Tree Species Diversity in Makurdi Zoological Garden, Benue State, Nigeria
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.56919/usci.2433.001Keywords:
Abundance, Diversity, Forest, Makurdi, TreesAbstract
This study's primary emphasis was an ecological assessment of 16 different families of trees that were picked at random in an extended field survey conducted in the Makurdi Zoological Garden in Benue State, and this was done to assess the evenness, richness, and diversity of the tree species. The relative abundance of trees was estimated using the Shannon Weigner evenness index, while the variety of tree species was estimated using the Shannon Weigner diversity index. To determine the species richness in the research area, the Menhinick index was also employed. Danieli oliveri has the highest frequency of 43.37%, while Acacia seyal, and parkia biglobosa have the lowest frequency of 0.14%. The family Ceasalpiniodeae has the highest relative abundance of 0.4637, while Fabaceae and Anacardiaceae have the least relative abundance of 0.0027. The result shows the Zoological Garden's diversity index to be 2.06, indicating a moderate level of species diversity supported by cluster analysis. This suggests that some of the tree species found in the Makurdi Zoological Garden have experienced disturbances. A moderate distribution and low species richness are also indicated by the evenness and Menhinick values of 0.72 and 1.06, respectively. This suggests that some species are more abundant than others, leading to the domination of particular species. The study recommends close monitoring of the study area to mitigate disturbances, logging, and grazing activities.
References
Adeduntan, S.A. and Olusola, J.A. (2015). Variation in the abundance of trees and insect species in selected forest reserves in Ondo state. Journal of Sustainable Technology, 6, 63-75.
Aigbe, H.I., Akindele, S.O. and Onyekwelu, J.C. (2014). Tree species diversity and density pattern in Afi River Forest Reserve, Nigeria. International Journal of Scientific and Technology Research, 3(10): 178. https://doi.org/10.5296/jas.v3i1.6461 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5296/jas.v3i1.6461
Akinyemi, O.D., Taiwo, D.M., Adeoye, O.T., Jeminiwa, O.R. and Olaoti-Laaro, S.O. (2020). Diversity and distribution of tree species in Onigambari forest reserve, South West Nigeria. Ethiopian J. Environ. Stud. Manage. 13 (3): 355 – 363
Amonum, J.I., Jonathan, B.A. and 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), PP 20-27. https://doi.org/10.20431/2454-9487.0501004 DOI: https://doi.org/10.20431/2454-9487.0501004
Barau, B.W., Buba, U., Maikeri, T.C, Tukur, K.U., Gabuin, T.G., Kabir, F.M., Thomas, T.L. andDanba, E.P. (2015). Tree Species Diversity in Kakulu forest of Zing L.G.A., Taraba State, Nigeria. Ethiopia journal of environmental studies and Management 8 (2). https://doi.org/10.20431/2454-9487.0501004 DOI: https://doi.org/10.4314/ejesm.v8i2.6S
Ifo, S.A., Moutsambote, J.M., Koubouana, F., Yoka, J., Ndzai, S.F., Orcellie Bouetou-Kadilamio, L.N., Mampouya, H., Jourdain, C., Bocko, Y., Mantota, A.B., Mbemba, M., Mouanga-Sokath, D., Odende, R., Mondzali, L.R., Mampouya Wenina, Y.E., Ouissika, B.C., Joel, L.J. and Hindawi, J. (2016). Tree Species Diversity, Richness, and Similarity in Intact and Degraded Forest in the Tropical Rainforest of the Congo Basin: Case of the Forest of Likouala in the Republic of Congo. https://doi.org/10.1155/2016/7593681 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1155/2016/7593681
Malik, Z.A., Hussain, A. and Iqbal, K. (2014). Species richness and diversity along the disturbance gradient in Kedarnath Wildlife Sanctuary and its adjoining areas in Garhwal Himalaya, India. International Journal of Current Research, 6:10918e 10926.
Neelo, J., Teketay, D., Kashe, K. and Masamba, W. (2015). Stand structure, diversity and regeneration status of woody species in open and ex closed dry woodlands sites around molapo farming areas of the Okavango Delta, Northeastern Botswana. Open Journal of Forestry, 5(4): 313–328. https://doi.org/10.4236/ojf.2015.54027 DOI: https://doi.org/10.4236/ojf.2015.54027
Nodza, I.G., Onuminya, T.O. and Ogundipe, O.T. (2014).A Checklist of trees species growing in Akoka campus of University of Lagos, Nigeria.International Journal of Science, Environment and Technology, 3(3), 1021-1034.
Olaoti-Laaro, S.O., Taiwo, D.M., Adeniji, K.A., Odewo, S.A., Animashaun, Z.T., Woghiren, A.I. and Adedoyin, E.D. (2021). Tree Species Diversity and Distribution in the Natural Forest of Onigambari Forest Reserve, Oyo State, Nigeria. J. Appl. Sci. Environ. Manage., 25 (5), 829 – 834. https://doi.org/10.4314/jasem.v25i5.22 DOI: https://doi.org/10.4314/jasem.v25i5.22
Oluwatosin, B. and Jimoh, S.O. (2016). Pattern of plant species diversity in a dry forest ecosystem of Nigeria. Journal of Forestry Research and Management, 13: 31-47
Osabiya, O.S., Adeduntan, S.A. and Akinbi, O.J. (2022). A Survey of Tree Species Diversity in Akure Forest Reserve and Okomu National Park. Journal of Research in Forestry, Wildlife & Environment, 14(1): 119 - 127
Paul, A.M., Iheukwumere, C.C., Aguoru, C.U., Okoh, T. and Alfred, U.J. (2019). Carbon Sequestration Potentials of Woody Plant Species in Makurdi Zoological Garden Benue State, Nigeria. Asian Journal of Research in Agriculture and Forestry, 3(2): 1-12. https://doi.org/10.9734/ajraf/2019/v3i230034 DOI: https://doi.org/10.9734/ajraf/2019/v3i230034
Saka, M.G., Osho, J.S.A. and Nyiptem, E.I. (2018). Quantitative analysis of tree species composition and diversity in Gashaka Gumti National Park, Nigeria. International Journal of Research in Agriculture and Forestry, 5(4), 17-23.
Salami, K.D., Akinyele, A.O., Adekola, P.J. and Odewale, M.A. (2016). Tree Species Composition and Regeneration Potential of Onigambari Forest Reserve, Oyo State. Direct Res. J. 4 (3): 39-47.
Soba, T.M., Abdulazeez, B.S., Clement. S.A., Ndagi, H.I. and Ibrahim, I.O. (2023). An Ecological Assessment of Tree Species Diversity, Richness and Status in Faculty of Agriculture Shabu-Lafia, Nasarawa State University Keffi, Nasarawa State Nigeria. East African Scholars J Agri Life Sci, 6 (7), 141-149. https://doi.org/10.36349/easjals.2023.v06i07.005 DOI: https://doi.org/10.36349/easjals.2023.v06i07.005
Sushma, S., Zubair, A., Malik, C. and Sharma, M. (2016). Tree species richness, diversity, and regeneration status indifferent oak (Quercus spp.) dominated forests of Garhwal Himalaya, India. Journal of Asia-Pacific Biodiversity, 9:293-300. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.japb.2016.06.002 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.japb.2016.06.002
Usman, D.D., Bababgana, M., Soba, T.M., Babanlungu, Z.A., Ndagi, H.I., Mairo, Y., Hammanjoda, S.A., Obadiah, S.Y. and Kabir, F.M. (2022). Assessment of the Influence of Human Activities on Biodiversity Conservaion: A Case Study of Gashaka Gumti National Park, Gashaka Local Government, Taraba State, Nigeria. International Journal of Agriculture, Environment & Bioresearch, 7 (3); Pp. 138 – 155. https://doi.org/10.35410/IJAEB.2022.5730 DOI: https://doi.org/10.35410/IJAEB.2022.5730
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
UMYU Scientifica recognizes the importance of protecting authors’ intellectual property while promoting the free exchange of scientific knowledge. The journal adopts a copyright-retention model that empowers authors to maintain ownership of their work while granting the journal rights necessary for publication and dissemination.
1. Copyright Ownership
Authors publishing with UMYU Scientifica retain full copyright and publishing rights to their work. By submitting a manuscript, authors agree to grant the journal a non-exclusive license to publish, reproduce, distribute, and archive the article in all forms and media for the purpose of scholarly communication.
2. Licensing Terms
All articles are published under the Creative Commons Attribution–NonCommercial (CC BY-NC) license.
This license permits others to:
- Share - copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format.
- Adapt - remix, transform, and build upon the material.
- For non-commercial purposes only, provided that proper credit is given to the original author(s) and UMYU Scientifica as the source, a link to the license is provided, and any modifications are clearly indicated.
Commercial reuse or distribution of the content requires written permission from both the author and the editorial office.
3. Author Rights
Authors are free to:
- Deposit all versions of their manuscript (preprint, accepted version, and published version) in institutional, disciplinary, or public repositories without embargo.
- Use and distribute their published article for non-commercial scholarly purposes, including teaching, conference presentations, and research sharing.
- Include their work in future books, theses, or compilations, provided proper citation to the journal is made.
4. Publisher’s Rights
Upon publication, UMYU Scientifica retains the right to:
- Host, index, and disseminate the article through the journal’s website and partner databases.
- Archive the content in long-term preservation systems such as the PKP Preservation Network (PKP-PN) and the Umaru Musa Yar’adua University Institutional Repository.
5. Attribution and Citation
Users must give appropriate credit to the author(s), include a link to the article’s DOI or the journal webpage, and indicate if changes were made. Proper citation is required whenever the work is reused or referenced.
6. License Reference
For detailed terms of use, please refer to the Creative Commons Attribution–NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0):
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/









