International Journal of Mol. Ecol. and Conserv 2015, Vol.5, No.6, 1-4
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Table 1 Sacred forest selected as sample areas in the study areas
State
Cluster/Stratum
Location/LGA
Sampled Sacred forest
Community located
Akwa Ibom
(1) Ibibio
(1) Ikono
(2) Mkpat Enin
Abaam Itak
Akoho Itit
Ikot Efre Itak
Ikot Eti/Ikot Akpa Okop
(2) Oron
(1) Okobo
(2) Oron
Akai Mbiam
Akai Uya
Ammamong
Uya Oron
(3) Annang
(1) Oruk Anam
(2) Etim Ekpo
Akai Anwa Ibok
Utai Ikot
Ntak Ibesit
Ikot Akpakpan
Cross River
(1) Northern
(1) Obubra
Evat Quna
Okorobe-Ochun
(2) Central
(2) Biase
Odim Akerot
Abini
a forest structure of two stratum made up of the
mesophanerophyte and microphanerophytes life forms
while those in Cross River State (Evat Quna and
Odim Akerot) expressed a three-stratum structure of
Megaphanerophytes, mesophanerophyte and microph-
anerophytes life forms (Table 2).
Celtis integrifolia
,
Amphimas pterocapioides
and
Ricinodendron heudolotii
constituted the Megaphan-
erophytes spectrum or the emergent crowns for Evat
Quna and Odim Akerot sacred forest, while
Pentaclethra mycrophylla, Ptrocapus species, Irvingia
gabonensis, Coelocaryon species, Alstonia boonei,
Cyclicodiscus gabonensis, Ceiba pentandra, Pachypo-
ndanthum staudii, Baphia nitida, Sterculia tragacantha
and
Pycanthus angolensis
were the mesophanerophyte,
thus forming a continuous upper canopy, where their
crowns clustered to form a very large/wide cover for
the sacred forests. The microphanerophytes constituted
the under storey which were not pronounced in most
of the sacred forests due to the covering effect of the
interlocking canopy structure of the sacred forest.
ii.
Species composition
and Diversity index
Abaam Itak sacred forest had the highest species
composition of 38 species with a diversity index of
12.12 which differ between species (5 and 11) and
diversity index (3.94 and 2.12) from other sacred
forests (Table 2). Also, Abaam Itak had the highest
number of trees family (22) followed by Utai Ikot and
Akai Anwa Ibok with 21 and 20 families respectively.
Akoko Itit, Akai Uya, and Evat Quna all had a tree
composition of 19 families each while Odim Akerot
and Akai Mbiam had the least tree family composition
of 18 and 17 families each (Table 3)
The result obtained in Table 3 shows that a total of 34
tree families where encountered during the study. 12
families (35%) and 6 families (17.5%) were classified
as very common and common respectively, while 16
families (47.5%) were also classified as Not Common.
However,
Euphorbiaceae
and
Fabaceae
(
Caesalpinlaceae
,
Mimosaceae
and
Papilionaceae
) were the dominant
families in the all studied sacred forests.
Discussion
All the studied sacred forests were structurally
complex as expected of a tropical rainforest (Dike et
al., 1996), and there was little evidence of logging in
few of them. Evat Quna and Odim Akerot sacred
forests both in Cross River State, expressed a
three-stratum system of emergent crown, upper
canopy and lower canopy as described by Dawkins
(1958), while Akoho Itit, Abaam Itak, Akai Mbiam,
Akai Uya, Akai Anwa Ibok and Utai Ikot, expressed a
two stratum of upper and lower canopy. The above
finding collaborate a report on the Nigerian lowland
forests as described by Were (2001). The report states
that within the southern rainforests, a number of forest
types can be recognized, one of such is rich in species
of
Meliaceae
family, with a middle story of
dense-crowned, wide-spreading trees and a ground
flora that is mainly herbaceous and characterized by
an abundance of creepers, mostly
Acacia ataxacantha
and rattan
(Calamus deerratus).
The near mono-specific nature of the families as
revealed in Table 3 was also reflected in the similar
trend in the species diversity index. This number of
species recorded for each 0.2 hactre was high as
evidenced in the figures for the Diversity/Richness
