Browsing by Author "Witt, Arne"

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2

Effects of the abundance of parthenium hysterophorus On the composition and diversity of other herbaceous Plant species in Simanjiro rangeland, Tanzania
(ACADEMIA, 2020-05) Musese, Leticia J; Andrew, Samora M; Shirima, Deo D; Witt, Arne; Kilewa, Ramadhan
Parthenium hysterophorus is an annual herbaceous plant native to tropical America; and an invasive plant in Africa causing distressing effects on natural flora. This study investigated the effects of P. hysterophorus on the composition and diversity of native herbaceous plant species in Simanjiro rangeland, Tanzania. Plant species count data were collected from 60 (1m2) quadrats. Using generalized linear models (GLM), the abundance of P. hysterophorus was regressed against the abundance and diversity of the native herbaceous plants. Also, Jaccard’s similarity index was used to compare species composition. Results showed that there were 14 herbaceous plant species belonging to 13 genera and 10 families in the study area. Parthenium hysterophorus was the most dominant species recorded. The abundance of P. hysterophorus has a substantial negative effect on the abundance and diversity of other herbaceous plant species. Moreover, Jaccard’s similarity index showed a slightly significant difference between the infested and non-infested areas. This finding suggests that P. hysterophorus has a substantial potential threat on other herbaceous flora which are sources of food and nutrients to livestock and wild animals in the area. Thus, integrated management strategies are required to control the weed from spreading to other nearby rangelands.
Pastoralists’ perceptions on an invasive alien plant parthenium hysterophorus and its management control in Simanjiro district, Tanzania
(International Journal of Research-GRANTHAALAYAH, 2020-08) Macrice, Samora A; Shirima, Deo D; Witt, Arne; Kilewa, Ramadhan; Musese, Leticia J
The Maasai pastoralist community resides in Simanjiro District, Manyara Region, Tanzania. As a pastoralist community they are largely dependent on rangelands as a source of forage for their livestock. However, plant invasions are threatening rangeland productivity, displacing valuable forage species, leading to a reduction in livestock populations. The noxious weed Parthenium hysterophorus has recently been established in Simanjiro District and may pose a significant threat to livelihoods if effective control strategies are not put in place. This study was therefore conducted to determine pastoralists’ understanding of P. hysterophorus in Simanjiro District, Tanzania. Semi-structured and open-ended questionnaires were used to collect information on, among others, the date of introduction, means of spread, area coverage, effects of P. hysterophorus on livestock health and management control for P. hysterophorus. Pastoralists were unaware of when P. hysterophorus was introduced although they mentioned vehicles, people and livestock to be the main vectors of introduction and spread. They confirmed that P. hysterophorus has little/some expanding its range since it was first noticed at the beginning of this decade. Furthermore, most pastoralists were not aware of the effects of Parthenium weed in livestock although few reported it causing distasteful and less milk and diarrhoea after consuming the weed. There were no major efforts in place to control Parthenium weed. Therefore, efforts need to be made to motivate pastoralists through community awareness campaigns to impart knowledge on how to control