Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: ABSTRACT Miombo woodlands cover approximately 2.7 million km² across southern Africa and represent one of the largest tropical wooded savanna biomes on the continent. These ecosystems sustain high biodiversity and provide essential socioeconomic benefits to rural populations, yet they are increasingly threatened by deforestation, fire, and intensive resource use. Despite their ecological importance, many Miombo landscapes remain insufficiently studied, limiting the development of effective conservation strategies. This study examined vegetation structure, species dominance, floristic composition, and diversity patterns in the Miombo woodlands of Pomene National Reserve, Mozambique. Floristic inventories were conducted across 60 plots, and vegetation patterns were assessed using phytosociological parameters, diversity metrics and multivariate analyses of species composition. A total of 1,496 woody individuals representing 24 species and 15 families were recorded. Fabaceae accounted for 75.3% of all individuals, and the woodland was strongly dominated by Brachystegia spiciformis , which represented 54.1% of recorded individuals and had the highest Importance Value Index (46.8%). Hierarchical clustering identified three floristic groups, characterized respectively by B. spiciformis, Garcinia livingstonei , and Strychnos spinosa together with Albizia versicolor and Olax dissitiflora . Floristic composition differed significantly among groups (PERMANOVA, R² = 0.1658, p = 0.001), while Group 2 showed the highest effective diversity for q = 1 and q = 2. Beta diversity was high (β = 0.793) and was predominantly explained by species turnover (77.2%), indicating substantial species replacement among plots. These findings demonstrate that the Miombo woodlands of Pomene form a heterogeneous mosaic of plant communities structured by a small set of dominant taxa, highlighting the importance of conserving large and ecologically representative landscapes to maintain regional biodiversity.
Source: Trees Forests and People
Language: English
Subfield: Plant Science
Domain: Life Sciences
SDG: Life on land
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $1,680
Award: G7548268851
OpenAlex ID: W7204235574