Volume 11, Issue 30, July - December, 2025

Invasiveness impact of Mesosphaerum suaveolens ([L.] Kuntze) on Kolda’s flora under changing climatic conditions in the subtropical forest of southern Senegal

Samba Laha KA^1♦, Moustapha GUEYE², Mamadou Ousseynou LY¹, Rahimi MBALLO³, Godar SENE⁴, Penda LO⁴, Moussou Kéba CISSOKO⁵, Abdoul Aziz CAMARA⁴, Mame Samba MBAYE⁴, Kandioura NOBA⁴

¹Centre de Recherches Zootechniques de Kolda, Institut Sénégalais de Recherches Agricoles, B.P.: 53, Kolda, SENEGAL.
²Direction Générale, Institut Sénégalais de Recherches Agricoles, B.P.: 3120, Dakar, SENEGAL.
³Centre de Recherches Agricoles de Saint-Louis, Institut Sénégalais de Recherches Agricoles, B.P.: 53, Saint-Louis, SENEGAL.
⁴Département de Biologie végétale, Université Cheikh Anta DIOP, B.P.: 5005 Dakar, SENEGAL.
⁵Centre de Recherches Agricoles de Tambacounda, Institut Sénégalais de Recherches Agricoles, B.P.: 211, Tambacounda, SENEGAL

^♦Corresponding author
Centre de Recherches Zootechniques de Kolda, Institut Sénégalais de Recherches Agricoles, B.P.: 53, Kolda, SENEGAL

ABSTRACT

Invasive alien plants represent a global challenge and are increasingly becoming widespread components of tropical and subtropical ecosystems worldwide. These plants can cause profound and sometimes irreversible ecosystem changes by altering floristic composition and reducing biodiversity. However, there remains a knowledge gap regarding their effects on native species under the Sudanian conditions of West Africa. To help narrow this knowledge gap, a study was conducted to assess how the invasion of M. suaveolens (pignut) affects the diversity and composition of native flora in the Kolda district, located in the Sudanian zone of southern Senegal. During two years of investigation, the flora of fallows, croplands, and rangelands was compared in terms of species composition, diversity, evenness, and abundance. The present study revealed that the flora consisted of 83 distributed in 52 genera and 15 families. During the first year of survey, 28, 33, and 34 species were recorded in rangelands, croplands, and fallows, respectively, whereas in the second year, 40, 46, and 50 species were recorded in rangelands, fallows, and croplands, respectively. Pignut had the most significant average Importance Value Index (IVI) in Fallows and Rangelands regardless of the year, at the same time, it has been reported as the fifth (year 1) and second (year 2) most important species in Croplands. Results also showed that diversity indices (Margalef, S-W and Pielou) decreased significantly with each increase in pignut density and dry matter. This preliminary study provides a baseline for further research aimed at determining the effects of pignut (M. suaveolens) on native vegetation under Sudanian environmental conditions, as well as the underlying mechanisms driving changes in the native flora.

Keywords: Invasive alien plant, Mesosphaerum suaveolens, species diversity, species composition, Importance Value Index, Sudanian zone, Temperature change, Climate Change

Climate Change, 2025, 11(30), e13cc3139

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.54905/disssi.v11i30.e13cc3139

Published: 30 November 2025