Emmanuel Izaka Aigbokhan

Emmanuel Izaka Aigbokhan
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Emmanuel verified their affiliation via an institutional email.
University of Benin · Department of Plant Biology and Biotechnology

Doctor of Philosophy
Botanist, Ecologist, Consultant Plant taxonomist with expertise in vegetation audit, EIA, & plant identification

About

51
Publications
87,720
Reads
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286
Citations
Introduction
Dr. Emmanuel Izaka Aigbokhan is a Professor of Botany at the Department of Plant Biology & Biotechnology, University of Benin, Benin City Nigeria, where he mentors and teaches courses in plant ecology, plant taxonomy, biometry, etc. at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. A plant ecologist and a specialist Strigologist (i.e. experts on the parasitic weed – Striga). He is currently exploring the Flora of Nigeria and indigenous knowledge, practices & ethnoecology of Benin Kingdom, Nigeria.
Additional affiliations
October 2019 - present
University of Benin
Position
  • Professor
Description
  • Teach undergraduates and postgraduate students of botany, ecology, ethnobotany and related courses. Conduct research on parasitic plants, weed ecology, ethnobotany, invasive alien plants and plant taxonomy.
July 2004 - June 2015
University of Benin
Position
  • Professor (Associate)
July 2004 - present
University of Benin
Position
  • Professor (Associate) Lecturing and Research
Description
  • Mentors and teaches plant ecology, plant taxonomy, biometry etc.at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels.
Education
September 1992 - May 1998
Old Dominion University
Field of study
  • Ecological Sciences

Publications

Publications (51)
Presentation
Full-text available
For centuries, indigenous communities across Nigeria have developed a deep understanding of their local ecosystems. These communities have developed sustainable lifestyles that harmoniously coexist with the environment. Drawing from their traditions, they have acquired a profound understanding of the different aspects of local ecosystems, weather p...
Conference Paper
Full-text available
Forest reserve in colonial Nigeria was essentially an area permanently set aside to produce timber because such areas were created for the explicit purpose of economic exploitation. In modern times, forest reserves constitute part of protected areas (PA) which represent natural places rich in biodiversity that are protected from tampering due to th...
Article
Full-text available
Background and Objective: The spiritual and cultural inclination of sacred groves has endowed them with the potential to protect biodiversity and sustain the ecological processes within. Hence, sacred groves could be highly valuable in preventing various threats that put plant communities at risk of being phased out. To assess the protective influe...
Article
Full-text available
Biological invasions remain one of the greatest threats to biodiversity and livelihoods, and are predicted to increase due to climate change and globalization. In this study, we produced a comprehensive checklist of alien plants in Nigeria from online flora databases, herbarium records, published field surveys, and questionnaires administered to bo...
Preprint
Full-text available
Biological invasions remain one of the greatest threats to biodiversity and livelihoods, and this is predicted to increase due to climate change and globalization. In this study, we produced a comprehensive checklist of alien plants in Nigeria from online flora databases, herbarium records, published field surveys, and questionnaires administered t...
Article
Full-text available
Tinnea gombea, endemic to the Sudan savanna grasslands in northern Nigeria, is described and illustrated. We used integrative evidence from morphological characters, ecology and molecular phylogenetic data. The new species is morphologically and ecologically similar to T. barteri and T. aethiopica, but can be readily delimited from these taxa by un...
Presentation
Full-text available
Globally, biodiversity is in jeopardy because many of our biological resources are threatened by intense pressure from various human-related activities. Pristine areas containing rich biodiversity, often termed biodiversity hotspots are rare and in need of protection, thus, officially designated as Protected Areas (PA), or "ungoverned areas" in oth...
Presentation
Full-text available
Up-to-date information on biodiversity is critical for the proper management and conservation of any area. A major attribute of a National Flora is the generation of a database or checklist of species from which other parameters including conservation status could easily be computed. Presently, except for a couple of floras of restricted plant fami...
Conference Paper
Full-text available
There are few regional or sub-regional plant checklists in Nigeria and no statewide plant checklist of Gombe State, Nigeria exists. To bridge this knowledge gap, random vegetation surveys were conducted in 2019 and 2020 in eight (8) of the 11 Local Government Areas of Gombe State: Gombe (Gombe metropolis), Dukku (Wawa Zenge forest reserve), Kwame (...
Article
Full-text available
The present study investigated the phenology, sex-ratio, and potential pollinators of Thonningia sanguinea in Okomu National Park, southern Nigeria. Data were collected through regular visits to sites habouring the plant. Results show that T. sanguinea flowers all-year-round, with varying frequencies across different months of the year. A significa...
Preprint
Full-text available
Hemiparasitic Striga (Orobanchaceae) commonly called witchweed is native to tropical Africa. Striga aspera parasitizes wild grasses and its distribution range in Nigeria extends from the Sudan savanna to Guinea Savanna to the southern limit of the Derived savanna just before the forest belt is reached. This study aims to identify and delineate the...
Article
Full-text available
Thonningia sanguinea Vahl. Balanophoraceae, a cryptic parasitic plant, is among the poorly understood, yet understudied afro-tropical endemic taxa. This study assessed the conservation status and identified possible threats to the survival of T. sanguinea in southern Nigeria. Data on the distribution, population and possible threats were collected...
Article
Full-text available
Studies on the host-parasite relationship are intrinsically linked with the nature of parasitic plants. No such records have been recorded for Thonningia sanguinea (Balanophoraceae), a rare, cryptic, obligate holoparasitic plant endemic to tropical Africa. This study reports on its host range and preference in Southern Nigeria. Its presence and cur...
Article
Full-text available
Apart from the recognition of Thonningia sanguinea as a root parasite of forest trees, information on other aspects such as the nature of its population, habitat preference and distribution range in Nigeria has not been reported. Hence to delineate its presence and current distribution ranges, reconnaissance surveys were carried out across selected...
Article
Full-text available
The recognition of Thonningia sanguinea as a monotypic or polytypic species has been a subject of debate among plant taxonomists. Hence, to devise useful diagnostic and key distinguishing features, 18 morphological characters from 37 populations from various forested areas harbouring the parasite in Southern Nigeria were evaluated and subjected to...
Preprint
Full-text available
Hemiparasitic Striga (Orobanchaceae) commonly called witchweed is native to tropical Africa. Striga aspera parasitizes wild grasses and its distribution range in Nigeria extends from the Sudan savanna to Guinea Savanna to the southern limit of the Derived savanna just before the forest belt is reached. This study aims to identify and delineate the...
Article
Full-text available
A preponderance of weedy species that colonize abandoned Striga infested plots in Nigeria has been observed to belong to the family Asteraceae. Such weeds may assist in ridding plots of its Striga inoculum load if they can trigger the suicidal germination of Striga seed. Two procedures (cut root and root exudates) were used to obtain stimulants fro...
Article
Full-text available
Studies have yet to assess the genetic variability in Thonningia sanguinea populations in Southern Nigeria. Hence, this study was conducted to elucidate the pattern of genetic variability and population structure among T. sanguinea populations in Southern Nigeria. Genomic DNA was extracted from 31 individuals in 15 populations and tested using rand...
Article
Full-text available
Lichens are widely used as biomonitors of environmental pollution, few lichen studies have been used to assess environmental quality in Nigeria. Managed and natural areas within Benin City metropolis and adjourning areas were investigated using lichen diversity to determine the ecosystem health status in four sites: Urban, Peri-urban, Rural and the...
Conference Paper
Full-text available
From the standpoint of a basic scientist, the term “weed” is difficult to define because of its subjective nature. The same dilemma on weeds may be ascribed to the perspectives of the African farmer who spends so much time weeding, but oftentimes, always closely on the lookout for useful weedy plants which, when sighted, are often, deliberately lef...
Article
Full-text available
No comprehensive appraisal of the precolonial nature of plant use by the Binis (Edos) of the famed Benin Kingdom is available. Using the recent catalogue of botanical and ethnobotanical narratives and commentaries, extracts from the 1937 Melzian’s Bini Dictionary, this study aims to define the structure of Bini ethnobotany in relation to the Africa...
Article
Full-text available
This paper presents the first comprehensive classical ethnobotanical study of the forest kingdom of Benin, southern Nigeria, an area famed for its rich plant diversity. The inhabitants, the Bini (or Edo) are renowned for their vast and intimate folk knowledge of plants. This study, the second in a series of extracts from Hans Melzian"s 1937 book "A...
Article
Full-text available
Since its establishment circa 1914, no comprehensive vegetation study exists of Ogba Zoo and Nature Park (OZNP), Benin City, Nigeria aside from few herbarium collections reported in the Flora of West Tropical Africa, This study, provides a comparative overview of the vegetation structure at the fenced-in (Undisturbed, Zoo section) and areas outside...
Article
Full-text available
Hydnora species (Hydnoraceae) are parasitic angiosperms, endemic to Africa and restricted to the Sudano-Zambezian region. We report here the occurrence of several stands of Hydnora abyssinica A. Braun in Nekong, Wusali ward, a lowland area in the Sudan-savanna zone in Kanke Local Government Area, Plateau State, Nigeria. Hydnora abyssinica was found...
Article
Full-text available
Hydnora species (Hydnoraceae) are parasitic angiosperms endemic to Africa and restricted to the Sudano-Zambezian region. We report here the occurrence of several stands of Hydnora abyssinica A. Braun in Nekong, Wusali ward, a lowland area in the Sudan-Savanna zone in Kanke Local Government Area, Plateau State, Nigeria. Hydnora abyssinica was found...
Poster
Full-text available
Lichens are widely used as biomonitors of environmental pollution and few lichen studies have been used to assess environmental quality in Nigeria. Managed and natural areas within Benin City metropolis and adjourning areas were investigated to test the efficacy of the European Guideline procedure in determining ecosystem health status in four site...
Article
Full-text available
Artificial structures in urban environments such as wire-mesh fences when left undisturbed, often support spontaneous vegetation which escape regular weeding interventions. This study describes the vegetation composition, structure and conservation potential of the perimeter wire-mesh fence surrounding the University of Benin Farm Project site in B...
Article
Full-text available
Crude root exudates obtained from six selected invasive plants in Nigeria: Alternanthera sessilis, Alternanthera brasiliensis, Chromolaena odorata, Dieffenbachia seguine, Euphorbia graminea and Mimosa diplotricha were screened for evidence of allelopathy on common weeds in Benin City. These invasive plants were grown in pots and watered periodicall...
Article
Full-text available
Chromolaena odorata (L.) King and Robinson (Asteraceae: Eupatorieae) is an invasive perennial weedy scrambling shrub of neotropical origin, widely acknowledged as a major economic and ecological burden to many tropical and subtropical regions of the world including Nigeria. Here, we examine the invasion and management of C. odorata in Nigeria over...
Article
Full-text available
Edo [Bini] language is spoken in Oredo, Orhionmwon, and Ovia Local Government Areas of Edo State, Nigeria. Few reports have been dedicated solely to the vocabulary of plant names in Edo language and the available records are scattered in different checklists with varying levels of comprehensiveness. The 233-page “Bini-English Dictionary” by Hans Me...
Article
Full-text available
2 ABSTRACT Common field dodder (Cuscuta campestris Yunck.) is a cosmopolitan parasitic angiosperm with a broad host range. However its host range and preference among plant species in Nigeria are currently unknown. One hundred and four (104) common plants in Benin City, Nigeria, artificially inoculated with C. campestris in replicated pot trials we...
Article
Full-text available
The use of plants by indigenous peoples all over the world has been underreported and this prevents the scientific community from benefiting from traditional knowledge which has taken centuries to develop in the form we know them today. This paper reports on the knowledge and useful application of various plant species by the people of Oka Akoko, i...
Article
Full-text available
Differential responses of cereals to Striga attack in Africa have often been attributed to strains whose origins have remained unexplained. In nature, S. hermonthica infects crops while S. aspera commonly infects wild grasses and both species have been reported to hybridise, successfully producing viable seeds that could parasitize maize plants. To...
Article
Full-text available
Striga aspera (Willd.) Benth. (Orobanchaceae) has received little research attention compared with its close relative, Striga hermonthica (Del.) Benth. The primary focus of this study was to provide information the biology and habitat characteristics of S. aspera in Nigeria in relation to S. hermonthica. The phenologies of both species were studied...
Article
Full-text available
An overview of the biology, history of introduction and range of spread of the grassleaf spurge (Euphorbia graminea Jacq.) (Euphorbiaceae) in Nigeria was investigated using pot experiments, herbarium studies and road reconnaissance surveys. Results suggest that the weed was first collected in Nigeria in the 1990s but has remained furtive until late...
Article
Full-text available
The dumb cane plant Dieffenbachia seguine, is a common and popular, exotic indoor ornamental plant in Nigeria. It is reported to be invasive in Asia and the Pacific Islands. We report a naturalized population of this shade loving plant in a forest understorey at Okhuodede village, 20 km south-west of Sapele in Niger-Delta area of Delta State, Niger...
Article
The suitability of two common and ubiquitously distributed and exotic ornamental plant species in Nigeria-Delonix regia and Casuarina equisetifolia as biomonitors and as effective bioaccumulators of atmospheric trace metals (Cd, Pb, Zn and Cu) has been evaluated. Bark and leaf samples from these plant species were collected in June and July 2006 at...
Article
Full-text available
Several road reconnaissance surveys across Nigeria’s agroecological regions were conducted in 2008 to delineate areas currently under infestation of the invasive weed Mimosa diplotricha C. Wright ex Sauvalle, (Syn. Mimosa invisa Mart.) (Fabaceae). Laboratory germination tests were conducted to study the effects of burning and light conditions on ge...
Article
Full-text available
Striga aspera and Striga hermonthica are recognized as separate species, but their close morphological similarity causes difficulty in distinguishing between them in areas where they coexist in Africa. In this study, crosses between the species were made using randomly selected morphologically typical parental plants collected from different locati...
Article
Full-text available
ABSTRACT Striga aspera and S. hermonthica are sympatric in Africa. Each may serve as virulent gene reservoirs for the other if they hybridize and their hybrids are virulent and fertile. Intraspecific and interspecific crosses were made within and between the species, and reproductive success was determined. Freshly harvested seeds from the parental...
Chapter
Full-text available
Taxonomic studies of the taxa clustered about Striga asiatica, S. hermonthica, and S. gesnerioides are presented based on a cladistic study of African plants. The S. asiatica cluster includes S. elegans, S. hirsuta, and S. lutea. Striga asiatica is considered to be derived from a native species near S. elegans. Artificial hybridization indicates a...
Conference Paper
Full-text available
Taxonomic studies of the taxa clustered about Striga asiatica, S. hermonthica, and S. gesnerioides are presented based on a cladistic study of African plants. The S. asiatica cluster includes S. elegans, S. hirsuta, and S. lutea. Striga asiatica is considered to be derived from a native species near S. elegans. Artificial hybridization indicates a...
Article
Full-text available
Field screening of maize (Zea mays L.) and sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] can be an efficient means of selecting for resistance to the parasitic plant Striga hermonthica (Del.) Benth. Spatial variability in natural S. hermonthica seed infestations necessitates supplemental infestation for effective field screening. For uniformly heavy levels...
Conference Paper
Full-text available
Recent research at UTA has shown that there is a critical period for infection by Striga hermonthica on both maize and sorghum, after which successful parasitism and host damage decreases. For both crops, this period ranges from 4-6 weeks after planting. By delaying exposure of roots to germinable S. hermonthica seeds we were able to demonstrate ov...
Article
Full-text available
The herbicide imazaquin was tested for efficacy in Striga gesnerioides and Alectra vogelii control when applied as a cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) seed treatment. Four sets of experiments were conducted in the laboratory and screenhouse. Two cowpea cultivars, three geographical isolates of S. gesnerioides from two hosts, and two geographical isolates...

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Question (1)
Question
It probably belongs to the family Asclepiadaceae and occurs in a disturbed transition forest in Kogi State Nigeria

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