Wetland plant communities in the Potchefstroom Municipal Area,  North-West, South Africa

Wetlands in natural areas in South Africa have been described before, but no literature exists concerning the phytosociology of urban wetlands. The objective of this study was to conduct a complete vegetation analysis of the wetlands in the Potchefstroom Municipal Area. Using a numerical classification technique (TWINSPAN) as a first approximation, the classification was refined by using Braun-Blanquet procedures. The result is a phytosociological table from which a number of unique plant communities are recognised. These urban wetlands are characterised by a high species diversity, which is unusual for wetlands. Reasons for the high species diversity could be the different types of disturbances occurring in this area. Results of this study can be used to construact more sensible management practises for these wetlands.

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Latitudinal changes in species diversity of permafrost wetland plant communities in Great Xing’an Mountain valleys of Northeast China

Acta Ecologica Sinica ◽

10.1016/j.chnaes.2009.09.003 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 29 (5) ◽

pp. 272-277 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Ju Sun ◽

Xiu-Zhen Li ◽

Xian-Wei Wang ◽

Jiu-Jun Lv ◽

Zong-Mei Li ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Species Diversity ◽

Plant Communities ◽

Northeast China ◽

Wetland Plant ◽

Wetland Plant Communities

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Vegetation analysis of railway reserves in the Potchefstroom municipal area, North West Province, South Africa

South African Journal of Botany ◽

10.1016/s0254-6299(15)30900-5 ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 64 (5) ◽

pp. 271-280 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

S.S. Cilliers ◽

G.J. Bredenkamp

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

Vegetation Analysis ◽

North West ◽

North West Province ◽

Area North

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Wetland plant communities of turloughs in southeast Galway/north Clare, Ireland in relation to environmental factors

Aquatic Botany ◽

10.1016/j.aquabot.2007.01.011 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 87 (1) ◽

pp. 22-30 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Eugenie C. Regan ◽

Micheline Sheehy Skeffington ◽

Mike J. Gormally

Keyword(s):

Environmental Factors ◽

Plant Communities ◽

Wetland Plant ◽

Wetland Plant Communities

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Dominant environmental factors in wetland plant communities invaded by Phragmites australis in East Harbor, Ohio, USA

Wetlands Ecology and Management ◽

10.1007/s11273-006-9004-8 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 14 (6) ◽

pp. 511-525 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Bradley A. Welch ◽

Craig B. Davis ◽

Robert J. Gates

Keyword(s):

Environmental Factors ◽

Phragmites Australis ◽

Plant Communities ◽

Wetland Plant ◽

Wetland Plant Communities

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Relationship between Wetland Plant Communities and Environmental Factors in the Tumen River Basin in Northeast China

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su11061559 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (6) ◽

pp. 1559 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Xiaojun Zheng ◽

Jing Fu ◽

Noelikanto Ramamonjisoa ◽

Weihong Zhu ◽

Chunguang He ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Soil Properties ◽

River Basin ◽

Plant Species ◽

Plant Communities ◽

Northeast China ◽

Floristic Composition ◽

Available Phosphorus ◽

Wetland Plant ◽

Tumen River ◽

Wetland Plant Communities

Understanding what controls wetland vegetation community composition is vital to conservation and biodiversity management. This study investigates the factors that affect wetland plant communities and distribution in the Tumen River Basin, Northeast China, an internationally important wetland for biodiversity conservation. We recorded floristic composition of herbaceous plants, soil properties, and microclimatic variables in 177, 1 × 1 m2 quadrats at 45 sites, located upstream (26), midstream (12), and downstream (7) of the Basin. We used TWINSPAN to define vegetation communities and canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) to examine the relationships between environmental and biological factors within the wetland plant communities. We recorded 100 plant species from 93 genera and 40 families in the upstream, 100 plant species from 57 genera and 31 families in the midstream, and 85 plant species from 76 genera and 38 families in the downstream. Higher species richness was recorded upstream of the River Basin. The plant communities and distribution were influenced by elevation, soil properties (total potassium, pH, and available phosphorus), and microclimate variables (surface temperature, precipitation, average temperature, sunshine hours, and relative humidity). More than any other factor, according to our results, elevation strongly influenced the structure of wetland plant communities. These findings support prevailing models describing the distribution of wetland plants along environmental gradients. The determination of the relationship between soil and plants is a useful way to better understand the ecosystem condition and can help manage the wetland ecosystem.

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