scholarly journals A classification and description of the shrubland vegetation on Platberg, Eastern Free State, South Africa

Koedoe ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 51 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert F. Brand ◽  
Pieter J. Du Preez ◽  
Leslie R. Brown
Keyword(s):  
Plant Communities ◽  
Floristic Composition ◽  
Community Analysis ◽  
Cape Floristic Region ◽  
Free State ◽  
Ecological Processes ◽  
Indigenous Plants ◽  
Commercial Development ◽  
The North ◽  
Twinspan Classification

The natural environment is constantly under threat from human-related activities. Platberg, overlooking the town of Harrismith in the Free State, is an inselberg that presents a refuge for indigenous plants and animals. The natural vegetation of the area is threatened by various farming and grazing practices, as well as by commercial development. In order to obtain baseline data and to obtain an improved understanding of the long-term ecological processes, the vegetation of Platberg was investigated to establish Afroalpine floristic links to the Drakensberg, as well as for the management of natural resources. From a Two-Way Indicator-Species Analysis (TWINSPAN) classification, refined by Braun–Blanquet methods, four major plant communities were identified, which were subdivided into fynbos, wetland, woody/shrub and grassland. A classification and description of the shrubland is presented in this article. The analysis showed the shrubland divided into 20 different plant communities, which are grouped into eight major communities, 13 sub-communities and eight variants. A total of 450 species was recorded from 109 relevés. A total of 24 endemic, or near-endemic, and Red Data species belonging to the Drakensberg Alpine Centre (DAC) was collected, with 22 alien (introduced) species also being recorded. Numerous floristic links with the DAC, the Cape Floristic Region and the Grassland Bioregions to the north and west were found.Conservation implications: The floristic composition and community analysis proves Platberg to be an important centre for plant diversity, with high species richness, a variety of habitats, and complex ecosystems. This description of the woodland communities can be used to assist with the setting of criteria for the management and protection of inselbergs in the province.

scholarly journals A floristic description of the Afromontane fynbos communities on Platberg, Eastern Free State, South Africa

Koedoe ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert F. Brand ◽  
Pieter J. Du Preez ◽  
Leslie R. Brown
Keyword(s):  
Natural Resources ◽  
Plant Communities ◽  
Conservation Management ◽  
Alien Invasive Species ◽  
Ecological Processes ◽  
The North ◽  
Shrub Community ◽  
Management Plans ◽  
Twinspan Classification

Within the Platberg area and the wider Drakensberg region, the shrinking natural resources and the threat posed to biodiversity are of concern to conservation management and require an understanding of long-term ecological processes. The vegetation of Platberg was investigated as part of an ecological survey to establish Afromontane floristic links to the Drakensberg as well as for the management of natural resources. From a TWINSPAN classification, refined by the Braun-Blanquet method, four main plant communities were identified, which were subdivided into fynbos, wetland, a woody/shrub community and grassland. A classification and description of the fynbos are presented in this article.The analysis showed the fynbos divided into two communities comprising four sub-communities and seven variants. The fynbos community had an average of 28.34 species per relevé, ranging from 14 to 54 species per sample plot. Twenty-four endemic or near-endemic Drakensberg Alpine Centre (DAC) species and 22 exotic (alien-invasive) species were recorded. Numerous floristic links with the DAC, Cape flora fynbos and grassland bioregions to the north and west were also found. The description of the fynbos plant communities can serve as a basis for the formulation of management plans for the area.

scholarly journals A vegetation description and floristic analyses of the springs on the Kammanassie Mountain, Western Cape

Koedoe ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 47 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Cleaver ◽  
L.R. Brown ◽  
G.J. Bredenkamp
Keyword(s):  
Plant Communities ◽  
Western Cape ◽  
Ecological Processes ◽  
Mountain Catchment ◽  
Habitat Factors ◽  
Management Plans ◽  
Twinspan Classification ◽  
Geological Origin ◽  
The Difference

The Kammanassie Mountain is a declared mountain catchment area and a Cape mountain zebra Equus zebra zebra population is preserved on the mountain. The high number of springs on the mountain not only provides water for the animal species but also contributes to overall ecosystem functioning. Long-term conservation of viable ecosystems requires a broader understanding of the ecological processes involved. It was therefore decided that a classification, description and mapping of the spring vegetation of the Kammanassie Mountain be undertaken. A TWINSPAN classification, refined by Braun-Blanquet procedures, revealed 11 major plant communities that could be related to geological origin. Habitat factors associated with differences in vegetation include topography, soil type and grazing. Descriptions of the plant communities include diagnostic species as well as prominent and less conspicuous species of the tree, shrub and herbaceous layers. The results also indicate a high species richness compared to similar regions and the difference between plant communities of wet and dry springs. This data is important for long-term monitoring of the spring ecosystems as well as for the compilation of management plans.

scholarly journals An ecological study of the plant communities in the proposed Highveld National Park, in the peri-urban area of Potchefstroom, South Africa

Koedoe ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 52 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mahlomola E. Daemane ◽  
Sarel S. Cilliers ◽  
Hugo Bezuidenhout
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Plant Communities ◽  
National Park ◽  
Environmental Planning ◽  
Detrended Correspondence Analysis ◽  
Floristic Composition ◽  
North West ◽  
The North ◽  
High Conservation ◽  
Grassland Biome

The proposed Highveld National Park (HNP) is an area of high conservation value in South Africa, covering approximately 0.03% of the endangered Grassland Biome. The park is situated immediately adjacent to the town of Potchefstroom in the North-West Province. The objective of this study was to identify, classify, describe and map the plant communities in this park. Vegetation sampling was done by means of the Braun-Blanquet method and a total of 88 stratified random relevés were sampled. A numerical classification technique (TWINSPAN) was used and the results were refined by Braun-Blanquet procedures. The final results of the classification procedure were presented in the form of phytosociological tables and, thereafter, nine plant communities were described and mapped. A detrended correspondence analysis confirmed the presence of three structural vegetation units, namely woodland, shrubland and grassland. Differences in floristic composition in the three vegetation units were found to be influenced by environmental factors, such as surface rockiness and altitude. Incidences of harvesting trees for fuel, uncontrolled fires and overgrazing were found to have a significant effect on floristic and structural composition in the HNP. The ecological interpretation derived from this study can therefore be used as a tool for environmental planning and management of this grassland area.Conservation implications: Grasslands are amongst the most threatened and least conserved vegetation biomes in South Africa, with less than 1.3% currently being conserved. The HNP has significant value for biodiversity conservation and the protection of this area will contribute to the preservation of the highly threatened Highveld vegetation types. 

Threatened Limestone Fynbos plant communities of Andrew’s Field and Tsaba-Tsaba Nature Reserve, Western Cape

Bothalia ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 89-102
Author(s):  
M. M. Zietsman ◽  
G. J. Bredenkamp
Keyword(s):  
Plant Communities ◽  
Endemic Species ◽  
Nature Reserve ◽  
Environmental Gradients ◽  
Floristic Composition ◽  
Cape Floristic Region ◽  
Western Cape ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Floristic Data ◽  
The Relationship

The vegetation of inland plains and hills of the Andrew’s Field and Tsaba-Tsaba Nature Reserve, Bredasdorp District, Western Cape was classified using TWINSPAN and Braun-Blanquet procedures. The resulting four plant communities and nine subcommunities were described and interpreted ecologically. The vegetation was sampled using 97 randomly stratified plots. The floristic composition, Braun-Blanquet cover-abundance of each species, and various environmental variables were recorded in each sample plot. The relationship between the vegetation units and the associated environmental gradients was confirmed by ordination, using the DECORANA computer program, applied to the floristic data set. The conservation priority of each vegetation unit was determined by taking the occurrence of Red Data List species, limestone endemic species and Cape Floristic Region endemic species into consideration. TTie distribution of the plant communities can mainly be ascribed to differences in the clay/sand content of the soil and the degree of exposure of the vegetation to the dominating winds (southeastern and northwestern) of the area.

The vegetation of the northeastern Orange Free State, South Africa: physical environment and plant communities of the Ea land type

Bothalia ◽  
1993 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 117-127 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. C. Eckhart ◽  
N. Van Rooyen ◽  
G. J. Bredenkamp
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Plant Communities ◽  
Physical Environment ◽  
Environmental Gradients ◽  
Free State ◽  
Vegetation Types ◽  
Land Type ◽  
Twinspan Classification

The research was carried out in the Ea land type of the northeastern Orange Free State, with the objective of reclassifying and refining Acocks’s veld types. TWINSPAN classification results were further refined by Braun-Blanquet procedures. The 100 relev^s distributed over the Ea land type resulted in the recognition of four major vegetation types which may be divided into nine plant communities. The communities were hierarchically classified, described and ecologically interpreted. DECORANA ordination was used to determine vegetation/environmental gradients and relationships.

scholarly journals The vegetation of the north-western Orange Free State, South Africa. 2. The D land type

Bothalia ◽  
1990 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 241-248 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. S. Kooij ◽  
G. J. Bredenkamp
Keyword(s):  
Plant Communities ◽  
Environmental Gradients ◽  
Hierarchical Classification ◽  
Research Programme ◽  
Free State ◽  
Numerical Classification ◽  
Land Type ◽  
The North ◽  
Grassland Biome ◽  
North Western

As part of a research programme on the synthesis of the vegetation of the western Grassland Biome, the plant communities of the D land type of the north-western Orange Free State were investigated. The results of a numerical classification (TWINSPAN) of 59 reievés were refined by Braun-Blanquet procedures. The analyses revealed eight plant communities which may be grouped into two major communities. A hierarchical classification, description and ecological interpretation of the plant communities, and an ordination (DECORANA) with associated environmental gradients, are presented.

Аquatic and helophytic vegetation of the Yamozero Lake (The Komi Republic)

2011 ◽  
pp. 101-116 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Yu. Teteryuk
Keyword(s):  
Eastern Europe ◽  
Plant Communities ◽  
Rare Species ◽  
Komi Republic ◽  
European Part ◽  
Regional Level ◽  
North East ◽  
The North ◽  
European Part Of Russia ◽  
Floristic Classification

The results of a sintaxonomical study of plant communities of the Yamozero lake (the North-East of the European part of Russia) are presented. The diversity of the aquatic and helophytic vegetation of the Yamozero lake consists of 16 associations and 2 communities of 6 unions, 4 orders and 2 classes of the floristic classification: Potamogetonetea (7 associations, 2 communities), Phragmito-Magnocaricetea (9 associations). Many of described associations are widely distributed in the Central and the Eastern Europe. Some associations have the boundaries of their ranges. Some communities include 2 rare species of regional level: Isoetes setacea and Sagittaria natans.

Sphagnum mosses (Sphagnaceae, Bryophyta) of mires Chefandzar and Masota in North Ossetia (Caucasus)

2018 ◽  
Vol 52 (2) ◽  
pp. 455-462 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Ya. Doroshina ◽  
I. A. Nikolajev
Keyword(s):  
Plant Communities ◽  
The Other ◽  
North Caucasus ◽  
Sphagnum Mosses ◽  
Greater Caucasus ◽  
The North ◽  
First Time ◽  
North Ossetia

Sphagnum mires on the Greater Caucasus are rare, characterized by the presence of relict plant communities of glacial age and are in a stage of degradation. The study of Sphagnum of Chefandzar and Masota mires is carried out for the first time. Seven species of Sphagnum are recorded. Their distribution and frequency within the North Caucasus are analyzed. Sphagnum contortum, S. platyphyllum, S. russowii, S. squarrosum are recorded for the first time for the study area and for the flora of North Ossetia. The other mosses found in the study area are listed.

Reed (Phragmites australis agg.) dominated plant communities in the Lower Volga Valley

2015 ◽  
pp. 26-37
Author(s):  
V. B. Golub ◽  
V. V. Bondareva ◽  
A. N. Sorokin ◽  
L. F. Nikolaychuk
Keyword(s):  
Expert System ◽  
Phragmites Australis ◽  
Plant Communities ◽  
Floristic Composition ◽  
Original Data ◽  
Optimal Level ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Original Structure ◽  
Volga River ◽  
Lower Volga

Plant communities with reed domination (Phragmites australis agg.) occupy the large areas in the Lower Volga Valley and especially in the river delta. We have set the task to reveal the diversity of these communities in the Lower Volga Valley. For this purpose, we applied the database that is registered in the Global Index of Vegetation-Plot Databases (GIVD) under the EU-RU–002 index (http://www.givd.info/) and includes 14871 relevés made during the period from 1924 to 2013. Communities with the dominance of reed were defined as such, if the coverage of this plant was more than 50 %. We have found 375 such relevés in the database. At first, one basal community, 3 associations and 3 subassociations with domination of Phragmites australis agg. were distinguished in the Lower Volga Valley. All processing and analysis of relevés were performed using the software package JUICE 7.0. (Tichý, 2002). The «Cocktail» method was applied to establish the sociological groups that indicate environmental conditions (Bruelheide, 2000). The expert system for selection from the database of relevés by means of these groups was created. It is allowed us to ascribe relevés to earlier distinguished associations, subassociations and basal community. 171 relevés have been identified by the expert system and they were assigned to association, subassociation or the basal community. 204 relevés were not referred to any association, subassociation or the basal community. We wanted to answer the question: are there among these 204 relevés, which could be interpreted as the new syntaxa, giving them the proper ecological characteristics? For this purpose, the cluster analysis of 204 relevés has been carried out. The optimal level of clustering was determined by calculating the index of “crispness of classification” (Botta-Dukát et al., 2005). The greatest “crispness of classification” was reached at allocation of 13 clusters. Consideration of the floristic composition of allocated groups had shown that 11 of them were the transitional plant communities among the earlier established syntaxa. Only two clusters were differed in rather original structure that we could explain by the influence of environment factors. We have identified them as new associations Rubio tataricae-Phragmitetum australis and Cynancho acuti-Phragmitetum australis. All associations with the dominance of Phragmites australis agg. distinguished in the Lower Volga Valley were included in the alliance Phragmition communis Koch 1926, order Phragmitetalia communis Koch 1926. In literary sources from the ecological point of view these syntaxa are defined as the wetland communities, which are closely linked to water bodies (Šumberová et al., 2011; Ermakov, 2012). However, in many cases this definition does not correspond to the ecology of plant communities with the dominance of reed in the lower reaches of the Volga River. Ecotops of these communities are flooded for up to 2–3 months in a year and then they dry out. In the autumn, the ground water level can drop to a depth of one meter (Golub et al., 2011). The plant satellites of the reed here are often mesophytic plants such as Rubus caesius, Calamagrostis epigeios, Phalaris arundinacea, Rubia tatarica, Althaea officinalis, and Rumex stenophyllus. Therefore, the inclusion of phytocoenosises with domination of the reed in the lower reaches of the Volga River in the alliance Phragmition communis is rather relative. A correct placement of these plant communities in the system of vegetation syntaxa of the arid areas can be made only if it is based on original data obtained from much bigger territory than the Lower Volga Valley. In future geobotanical studies, it is desirable to divide the aggregation of Phragmites australis agg. into smaller species taxa.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document