Plant Diversity in Hmong and Mien Homegardens in Northern Thailand

Plant Diversity in Hmong and Mien Homegardens in Northern Thailand. We surveyed 180 homegardens in three Hmong and three Mien villages in northern Thailand to study their floristic diversity and composition and to understand the impact of forced migration and ecological conditions for the development of the rich homegarden flora. We also looked at the role of culturally important species as carriers of cultural identity. We found 406 species: 341 (99 families) and 270 species (90 families) in Hmong and Mien homegardens, respectively. Five lowland villages had the richest homegarden flora, in part due to the presence of many widespread species. Twenty-two species were widespread in tropical countries and found in most Hmong and Mien homegardens, and 14 additional common species were shared between Hmong and Mien homegardens. Seventeen species were exclusive to Hmong homegardens and eight to Mien homegardens; these we have designated as culturally important species. The presence of culturally important species determines the homegardens’ characteristics and reflects the cultural identity related to plant uses of a group. Similarities in floristic composition of the two groups can be attributed to widespread and common species. Floristic variation and diversity in homegardens were strongly related to homegarden geographical location, personal preference, and cultural background of the owners.     

Species composition, diversity, and use of homegardens among three Amazonian villages

Homegardens represent a traditional form of land use common in tropical regions of the world. Species composition, structure and function of homegardens may be influenced by ecological, socio-economic and cultural factors. The three villages in the Peruvian Amazon in which homegardens were studied differed in terms of cultural background, distance to urban markets and the influence of tourism. Data were collected on species composition, abundance and use of plants in the homegardens. Comparison of the three villages revealed that tourism had the greatest impact on species composition, diversity and use of plants in homegardens.     

Gendered Homegardens: A Study in Three Mountain Areas of the Iberian Peninsula

Gendered Homegardens: A Study in Three Mountain Areas of the Iberian Peninsula. As an example of the importance of gender relations in the use of natural resources, several authors have analyzed the role of women in homegardens. Gendered differences in homegarden management have been difficult to disentangle due to the often–shared nature of gardening. Here, we use an innovative approach to analyze gendered differences in the characteristics and management of homegardens. Specifically, we use information on the prevalence of different household members in gardening activities to classify homegardens as women’s, men’s, or shared. Then, we compare several garden characteristics across the three types of homegardens. For the case study, we use data from homegardens in three rural areas of the Iberian Peninsula. We found that household members generally share homegarden responsibilities in these three regions and that many homegarden characteristics vary with the distribution of gardening tasks. Specifically, we discovered that gardens managed mainly by men were larger, more distant from the dwelling, and better exposed than gardens managed by women. Men and women also used different management techniques; organic fertilizers and traditional pest control management systems predominated in gardens managed by women. Men and women also differed in how they reportedly use garden products, with women favoring household consumption versus sale or gifting. Last, gardens managed mainly by women had a larger diversity of uses for species and a larger diversity of species per unit area. Cultural norms of what is considered appropriate behavior for men and women help explain differences in garden characteristics and their plant composition and structure.     

Species composition,similarity, and structure of mayan homegardens in tixpeual and tixcacaltuyub,yucatan, Mexico

We studied species composition, similarity, and structure of homegardens in two Yucatecan Maya communities, Tixpeual and Tixcacaltuyub, Yucatan, Mexico. The number of gardens sampled per village was 20 and 22; total area sampled was very similar, 45,265 m² and 40,150 m²; the number of trees and shrubs present was 5651 and 5603; and number of species was 135 and 133, respectively. Diversity was low for both sites (H′= 1.6), as were the correlation coefficients (r) for the species-area and individuals-area correlations. The relatively low values obtained for the structural parameters reflect the random pattern of plant incorporation to the gardens, the variability in the proportion of constantly used and not constantly used garden area, and a certain uniformity in the number of species used and number of individuals present, and the relationship between these parameters and garden size. All these reflect the uniqueness of each homegarden, which depends upon the cultural background of the owner. We noticed a trend towards a change in homegarden structure and function in response to the modernization process. Homegardens in villages in the outskirts of cities tend to have more ornamental species and commercial fruit plants than homegardens in isolated villages.     

Characteristics and functions of traditional homegardens: a review

Traditional agroecosystems play an important role in the conservation of biodiversity and in sustainable development. As a typical type of traditional agroecosystem, traditional homegardens have been receiving increasing attention from scientists, especially ethnobotanists. They are considered as germplasm banks for many crops and other economic plants. They are also a key site for domestication of wild plants. Current ethnobotanical studies on homegardens focus on their structures, floristic composition, and contributions to their owners. Traditional homegardens often show complicated structures, diverse floristic compositions, multiple functions, low input (including labor and money), and ecological and socioeconomic sustainability. The characteristics and functions of traditional homegardens are closely related to many factors, such as their geographic location and the cultural backgrounds and socioeconomic conditions of their owners. Many researches on homegardens are conducted in the tropics. There are few studies on the dynamics of traditional homegardens, especially those located in temperate, arid and semi-arid zones. The dynamics of homegardens and the factors affecting these processes will be a fruitful field for future research.     

Characteristics and functions of traditional homegardens:a review

Traditional agroecosystems play an important role in the conservation of biodiversity and in sustainable development.As a typical type of traditional agroecosystem,traditional homegardens have been receiving increasing attention from scientists,especially ethnobotanists.They are considered as germplasm banks for many crops and other economic plants.They are also a key site for domestication of wild plants.Current ethnobotanical studies on homegardens focus on their structures,floristic composition,and contributions to their owners.Traditional homegardens often show complicated structures,diverse floristic compositions,multiple functions,low input (including labor and money),and ecological and socioeconomic sustainability.The characteristics and functions of traditional homegardens are closely related to many factors,such as their geographic location and the cultural backgrounds and socioeconomic conditions of their owners.Many researches on homegardens are conducted in the tropics.There are few studies on the dynamics of traditional homegardens,especially those located in temperate,arid and semi-arid zones.The dynamics of homegardens and the factors affecting these processes will be a fruitful field for future research.     

Plant management and biodiversity conservation in Náhuatl homegardens of the Tehuacán Valley,Mexico

Background

The Tehuacán Valley is one of the areas of Mesoamerica with the oldest history of plant management. Homegardens are among the most ancient management systems that currently provide economic benefits to people and are reservoirs of native biodiversity. Previous studies estimated that 30% of the plant richness of homegardens of the region are native plant species from wild populations. We studied in Náhuatl communities the proportion of native plant species maintained in homegardens, hypothesizing to find a proportion similar to that estimated at regional level, mainly plant resources maintained for edible, medicinal and ornamental purposes.

Methods

We analysed the composition of plant species of homegardens and their similarity with surrounding Cloud Forest (CF), Tropical Rainforest (TRF), Tropical Dry forest (TDF), and Thorn-Scrub Forest (TSF). We determined density, frequency and biomass of plant species composing homegardens and forests through vegetation sampling of a total of 30 homegardens and nine plots of forests, and documented ethnobotanical information on use, management, and economic benefits from plants maintained in homegardens.

Results

A total of 281 plant species was recorded with 12 use categories, 115 ornamental, 92 edible, and 50 medicinal plant species. We recorded 49.8 ± 23.2 (average ± S.D.) woody plant species (shrubs and trees) per homegarden. In total, 34% species are native to the Tehuacán Valley and nearly 16% are components of the surrounding forests. A total of 176 species were cultivated through seeds, vegetative propagules or transplanted entire individual plants, 71 tolerated, and 23 enhanced. The highest species richness and diversity were recorded in homegardens from the CF zone (199 species), followed by those from the TRF (157) and those from the TDF (141) zones.

Conclusion

Homegardens provide a high diversity of resources for subsistence of local households and significantly contribute to conservation of native biodiversity. The highest diversity was recorded in homegardens where the neighbouring forests had the least diversity, suggesting that management of homegardens aims at compensating scarcity of naturally available plant resources. Cultivated species were markedly more abundant than plants under other management forms. Diversity harboured and management techniques make homegardens keystones in strategies for regional biodiversity conservation.

     

Effect of size and altitude on soil organic carbon stock in homegarden agroforestry system in Central Himalaya,India

Homegarden agroforestry system has potential to sequester carbon while simultaneously producing agriculture yield and tree products. This study analyzed relationship between homegarden size and soil organic carbon stock (SCS) along an altitudinal gradient in Central Himalaya, India. Homegardens were selected at four altitudes (very low, low, mid and high) and categorized into three size classes viz. small, medium and large. Soil samples from surface (0–15 cm) and sub surface soils (15–30 cm) were collected seasonally and analyzed. Results indicated that SCS ranged between 22.56 and 81.51 t C ha⁻¹ and increased with increasing altitude for small homegardens. For medium and large homegardens, it increased up to mid altitude and then decreased in high altitude homegardens. At each altitude, maximum SCS (38.56–66.16 t C ha⁻¹) was recorded for medium sized homegardens except at high altitude where it was maximum (66.01 t C ha⁻¹) for small homegardens. Seasonal variation in SCS showed inconsistent pattern along the altitudinal gradient. The differences in SCS due to size and altitude recorded in the present study are possibly caused by distinct quality of plant material and management practices.     

Homegardens in Smallholder Farming Systems: Examples From Bangladesh

Homegardens are integral part of rural households in Bangladesh. The present study examines some physical, biological, and socioeconomic characteristics of 32 homegardens randomly selected from four villages representing different agro-ecological conditions, variable population densities, and market opportunities. The study results suggest that large numbers of plant and animal species occupy homegardens, and their composition and intensity of cultivation vary directly with the household physiologic density and access to urban markets, and inversely with environmental constraints to agriculture. Homegardens form the activity space for household women and children, who perform most homegarden farming tasks. Uses of home generated inputs at no or low cost make homegardens economically more efficient and sustainable compared to non-homegarden rice farming. In the context of the intensive subsistence agriculture patterns that dominate Bangladesh, homegardens contribute significantly to smallholder household income.     

河南大别山珍稀濒危植物与保护

研究了河南大别山珍稀濒危植物的种类组成,区系成分,生态地理分布。结果表明本区有珍稀濒危植物18科,22属,24种,其中国家二级保护植物9种,三级保护植物15种,属华南热带植物区系成分的有3种,华东亚热带植物区系成分的有8种,华中亚热带植物区系成分的有10种,全国广布种3种,根据大别山植物的现状提出了本区珍稀濒危保护植物的保护措施,系统清查本区的珍稀濒危植物,建立技术档案,就地建立珍稀濒危植物保育基地;建立以珍稀濒危植物为主体的生态园林示范工程。     

藏南布丹拉山南坡种子植物区系海拔格局分析

生态群落交错区通常因物种丰富、区系成分复杂而被视为关键带.藏南布丹拉山处在半湿润向半干旱的生态环境过渡带上,因其特殊的自然地理环境而有着丰富的山地植物多样性,但这一重要生态过渡区的种子植物组成和区系成分海拔分布格局目前尚缺乏了解.为了理清布丹拉山南坡种子植物区系成分及其垂直分布变化格局,该文通过野外植物群落的样方调查、...     

湖北兴山县种子植物区系特征与垂直分布格局研究

根据2016年-2017年对兴山县全域进行网格调查所获取的3450份野生种子植物标本, 结合相关标本馆馆藏标本数据, 对兴山县域种子植物区系特征与垂直分布格局进行了研究。结果显示, 兴山县共有野生种子植物145科705属1883种。在科级水平上主要以热带分布型为主, 共有63科, 占总科数的43.45%; 属级水平上温带分布型占据优势地位, 共有379属, 占总属数的53.76%。兴山县种子植物区系特征兼具有温带性质和热带亲缘, 过渡性特征明显, 区系成分复杂。种子植物在垂直分布上主要呈现为三大类: 在海拔100-1000 m范围内主要形成低山常绿落叶阔叶混交林; 在海拔1000-1900 m范围内以中山落叶阔叶林为主; 海拔1900-2500 m范围内形成亚高山灌丛。总体来看, 兴山县种子植物在海拔700-1300 m的中海拔地区物种最为丰富。     

Can Homegardens Conserve Biodiversity in Bangladesh?

In managed landscapes, tree-dominated habitats often show promise for biodiversity conservation. In Bangladesh where natural forest cover is less than 10 percent, homegardens, which are maintained by at least 20 millions households, represent one possible strategy for biodiversity conservation. This study investigated the floristic and structural diversity of 402 homegardens from six regions across southwestern Bangladesh. All plants were censused, totaling 419 species (59% native), including six IUCN Red Listed. The median homegarden (800 m²) contained a mean of 34 species. Each region contained a mean of 293 species in a mean of 67 homegardens. A total of 49,478 individuals (107 per homegarden and 1003 per hectare) of trees and shrubs were counted from 45.2 ha total sampled area. Thus, significant botanical richness was exhibited in the homegardens across southwestern Bangladesh. However, most species were rare: 82 percent of all species including 189 native were found in 50 or fewer homegardens, and 63 species (36 native) were found in only one or two homegardens. Sixty percent of all tree and shrub species had 50 or fewer individuals each. Thus, whereas richness across the landscape was high, serious effort must be made to increase the populations of most species. We propose three main conservation activities: (1) awareness building; (2) protection of existing individuals of rare species; and (3) propagation. Overlaying all of these activities is the inclusion of local communities in the process, who were the ones to retain these species in homegardens in the first place, and the stakeholders who will determine whether homegardens indeed act as long-term repositories to biodiversity conservation.     

四川省茂县药用种子植物区系分析

为摸清四川茂县药用种子植物资源状况,在茂县第3次和第4次中药资源普查资料的基础上,对茂县药用种子植物区系进行统计分析。结果表明,茂县县域内药用种子植物共130科582属1 342种,包括裸子植物7科14属18种,被子植物123科568属1 324种,其中国家重点保护野生植物18科37属57种。15个大型科(科内种数大于20)分别占总属、种数的48.45%、56.56%,处于主导地位;小型属(含2~4种)共507属783种,分别占总属、种数的87.11%、58.35%。茂县药用种子植物科以热带成分占明显优势(56.52%),而属以温带成分占优势地位(68.11%);茂县的药用种子植物区系比剑阁县和盐边县呈现更为明显的温带性,而较澜沧江源区与错那县的热带成分更为活跃,揭示纬度和海拔可能是决定茂县药用种子植物区系性质的关键因素。因此,茂县药用种子植物区系不仅具有较高的物种多样性,同时还具有一定的区系地理成分复杂性,主要体现在温带性质占主导地位的同时亦呈现较为明显的过渡性质,因此茂县可视作研究横断山脉地区南北植物交流的关键地区之一,在药用种子植物的多样性保护和开发利用研究方面值得重点关注。     

Pre-Columbian Floristic Legacies in Modern Homegardens of Central Amazonia

Historical ecologists have demonstrated legacy effects in apparently wild landscapes in Europe, North America, Mesoamerica, Amazonia, Africa and Oceania. People live and farm in archaeological sites today in many parts of the world, but nobody has looked for the legacies of past human occupations in the most dynamic areas in these sites: homegardens. Here we show that the useful flora of modern homegardens is partially a legacy of pre-Columbian occupations in Central Amazonia: the more complex the archaeological context, the more variable the floristic composition of useful native plants in homegardens cultivated there today. Species diversity was 10% higher in homegardens situated in multi-occupational archaeological contexts compared with homegardens situated in single-occupational ones. Species heterogeneity (β-diversity) among archaeological contexts was similar for the whole set of species, but markedly different when only native Amazonian species were included, suggesting the influence of pre-conquest indigenous occupations on current homegarden species composition. Our findings show that the legacy of pre-Columbian occupations is visible in the most dynamic of all agroecosystems, adding another dimension to the human footprint in the Amazonian landscape.     

Influence of market orientation on food plant diversity of farms located on Amazonian Dark Earth in the region of Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil

Homegardens may serve as reservoirs of agro-biodiversity on highly fertile, anthropogenic Amazonian Dark Earth (ADE) soils of the Amazon basin. However, as these soils are used more intensively for market-oriented agriculture, we suspected a decrease in their agro-biodiversity. We present data obtained from surveys on 16 farms where ADE was present in the region of Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil. When farms were separated into two groups by market orientation, species richness on the farms was not significantly influenced by market orientation, but there was less dominance (i.e., more diversity) for homegardens in the low-market orientation group (P < 0.1). The proportion of native species was not affected by market orientation. Hence, while the most market-oriented farms retained high species richness, homegardens located on them contained higher proportions of commercially interesting species.     

Restoration of European habitats in mainland Portugal,using commercial seed mixtures. Considerations for its management and conservation

Permanent mountain pastures include meadows and other perennial pastures of high ecological, economic, cultural and scenic value. Increasing desertification limits the maintenance and conservation of its biodiversity and the associated landscape mosaic. A restoration experiment in permanent high altitude grasslands in Beira Alta (Centre East (CE) mainland Portugal) was made, by sowing adequate cultivars of existing grass and legume species. The main objectives addressed were: (1) comparison of floristic composition between reference communities included in the previous habitats and the improved communities; (2) evaluation of the success of sowing adequate cultivars of autochthonous species; (3) evaluation of the establishment of target species in terms of the maintenance of floristic composition of reference. The experiment was carried out in 2014 on nine farms situated in Beira Alta (Guarda District) and the phytosociological method was applied in the floristic surveys. The sown species with highest percentage of soil cover were Trifolium subterraneum, Lolium multiflorum, Ornithopus sativus and Trifolium vesiculosum. In the priority habitat 6220 it was observed a re-establishment of many species in their original composition and a high cover of several cultivars of Trifolium subterraneum. These results highlight the importance of using cultivars of autochthonous species in the improvement of altitude pastures.     

中国各省植物园中多孔菌种类、分布和组成

多孔菌是木材腐朽菌中最关键的真菌类群, 是森林生态系统的重要组成部分。为了明确植物园对植物上真菌资源的保护状况, 在2010-2021年间, 作者对全国31个省(自治区、直辖市)的31个代表性植物园中木本植物上的多孔菌进行了系统调查、标本采集和种类鉴定, 记录多孔菌164种, 隶属于担子菌门伞菌纲6目23科79属。其中, 中国科学院西双版纳热带植物园、儋州热带植物园和广西药用植物园多孔菌种类最多, 分别有90种、46种和37种; 兰州植物园、西宁植物园和乌鲁木齐植物园物种数量最少, 分别有4种、3种和2种。在植物园中, 分布最多的物种是云芝栓孔菌(Trametes versicolor)、白囊耙齿菌(Irpex lacteus)和黑管孔菌(Bjerkandera adusta), 分别生长在24、18和18个植物园中, 而软多孢孔菌(Abundisporus mollissimus)等32种多孔菌只发现于中国科学院西双版纳热带植物园中。在164种多孔菌中, 常见种、偶见种和稀有种分别有114、40和10种。生长在植物园中的多孔菌仅占全国所有森林生态系统多孔菌总数的16%, 而植物园中发现的稀有种仅占全国稀有种总数的3.1%。在10种稀有多孔菌中, 有6种发现于中国科学院西双版纳热带植物园的天然林中, 其中4种稀有多孔菌发现于植物园内的人工林中, 占植物园所有多孔菌的2.4%, 占全国稀有多孔菌的1.3%。所调查植物园多孔菌包括了热带、亚热带、温带、北半球广布和寒温带成分, 分别包括50、45、38、20和11种, 占本研究多孔菌总数的30.5%、27.4%、23.2%、12.2%和6.7%。目前中国植物园保存了我国60%的植物种类, 包括85%的珍稀濒危植物, 但对生长在植物园中的多孔菌资源保护作用有限。因此, 对稀有多孔菌的保育仍需聚焦在森林生态系统的保护上。     

Analyse d’ouvrage

Despite its small area (20.18 km²), the Eyne Valley, (France, E. Pyrenees) is known to be a place of great faunistic and floristic diversity. The authors have studied the bumblebee fauna of the valley for six years, gathering more than 5000 detailed observations. They observed 33 species, of the 46 living in continental France. For each species, the distribution and ecological preferences (altitude, vegetation type, CORINE biotopes, floral choices) were recorded. Floral resources may be the most important ecological factor. The altitude, the abundance, the diversity of food plants, and the heterogeneity of habitats seem to explain the survival and the coexistence of this great number of species of bumblebees with various ecological affinities.     

Traditional agricultural gardens conserve wild plants and functional richness in arid South Sinai

Maintaining agricultural diversity is important for the conservation of rare species and for preserving underlying ecosystem processes on which smallholder farmers rely. The positive effects of crop diversity are well documented in tropical systems, but the conservation potential of arid agricultural systems is less clear. This study assesses the impact of three arid agroforestry systems on plant diversity and functional richness in South Sinai, Egypt: (1) mountain orchard gardens, (2) modern town gardens and (3) low desert date-palm gardens. We surveyed plants (cultivated and wild) within gardens and control plots of natural habitat and allocated each plant eight biological traits that are recognised as being linked with major ecosystem processes. Species diversity was quantified using three measures (Hill's numbers) and total species diversity was significantly higher within gardens than in the surrounding habitat at all three levels of diversity and across the three agroforestry systems. Species similarity was high between gardens and the surrounding habitat, and there was a strong overlap in the functional traits of wild plants and cultivated non-tree species. Despite the clear presence of trees within the gardens, the community weighted trait means (CWMs) showed that chamaephyte perennials were the dominant life-forms in both the gardens and the natural habitat. Functional richness differed between the three agroforestry systems, but was significantly higher within the gardens. Functional richness has been linked to increased productivity and CWMs showed that plants within the gardens were considerably taller than outside, suggesting higher biomass accumulation. These findings suggest that Bedouin agricultural practices are not having a negative effect on the flora of the region and that the continuation of these indigenous farming practices can actively benefit rare wild plants in the region. On a wider scale, this study supports the view that smallholder farms and homegardens can be valuable tools in conservation, preserving local species and maintaining ecosystem functioning.