Kilimanjaro reveals her mysteries
Kilimanjaro in Tanzania is Africa's highest mountain, and although it has been
studied scientifically for over 100 years, it still hides some mysteries.
Andreas Hemp has conducted extensive research on Kilimanjaro and reveals some of
the mountain's secrets in an article published recently in the African Journal
of Ecology.
The forests of Kilimanjaro are unusual for two reasons. One is that there is
no bamboo zone, unlike the other East African mountains which have extensive
bamboo forests. Another is that it was thought that there were only a few rare
plants in the Kilimanjaro forests. Research by Hemp has explained the missing
bamboo and uncovered a host of rare plants.
The missing bamboo is caused by a lack of elephants. Elephants are needed to
create disturbance which encourages bamboo regeneration. However, on Kilimanjaro
the lower slopes of the mountain are covered in cultivation preventing elephants
from ascending into the forest "There are elephants on the dry side of the
mountain" says Hemp "but the valleys are too steep and deep for
elephants to traverse to the wet side where the bamboo could grow". The
research demonstrates the complex links between plants and animals and the far
reaching effects of changes caused by humans.
The rare plants were found in forest relicts in the deepest valleys of the
cultivated lower areas suggesting that a rich forest flora once covered Mt.
Kilimanjaro. The plants included a forest tree 40 m high that was new to
science. "Kilimanjaro has long been excluded from the tropical rainforest
biodiversity hotspot of Tanzania, but these exciting finds change the whole way
we think about forest diversity of eastern Africa" said Jon Lovett, an
expert in African biodiversity at the University of York.
However, the forests of Kilimanjaro are changing. Fires and logging have had
a major impact on the forests. Fire in particular is reducing extent of the
highest cloud forests. "The cloud forests are draped in moss and are an
important water source as they catch moisture from the mist which shrouds
them" explains Hemp "when they are burnt the hydrology of the whole
mountain is affected". - Blackwell
More information:
 Davina Quarterman
davina.quarterman@oxon.blackwellpublishing.com
Blackwell Publishing Ltd. Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
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