ADVANCED JOURNAL OF PLANT BIOLOGY
Integrity Research Journals
ISSN: 2992-4928
Model: Open Access/Peer Reviewed
DOI: 10.31248/AJPB
Start Year: 2019
Email: ajpb@integrityresjournals.org
Woody species composition and diversity of Jessu Woodland, Gombe State, Nigeria
https://doi.org/10.31248/AJPB2026.049 | Article Number: 35CC515A1 | Vol.7 (1) - August 2026
Received Date: 06 April 2026 | Accepted Date: 10 June 2026 | Published Date: 30 August 2026
Authors: Abba, H. M.* , Ishaku, H. and Sa’id, A.I.
Keywords: woody species, Importance Value Index, questionnaire., Focus group discussion, point-centred, quarter
Jessu Woodland is an important Sudan savanna ecosystem supporting woody biodiversity and local livelihoods, but increasing anthropogenic pressure threatens its ecological integrity. This study aims to assess the woody species composition and diversity of Jessu Woodland, Gombe State, Nigeria, between June and September 2021. Vegetation sampling was conducted using the Point-Centered Quarter (PCQ) method, while field observations, structured questionnaires and Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) were used to evaluate socio-ecological influences. A total of 36 woody species belonging to 18 families and 32 genera were recorded, comprising 30 tree species and six shrub species. Maranthes polyandra recorded the highest Importance Value Index (IVI) (50.89%), followed by Ficus thonningii (34.66%) and Detarium microcarpum (27.27%), while Ficus polita (1.10%) and Vitex doniana (2.02%) had the lowest values. Diversity indices indicated moderate diversity for trees (Simpson’s index = 0.40; Shannon–Wiener index = 2.8) and low diversity for shrubs (Simpson’s index = 0.28; Shannon–Wiener index = 1.2). Socio-ecological findings revealed that fuelwood harvesting, farming expansion, and grazing are major drivers of woodland degradation. The study concludes that anthropogenic activities significantly influence species distribution and diversity. This study recommended that reforestation, community-based conservation, and environmental awareness programs would enhance sustainable woodland management.
| Abba, H. M., Sawa, F. B. J., Gani, A. M., Abdul, S. D., & Zhigila, A. D. (2015). An assessment of the shrub species of Kanawa Forest Reserve (KFR) in Gombe State, Nigeria. Greener Journal of Biological Sciences, 5(2), 2026-036. | ||||
| Abba, H. M., Yuguda, U. A., Yila, C. N., & Zhigila, A. D. (2022). Woody species composition and diversity of Wawa-Zange Forest, Gombe State, Nigeria. Asian Journal of Plant Biology, 4(1), 30-35. https://doi.org/10.54987/ajpb.v4i1.701 |
||||
| Abdullahi, M. B. (2010). Phytosociological studies and community rural appraisal towards biodiversity conservation in Yankari Game Reserve, Bauchi State, Nigeria. An unpublished PhD. Thesis. Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi, Nigeria, pp 99. | ||||
| Amonum, J. I., Jonathan, B. A., & Japheth, H. D. (2019). Structure and diversity of tree species at the College of Forestry and Fisheries, University of Agriculture, Makurdi, Benue State, Nigeria. International Journal of Forestry and Horticulture, 5(1), 20-27 https://doi.org/10.20431/2454-9487.0501004 |
||||
| Aregheore, E. M. (2009). Country Pasture /Forage Resource Profiles, Nigeria Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), Rome, Italy, pp 42. | ||||
| Azare, I. M., Abdullahi, M. S., Adebayo, A. A., Dantata, I. J., & Duala, T. (2020). Deforestation, desert encroachment, climate change and agricultural production in the Sudano-Sahelian Region of Nigeria. Journal of Applied Sciences and Environmental Management, 24(1), 127-132. https://doi.org/10.4314/jasem.v24i1.18 |
||||
| Bobo, K. S., Waltert, M., & Fermon, H. (2014). Wildlife response to habitat disturbance in West African woodlands. African Journal of Ecology, 52(3), 351-360. | ||||
| Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77-101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa |
||||
| Bryman, A. (2016). Social research methods (5th ed.). Oxford University Press. | ||||
| Burkill, H. M. (1985). The useful plants of West Tropical Africa. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. | ||||
| Chao, A., Kubota, Y., Zelený, D., Chiu, C. H., Li, C. F., Kusumoto, B., Yasuhara, M., Thorn, S., Wei, C. L., Costello, M. J., & Colwell, R. K. (2020). Quantifying sample completeness and comparing diversities among assemblages. Ecological Research, 35(2), 292-314. https://doi.org/10.1111/1440-1703.12102 |
||||
| Cottam, G., & Curtis, J. T. (1956). The use of distance measures in phytosociological sampling. Ecology, 37(3), 451-460. https://doi.org/10.2307/1930167 |
||||
| Curtis, J. T., & McIntosh, R. P. (1951). An upland forest continuum in the prairie-forest border region of Wisconsin. Ecology, 32(3), 476-496. https://doi.org/10.2307/1931725 |
||||
| Dix, R. L. (1971). An introduction to the analysis of ecological data. New York. McGraw-Hill Book Company. P. 275. | ||||
| Etikan, I., Musa, S. A., & Alkassim, R. S. (2016). Comparison of convenience sampling and purposive sampling. American journal of theoretical and applied statistics, 5(1), 1-4. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajtas.20160501.11 |
||||
| FAO (2020). Global forest resources assessment. Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations. Retrieved from https://www.fao.org/forest-resources-assessment/past-assessments/fra-2020/en/ | ||||
| Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). (2004). National forest inventory: Field manual-template, Version 2.0. Forest Resources Assessment Programme, Forestry Department, Rome, Italy. Retrieved from https://www.fao.org/4/ae578e/ae578e00.htm. | ||||
| Giliba, R. A., Boon, E. K., Kayombo, C. J., Musamba, E. B., Kashindye, A. M., & Shayo, P. F. (2011). Species composition, richness and diversity in Miombo woodland of Bereku Forest Reserve, Tanzania. Journal of Biodiversity, 2(1), 1-7. https://doi.org/10.1080/09766901.2011.11884724 |
||||
| Hammer, Ø., Harper, D. A., & Ryan, P. D. (2001). PAST: Paleontological statistics software package for education and data analysis. Palaeontologia Electronica, 4(1), 1-9. | ||||
| Harris, N. L., Gibbs, D. A., Baccini, A., Birdsey, R. A., De Bruin, S., Farina, M., Fatoyinbo, L., Hansen, M. C., Herold, M., Houghton, R. A., & Tyukavina, A. (2021). Global maps of twenty-first century forest carbon fluxes. Nature Climate Change, 11(3), 234-240. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-020-00976-6 |
||||
| Hutchinson, J., & Dalziel, J. M. (1954-1972). Flora of West Tropical Africa (Vols. 1-3). Crown Agents for Overseas Governments and Administrations. | ||||
| Idris, A. Y., Ayegba, P. O., & Mansur, A. M. (2017). Distribution and diversity of Trees and Shrubs in Tunfure and Shongo Villages of Gombe State, Nigeria. National Environmental Standards and Regulation Enforcement Agency, North-West Zone, Kano State, Nigeria, 3, 96-104. | ||||
| Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services [IPBES] (2022). Global assessment report on biodiversity and ecosystem services. IPBES Secretariat. | ||||
| Jiren, T. S., Hanspach, J., Schultner, J., Fischer, J., Bergsten, A., Senbeta, F., Hylander, K., & Dorresteijn, I. (2020). Reconciling food security and biodiversity conservation: participatory scenario planning in southwestern Ethiopia. Ecology and Society, 25(3), 24. https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-11681-250324 |
||||
| Kent, M. (2012). Vegetation description and data analysis: A practical approach (2nd ed.). Wiley-Blackwell. | ||||
| Kumar, A., Marcot, B. G., & Saxena, A. (2006). Tree species diversity and distribution patterns in tropical forests of Garo Hills. Current Science, 91(10), 1370-1381. | ||||
| Magurran, A. E. (2013). Measuring biological diversity. Wiley-Blackwell. | ||||
| Magurran, A. E. (2004). Measuring biological diversity. Blackwell Publishing, BHTEFERD Maiden, MA. 256pp. | ||||
| Mueller-Dombois, D., & Ellenberg, H. (1974). Aims and methods of vegetation ecology. John Wiley & Sons. | ||||
| Narimisa, M. R., & Narimisa, M. R. (2018). Climate change and global warming: Causes, evidence and effects in local scale. Revista Publicando, 14(2),484-493. | ||||
| Newbold, T., Hudson, L. N., Arnell, A. P., Contu, S., De Palma, A., Ferrier, S., Hill, S.L., Hoskins, A.J., Lysenko, I., Phillips, H. R., & Purvis, A. (2016). Has land use pushed terrestrial biodiversity beyond the planetary boundary? A global assessment. Science, 353(6296), 288-291. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aaf2201 |
||||
| Newing, H. (2011). Conducting research in conservation: Social science methods and practice. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203846452 |
||||
| Ojo, L.O. (1996). Data collection and analysis for biodiversity conservation. In: Ola-Adams, B. A., & Ojo, L. O., (eds.). Proceedings of the Inception of a Training Workshop on Biosphere Reserves for Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Development in Anglophone Africa (BRAAF): Assessment and Monitoring Techniques in Nigeria, Ogun State. 9-11, 1996. Pp. 142-162. | ||||
| Ouedraogo, I., Nygård, R., & Ouédraogo, A. (2014). Land use changes affect groundwater recharge in Sahelian landscapes. Environmental Management, 53(2), 247-259. | ||||
| Pelz, S., Chindarkar, N., & Urpelainen, J. (2021). Energy access for marginalized communities: Evidence from rural North India, 2015-2018. World Development, 137, 105204. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2020.105204 |
||||
| Shannon, C. E., & Wiener, W. (1963). The mathematical theory of communication. University of Illinois Press, Urbana, 177p. | ||||
| Simpson, E. H. (1949). Measurement of diversity. Nature, 163(4148), 688-688. https://doi.org/10.1038/163688a0 |
||||
| Wakawa, L., Suleıman, A., Ibrahım, Y., & Adam, L. (2017). Tree species biodiversity of a sahelien ecosystem in North-East Nigeria. Bartın Orman Fakültesi Dergisi, 19(2), 166-173. | ||||
| Yamane, T. (1967). Statistics: An Introductory Analysis. Harper & Row. | ||||
| Zakaluk R, Sri Rajan, R (2008) Predicting the leaf water potential of potato plants using RGB reflectance. A PhD Thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies of The University of Manitoba. Pp. 60-97. Retrieved from https://mspace.lib.umanitoba.ca/server/api/core/bitstreams/05185680-9518-409b-8e7f-2458223c0d27/content#page=75. | ||||
Copyright © 2026 Integrity Research Journals. All rights reserved.