOxmGezcORxPw/jS7nDKNDelWgvlivFksEkj4XsMIoBX2IuCSoW7axRygdUPlApF0K+s1MMjyT1uDzQKpXqyVCpcAphBYYjSqGRgV7BKbj5wKkWYs5ndyMve7LIRSJDRkm69i9lWDxHL7LvlLGomvHx0O1GFjQruXd9nk7rZVvRQNjXmfy0XrH6TbHBYDD8cz4Bkj+AtMj7GUQAAAAASUVORK5CYII=","orcid":"","institution":"Gombe State University Gombe","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"H.M","middleName":"","lastName":"Abba","suffix":""},{"id":492824162,"identity":"0aff1a07-3fb2-48b3-ad3d-1b8fb3512aaa","order_by":1,"name":"Ishaku, H","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Gombe State University Gombe","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"H","middleName":"","lastName":"Ishaku","suffix":""},{"id":492824164,"identity":"b62ff1a2-0aa8-49bf-9626-8b14037cdf30","order_by":2,"name":"Saaid A.I","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Gombe State University Gombe","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Saaid","middleName":"","lastName":"A.I","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-06-23 05:23:12","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6952875/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6952875/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":97237495,"identity":"37cad160-9f1d-4082-ad11-653e205b0d8b","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-12-02 10:39:04","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":500542,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"PaperonWoodyComp.andDiverstiyJessuWoodlandFINAcorrected.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6952875/v1_covered_f4e51516-f74f-4df6-82c8-900d6bd2c80e.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"\u003cp\u003eWoody Species Composition and Diversity of Jessu Woodland, Gombe State, Nigeria\u003c/p\u003e","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Balanga, Diversity, Woody, Species, Composition, Jessu, Woodland Deforestation","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6952875/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6952875/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBackground\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis study investigated woody species composition and diversity using Point Centered Quarter and questionnaire methods.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eResults\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA total of 36 woody species from 32 genera and 18 families were recorded— 30 species belonging to 27 genera and 16 families were trees, while 6 species belonging to 6 genera and 5 families were shrubs The Fabaceae family had the highest number of 6 tree species. Combretaceae, Chrysobalanaceae and Moraceae had 3 species each, Anacardiaceae, Annonaceae, Bombacaceae and Meliaceae had 2 species each and Arecaceae, Burseraceae, Ebenaceae,Rubiaceae,Sapotaceae, Sterculiaceae, Simaroubaceae and Verbanaceae had 1 species each. For the shrub species, the family Fabaceae had the highest number of 2 species while Anacardiaceae, Apocynaceae, Rutaceae and Sapotaceae had 1 species each. Diversity indices showed a Simpson’s index of 0.40 and a Shannon-Wiener index of 2.07 for trees, while shrubs recorded 0.50 and 1.6, respectively. The main causes of deforestation identified were farming, firewood collection, and logging. About 98% of respondents reported a decline in key tree species such as \u003cem\u003eHolarhena floribunda\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eVitex doniana\u003c/em\u003e, while 94% observed soil and water degradation. Wildlife populations were also noted to be changing. Although 92% expressed support for conservation efforts, more than half were unaware of any existing initiatives, highlighting a significant gap in environmental awareness.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eConclusion\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe study concludesd that species with low Importance Value Index (IVI), such as \u003cem\u003ePiliostigma reticulatum, Holarhena floribunda, Acacia sieberiana, Vitex doniana, and Ficus polita\u003c/em\u003e, require urgent conservation. This study recommends reforestation, environmental education, and stricter regulations to protect and restore the woodland ecosystem.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Woody Species Composition and Diversity of Jessu Woodland, Gombe State, Nigeria","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2025-07-30 17:54:46","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6952875/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"5ffa9486-beaf-42bc-909d-65f93bdcbbfe","owner":[],"postedDate":"July 30th, 2025","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2025-12-02T10:38:26+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2025-07-30 17:54:46","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-6952875","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-6952875","identity":"rs-6952875","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"8U1c8b4HqxoKbykW_rLl7","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}