Distribution and availability of wild edible fruit species in four ecological zones of Togo

Abstract

This work used the frequency rank distributions and especially the species rarity index of Géhu to analyze the availability of wild edible fruit species of the ethnic areas in four ecological zones of Togo. Our results show that the majority of species with edible fruits (including those with commercial added value) identified during this work have occurrence rates in the surveys of between 1% and 20% and rarity indices greater than 80%, giving them the status of infrequent or rare species in plant ecosystems. Only Annona senegalensis Pers., Lannea acida A. Rich. and Vitellaria paradoxa C. F. Gaertn. are species which have a more or less uniform presence in the prospected plant communities. These species have a high regenerative power or a great capacity for adaptation. Furthermore, Adansonia digitata L. and Tamarindus indica L. have very low frequencies in the plant communities even in the ecological zones to which they grow. Their distribution would follow an anthropic determinism rather than ecological, which explains their strong presence in the house gardens.

Keywords: Conservation, availability, ethnicity, frequency, rarity index, status