Common Flora of Walls, Cracks and Crevices in Benin City, Nigeria

Aderiike  Adewumi; Cynthia Ubah; Oluwapelumi  Micheal Ajiboye; Emmanuel  Izaka Aigbokhan

doi:10.48165/bpas.2023.42F.1.12

Authors

Aderiike Adewumi Department of Basic Science, School of Sciences and Technology, Babcock University, Ilishan-Remo, Ogun State, Nigeria
Cynthia Ubah Department of Plant Biology and Biotechnology, University of Benin, Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria
Oluwapelumi Micheal Ajiboye Department of Basic Science, School of Sciences and Technology, Babcock University, Ilishan-Remo, Ogun State, Nigeria
Emmanuel Izaka Aigbokhan Department of Plant Biology and Biotechnology, University of Benin, Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.48165/bpas.2023.42F.1.12%20

Keywords:

Taxa, Flora, Wall, Crevices, Cracks

Abstract

Context: The study of Benin City, Nigeria revealed that the flora of the urban environment is composed of taxa that are vigorous, adaptable and well-equipped to seize a quick foothold and thrive in habitats where other plants cannot effectively inhabit. Aims: The study aims to provide an inventory of plants that grow on walls, cracks and crevices in Benin City, identifying the dominant species, identifying any adaptive features, and determining their frequency. Methods and Material: Random surveys conducted in 2010 divided the city into 4 major sectors, visually inspecting each section to identify and inventory vegetation found on walls, cracks and crevices. Results: The most important details are that 75 vascular plants, 51 bryophytes and 23 lichens were recorded, with 36 (24%) species occurring on one wall and 21 (14%) species on only two walls. 39 plant taxa were recorded from crevices, 21 from cracks and 14 from walls. Mosses were the most common plants on walls, with Tortula muralis and Bryum argentums being the most common. Peperomia pellucida was the most predominant in cracks and Chromolaena odorata had the least common in crevices. The numbers of plant taxa at the different sites appear to reflect their respective degree of competitiveness. Conclusions: Weeds are caused by disturbance of the natural ecosystem by Man's activities.This study is important to help industries select materials that are suitable for moist tropical environments and to enable builders to choose building materials more carefully to reduce the frequency of occurrence of weeds on walls.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Andersen, D. C., & Macmahon, J. A. (1985). Plant Succession Following the Mount St. Helens Volcanic Eruption: Facilitation by a Burrowing Rodent, Thomomystalpoides. American Midland Naturalist, 114(1), 62. https://doi.org/10.2307/2425241

Araj, S. E., & Wratten, S. D. (2015). Comparing existing weeds and commonly used insectary plants as floral resources for a parasitoid. Biological Control, 81, 15–20. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocontrol.2014.1

003

Benvenuti, S. (2004). Weed dynamics in the Mediterranean urban ecosystem: ecology, biodiversity and management. Weed Research, 44(5), 341–354. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-

2004.00410.x

Bozhko, Y. A., Lapunova, K. A., & Kozlov, G. A. (2018). The Pressing Process of Powders on the Basis of Siliceous Opoka Like Rocks. Materials Science Forum, 931, 515–519.

https://doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net /msf.931.515

Cao, Y., Kong, L., Zhang, L., & Ouyang, Z. (2021). The balance between economic development and ecosystem service value in the process of land urbanization: A case study of China’s land urbanization from 2000 to 2015. Land Use Policy, 108, 105536. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2021.1 05536

Chi, Y., Zhang, Z., Xie, Z., & Wang, J. (2020). How human activities influence the island ecosystem through damaging the natural ecosystem and supporting the social ecosystem? Journal of Cleaner Production, 248, 119203.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.1192 03

Dakskobler, I., & Martinčič, A. (2020). Plant communities of moist rock crevices with endemic Primula carniolica in the (sub)montane belt of western Slovenia. Hacquetia, 19(2), 155–231. https://doi.org/10.2478/hacq-2020-0005

Ding, W., & Chen, H. (2022). Urban-rural fringe identification and spatial form transformation during rapid urbanization: A

case study in Wuhan, China. Building and Environment, 226, 109697. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2022.10 9697

Duchoslav, M. (2002). Flora and Vegetation of stony walls in East Bohemia (Czech Republic). Preslia, Praha74: 1-25.

Dwivedi, A., & Khire, M. (2018). Application of split- window algorithm to study Urban Heat Island effect in Mumbai through land surface temperature approach. Sustainable Cities and Society, 41, 865–877. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2018.02.030

Frahm, J. P., Specht, A., Reifenrath, K., & León Vargas, Y. (2000). Allelopathic effect of crustaceous lichens on epiphytic bryophytes and vascular plants. Nova Hedwigia, 70(1–2), 245–254.

https://doi.org/10.1127/nova.hedwigia/70 /2000/245

Gemal, E. L., Green, T. G. A., Cary, S. C., & Colesie, C. (2022). High Resilience and Fast Acclimation Processes Allow the Antarctic Moss Bryum argenteum to Increase Its Carbon Gain in Warmer Growing Conditions. Biology, 11(12), 1773. https://doi.org/10.3390/biology11121773

He, H., & Monaco, T. (2018). Vegetation structure and species composition variation of roadside slopes in Sichuan Basin, China. Journal of Agricultural Science and Botany, 02(01). https://doi.org/10.35841/2591- 7897.2.1.3-11

He, L., Li, Z. L., Wang, X., Xie, Y., & Ye, J. S. (2021). Lagged precipitation effect on plant productivity is influenced collectively by climate and edaphic factors in drylands. Science of the Total Environment, 755, 142506. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.14

Heinrichs, S., Ammer, C., Mund, M., Boch, S., Budde, S., Fischer, M., . . . Schall, P. (2019). Landscape-Scale Mixtures of Tree Species are More Effective than Stand-Scale Mixtures for Biodiversity of Vascular Plants, Bryophytes and Lichens. Forests, 10(1), 73. https://doi.org/10.3390/f10010073

Helman, D., Lensky, I. M., Yakir, D., & Osem, Y. (2016). Forests growing under dry conditions have higher hydrological resilience to drought than do more humid

forests. Global Change Biology, 23(7), 2801– 2817. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.13551 17. Li, Y. (2020). Construction Treatment Technology for Cracks in Asphalt Pavement of Road and Bridge. E3S Web of Conferences, 198, 03013.

https://doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/202019803 013

Löbel, S., Dengler, J., &Hobohm, C. (2006). Species richness of vascular plants, bryophytes and lichens in dry grasslands: The effects of environment, landscape structure and competition. Folia Geobotanica, 41(4), 377–393.

https://doi.org/10.1007/bf02806555

Malavasi, M., Bartak, V., Carranza, M. L., Simova, P., & Acosta, A. T. R. (2018). Landscape pattern and plant biodiversity in Mediterranean coastal dune ecosystems: Do habitat loss and fragmentation really matter? Journal of Biogeography, 45(6), 1367– 1377. https://doi.org/10.1111/jbi.13215

Merget, B., Forbes, K. J., Brennan, F., McAteer, S., Shepherd, T., Strachan, N. J. C., & Holden, N. J. (2019). Influence of Plant Species, Tissue Type, and Temperature on the Capacity of Shiga-Toxigenic Escherichia coli To Colonize, Grow, and Be Internalized by Plants. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 85(11). https://doi.org/10.1128/aem.00123-19

Mosango, M., Maganyi, O., & Namaganda, M. (2001). A Floristic Study of Weed Species of Kampala (Uganda). Systematics and Geography of Plants, 71(2), 223. https://doi.org/10.2307/3668669

Mustafa, A., & Vagif, A. (2006). Flora and Vegetation of Stony Walls in South-east Turkey (Sanliurfa). Asian Journal of Plant Sciences, 5(1), 153–162. https://doi.org/10.3923/ajps.2006.153.162

Orhorhoro, E. K. (2018). Performance Evaluation of Biomass Briquette from Elephant and Spear Grass in Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria. European Journal of Engineering and Technology Research, 1(1), 15–

https://doi.org/10.24018/ejeng.2016.1.1.42 25. Presland, J. (2008). The flora of walls: Dry stone versus Mortared. BSBI News.

Santamour, F. (1983). Woody-Plant Succession in the Urban Forest: Filling Cracks and Crevices. Arboriculture & Urban Forestry, 9(10), 267–270.

https://doi.org/10.48044/jauf.1983.064 27. Santamour, F. (1983). Woody-Plant Succession in the Urban Forest: Filling Cracks and Crevices. Arboriculture & Urban Forestry, 9(10), 267–270. https://doi.org/10.48044/jauf.1983.064 28. Segal, S. (1969). Ecological Notes on Wall Vegetation. Oikos, 20(2), 569.

https://doi.org/10.2307/3543223

Tikka, P. M., Koski, P. S., Kivelä, R. A., & Kuitunen, M. T. (2000). Can grassland plant communities be preserved on road and

railway verges? Applied Vegetation Science, 3(1), 25–32.

https://doi.org/10.2307/1478915

Verma, A. K., Kumar, M., & Bussmann, R. W. (2007). Medicinal plants in an urban environment: the medicinal flora of Banares Hindu University, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine, 3(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/1746-4269-3- 35

Woodell, S. R. J. (1979). Book Reviews. Journal of Experimental Botany, 30(5), 1037– 1039.

https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/30.5.1037-a 32. Wrzesień, M., & Denisow, B. (2016). Distribution and abundance of bee forage flora across an agricultural landscape – railway embankments vs. road verges. Acta Societatis Botanicorum Poloniae, 85(3). https://doi.org/10.5586/asbp.3509