Soil and Topographic Impacts on Vegetation Dynamics in Remnant Forest Patches of Este District, South Gondar Zone, Ethiopia

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Abstract Plants interact with soil, geophysical, and disturbances within their habitats. This research aims to investigate the impact of soil, geophysical, and disturbances on plant species diversity attributes (diversity, richness, and evenness) in five forest patches of Este District, South Gondar Zone, northwestern Ethiopia. Vegetation and environmental data were collected from 71 square sampling plots (400 m2 area), laid at parallel transects in the forest patches. We collected data on plant species attributes, soil (acidity (pH), cation exchange (EC), exchangeable sodium percentage (ESP), organic matter, organic carbon, available potassium, available phosphorus, total nitrogen, bulk density), geographic (altitude, slope, and aspect), and disturbance level of the habitats. The correlation in plant species diversity attributes and environmental parameters was performed using various functions in R statistical programming. The correlation analysis indicated that the plant diversity attributes were associated with EC and ESP negatively and pH positively; with altitude and disturbance (both negatively and positively depending on the range of the gradients). It is concluded that plant attributes interact with environmental conditions in a range of strengths of interactions. This study was based on small samples in a single district. Therefore, it would be helpful if future researchers could cover larger geographical areas with different land-use types and collect larger soil samples for evaluation of the impacts of most primary and secondary soil nutrients on the plant attributes. This would allow a more comprehensive analysis that would be beneficial for forest management and conservation strategies in a study region.

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