The local landscape boundary between the Albany subtropical thicket and Nama-Karoo shrubland is not influenced by edaphic factors

South African Journal of Botany

Volumn 101, Issue , 2015, Pages 107-111

  Becker, C H ^a   Coetsee, C ^a   Cowling, R M ^a   Potts, A J ^a  

^a NELSON MANDELA METROPOLITAN UNIVERSITY   (South Africa)

Author keywords

Albany subtropical thicket; Catena; Nama Karoo; Portulacaria afra; Soil

Indexed keywords

BIOME; CATENA; CLIMATE CHANGE; DICOTYLEDON; ECOSYSTEM FUNCTION; ELECTRICAL CONDUCTIVITY; HYPOTHESIS TESTING; PARTICLE SIZE; PH; SHRUBLAND; VALLEY; VEGETATION STRUCTURE;

ALBANY [NEW YORK]; NEW YORK [UNITED STATES]; UNITED STATES;

PORTULACARIA AFRA;

EID: 84961116506     PISSN: 02546299     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1016/j.sajb.2014.12.003     Document Type: Article

References (37)

1. Becker C.H. The Influence of Soil Properties on the Growth and Distribution of Portulacaria afra in Subtropical Thicket, South Africa 2012, MSc, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, George, South Africa.
2. Belsky A.J. Influences of trees on savanna productivity: tests of shade, nutrients, and tree-grass competition. Ecology 1994, 75(4):922-932.
3. Ben-Shahar R. Soil nutrients distribution and moisture dynamics on upper catena in a semi-arid nature reserve. Plant Ecol. 1990, 89(1):69-77.
4. Boone R.B., Grigal D.F., Sollins P., Ahrens R.J., Armstrong D.E. Soil sampling, preparation, archiving and quality control. Standard Soil Methods for Long-Term Ecological Research 1999, 3-29. Oxford University Press, Inc., New York. G.P. Robertson, D.C. Coleman, C.S. Bledsoe, P. Sollins (Eds.).
5. Cowling R.M. A syntaxonomic and synecological study in the Humansdorp region of the fynbos biome. Bothalia. 1984, 15:175-227.
6. Cowling R.M., Procheş Ş., Vlok J.H.J. On the origin of southern African subtropical thicket vegetation. S. Afr. J. Bot. 2005, 71:1-23.
7. Day P.R. Report of the Committee on Physical Analyses, 1954-55 1956, Soil Science Society of America.
8. Dray S., Dufour A.B. The ade4 package: implementing the duality diagram for ecologists. J. Stat. Softw. 2007, 22(4):1-20.
9. Duker R., Cowling R.M., Potts A.J. The effects of frost on Nama-Karoo and thicket: biome boundaries explored. J. Biogeogr. 2014, (in press).
10. Guralnick L.J., Ting I.P. Seasonal response to drought and rewatering in Portulacaria afra (L.) Jacq. Oecologia 1986, 70:85-91.
11. Guralnick L.J., Rorabaugh A., Hanscom Z. Seasonal shifts of photosynthesis in Portulacaria afra (L.) Jacq. Plant Physiol. 1984, 76:643-646.
12. Hobson N.K., Jessop J.P., Vd R. Ginn M.C., Kelly J. Veld Plants of Southern Africa 1975, MacMillian, Johannesburg.
13. Hoffman M.T., Cowling R.M. Desertification in the lower Sundays River Valley, South Africa. J. Arid Environ. 1990, 19:105-117.
14. Lechmere-Oertel R.G., Cowling R.M., Kerley G.I.H. Landscape dysfunction and reduced spatial heterogeneity in soil resources and fertility in semi-arid succulent thicket, South Africa. Austral Ecol. 2005, 30:615-624.
15. Lechmere-Oertel R.G., Kerley G.I.H., Cowling R.M. Patterns and implications of transformation in semi-arid succulent thicket, South Africa. J. Arid Environ. 2005, 62:459-474.
16. Lechmere-Oertel R.G., Kerley G.I.H., Mills A.J., Cowling R.M. The effects of rangeland degradation on litter fall and decomposition in semi-arid succulent thicket, South Africa. S. Afr. J. Bot. 2008, 74:651-659.
17. Madsen M.D., Chandler D.G. Automation and use of mini disk infiltrometers. Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J. 2007, 71(5):1469-1472.
18. Metternicht G., Zinck J.A. Spatial discrimination of salt-and sodium-affected soil surfaces. Int. J. Remote Sens. 1997, 18(12):2571-2586.
19. Mills A.J., Cowling R.M. Rate of carbon sequestration at two thicket restoration sites in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. Restor. Ecol. 2006, 14(1):38-49.
20. Mills A.J., Cowling R.M. Below ground carbon stocks in intact and transformed subtropical thicket landscapes in semi-arid South Africa. J. Arid Environ. 2010, 74(1):93-100.
21. Mills A.J., Cowling R.M., Fey M.V., Kerley G.I.H., Lechmere-Oertel R.G., Sigwela A., Skowno A., Rundel P.W. Effects of goat pastoralism on ecosystem carbon storage in semi-arid thicket, Eastern Cape, South Africa. Austral Ecol. 2005, 30:807-813.
22. Mills A.J., Turpie J., Cowling R.M., Marais C., Kerley G.I.H., Lechmere-Oertel R.G., Sigwela A.M., Powell M. Assessing costs, benefits and feasibility of subtropical thicket restoration in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. Restoring Natural Capital. Science, Business and Practice 2007, 179-187. Island Press, Washington DC. J. Aronson, S.J. Milton, J. Blignaut (Eds.).
23. Mills A.J., Cowling R.M., Steyn D., Spekreijse J., Van Den Broeck D., Weel S., Boogerd C. Portulacaria afra is constrained under extreme soil conditions in the Fish River Reserve, Eastern Cape, South Africa. S. Afr. J. Bot. 2011, 77(3):782-786.
24. Milton S.J. Above-ground biomass and plant cover in succulent shrubland in the southern Karoo, South Africa. S. Afr. J. Bot. 1990, 56:587-589.
25. Ni S.J., Zhang J.H. Variation of chemical properties as affected by soil erosion on hill slopes and terraces. Eur. J. Soil Sci. 2007, 58(6):1285-1292.
26. R Core Development Team A Language and Environment for Statistical Computing 2014, R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna, Austria.
27. Rhoades J.D. Soluble salts. Methods of Soil Analysis, Part 2. Chemical and Microbiological Properties 1982, Soil Science Society of America, Madison. A.L. Page, R.H. Milller, D.R. Keeney (Eds.).
28. Rutherford M.C., Powrie L.W., Husted L.B. Herbivore-driven land degradation: consequences for plant diversity and soil in arid subtropical thicket in South-Eastern Africa. Land Degrad. Dev. 2012, 10.1002/ldr.2181.
29. Schimel D., Stillwell M.A., Woodmansee R.G. Biogeochemistry of C, N, and P in a soil catena of the shortgrass steppe. Ecology 1985, 66(1):276-282.
30. Skead C.J. Historical Plant Incidence in Southern Africa. Strelitzia 2009, 24. South African National Biodiversity Institute, Pretoria.
31. Stuart-Hill G.C. Effects of elephants and goats on the Kaffrarian succulent thicket of the eastern Cape, South Africa. J. Appl. Ecol. 1992, 699-710.
32. The Non-Affiliated Soil Analysis Working Committee Handbook of Standard Soil Testing Methods for Advisory Purposes 1990, Soil Science Society of South Africa, Pretoria.
33. Ting I.P., Hanscom Z. Induction of acid metabolism in Portulacaria afra. Plant Physiol. 1977, 59(3):511-514.
34. Van der Vyver M.L., Cowling R.M., Mills A.J., Difford M. Spontaneous return of biodiversity in restored subtropical thicket: Portulacaria afra as an ecosystem engineer. Restor. Ecol. 2013, 21:736-744.
35. Vlok J.H.J., Schutte-Vlok A.L. Plants of the Klein Karoo 2010, Umdaus Press, Pretoria.
36. Vlok J.H.J., Eusten-Brown D.I.W., Cowling R.M. Acocks' Valley Bushveld 50 years on: new perspectives on the delimitation, characterisation and origin of subtropical thicket vegetation. S. Afr. J. Bot. 2003, 69:27-51.
37. Yanagisawa N., Fujita N. Different distribution patterns of woody species on a slope in relation to vertical root distribution and dynamics of soil moisture profiles. Ecol. Res. 1999, 14:165-177.