Spatial patterns of West-African plant diversity along a climatic gradient from coast to Sahel [Elektronische Ressource] / Sié Sylvestre Da

Spatial patterns of West-African plant diversity along a climatic gradient from coast to Sahel Dissertation zur Erlangung des Doktorgrades (Dr. rer. nat.) der Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftlichen Fakultät der Rheinischen Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn vorgelegt von Sié Sylvestre DA aus Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso Bonn, Mai 2010 Angefertigt mit Genehmigung der Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftlichen Fakultät der Rheinischen Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn. 1. Gutachter: Prof. Dr. Wilhelm Barthlott 2. Gutachter: Prof. Dr. Georg Zizka Tag der Promotion: 29. Juni 2010 Erscheinungsjahr: 2010 i ii Preface and Acknowledgements Preface and Acknowledgements This thesis was carried out at the Nees Institute for Biodiversity of Plants, at the Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn in the framework of the BIOTA Africa Project “Analysis of the African biodiversity and development of sustainable conservation strategies integrating the effects of climate change and landuse” led by Prof. Dr. Wilhelm Barthlott and funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). It was also supported by the Akademie der Wissenschaften und Literatur, Mainz. In the very first place, I would like to express my warmest thanks to my supervisor Prof. Dr.