Ecological Indices of Crude Oil Impacted Vegetation

Abstract

Vegetation can be regarded as the product of multiple environmental conditions affecting sets of plants living together in a given time and place. The study will give insight into impact of crude-oil pollution on ecological indices and plant species composition of vegetation in the K-Dere community. Random sampling was used for the vegetation assessment. Four quadrat each measuring 40 m x 40 m represent the sample area from which plant species composition of the vegetation at the study site was sampled. Plot 1, 2 and 3 were sampled areas containing plant community .growing in crude oil contaminated soil whereas the control represent uncontaminated plant community. The control plot has the highest frequency with 35 plant species having 100% occurrence. Ageratum conyzoides, Panicum maximum and Ficus sp., recorded the highest density. Mucuna pruriens, Cochlospermum planchonii and Ageratum conyzoides reecorded the highest abundance. Mucuna pruriens exhibited the highest A/F ratio followed by Cochlospermum planchonii, and Ageratum houstonianum. The highest importance value index was observed in Mucuna pruriens, Ageratum conyzoids and Panicum maximum. The vegetation composition suggests active regeneration and successional recovery, with dominance shifting from herbaceous colonizers to woody species in some plots