Distribution and DNA Conservation of Sapindaceae Juss. in Western Africa

Generally, biodiversity is being threatened globally by climate change as well as human activities and this has aroused concerns about the conservation status. This study was designed with the aim of searching for existing, new and unrecorded plant species of the family Sapindaceae in West Africa so as to better understand the extent of diversity and distribution of the species in the family remaining in existence and conserve them for maximum use. The methodology employed include: field sampling, preservation of voucher specimens in secured repositories and DNA conservation of the collected samples. It was observed that the family Sapindaceae are represented by 26 genera and 104 species in western Africa. The most species rich regions are Nigeria (47 taxa), Cameroon (45 taxa) and Ghana (25 taxa). Southern highlands of Nigeria have the highest number of species followed by western river banks of Ghana. Taxa shared are highest between Nigeria and Ghana and endemism is highest in the western regions with 9 species endemic to the mountains and coasts. High quality genomic DNA were obtained and deposited in the DNA bank at the Royal Botanic gardens Kew. This research can be seen as a key step in the conservation of the family Sapindaceae as it reveals that most of the plants are endangered mainly due to deforestation and agricultural practices in forest reserves across West Africa.