Curtin University Homepage
  • Library
  • Help
    • Admin

    espace - Curtin’s institutional repository

    JavaScript is disabled for your browser. Some features of this site may not work without it.
    View Item 
    • espace Home
    • espace
    • Curtin Research Publications
    • View Item
    • espace Home
    • espace
    • Curtin Research Publications
    • View Item

    Plant communities along the Eerste River, Western Cape, South Africa: Community descriptions and implications for restoration

    Access Status
    Open access via publisher
    Authors
    Meek, C.
    Richardson, D.
    Mucina, Ladislav
    Date
    2012
    Type
    Journal Article
    
    Metadata
    Show full item record
    Citation
    Meek, Clifton S. and Richardson, David M. and Mucina, Ladislav. 2013. Plant communities along the Eerste River, Western Cape, South Africa: Community descriptions and implications for restoration. Koedoe - African Protected Area Conservation and Science. 55 (1): pp. 1-14.
    Source Title
    Koedoe - African Protected Area Conservation and Science
    DOI
    10.4102/koedoe.v55i1.1099
    ISSN
    0075-6458
    URI
    http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/45092
    Collection
    • Curtin Research Publications
    Abstract

    Riparian plant communities fulfil many functions, including the provision of corridors linking protected areas and other zones of high conservation value. These habitats across much of South Africa’s Cape Floristic Region, especially in the lowlands, have been heavily impacted and degraded by human activities. There is increasing interest in the restoration of degraded riparian zones and the ecosystem services they provide to enhance the conservation value of landscapes. Previous studies of riparian vegetation in the Cape Floristic Region focused on pristine headwater systems, and little is known about human-impacted communities that make up most of the riparian vegetation in downstream areas. More information is needed on the composition of these plant communities to establish a baseline for management intervention.The riparian zone of the Eerste River in South Africa’s Western Cape province provides a good opportunity to study the features of riparian vegetation along the entire gradient, from pristine vegetation in a protected area through different levels of human-mediated degradation. Riparian vegetation was surveyed in 150 plots along the entire length of the Eerste River (ca. 40 km). Data were analysed using the vegetation classification and analysis software package JUICE. Final groupings were plotted onto a two-dimensional detrended correspondence analysis plane to check the position of the communities in the reduced multidimensional space. Ten distinct plant communities were identified, including several novel communities dominated by alien plant species. Descriptions of each plant community are presented. Diagnostic, constant and dominant species are listed and the major structural and ecological characteristics of each community are described. Conservation implications: Major changes to hydrological and soil properties, nutrient dynamics and disturbance regimes and plant species composition along sections of the riparian zone mean that restoration of many of these habitats to their historic condition is not feasible. However, several native plant species that provide key ecosystem services persist in and adjacent to transformed communities, offering substantial opportunities for restoration to achieve certain goals.

    Related items

    Showing items related by title, author, creator and subject.

    • A river runs through it: Land-use and the composition of vegetation along a riparian corridor in the Cape Floristic Region, South Africa
      Meek, C.; Richardson, D.; Mucina, Ladislav (2010)
      Riparian zones are important for the many ecosystem services they supply. In settled areas, the vegetation of such zones is shaped by human land-use; this often creates conditions under which alien plant species thrive. ...
    • Limnology and biota of Lake Yindarlgooda - an inland salt lake in Western Australia under stress
      Campagna, Veronica (2007)
      Inland salt lakes of the arid and semi-arid zones of Western Australia are unique systems. An unpredictable rainfall pattern and a transient water regime ensure these lakes remain dry for much of the year. Lake Yindarlgooda ...
    • Developing completion criteria for rehabilitation areas on arid and semi-arid mine sites in Western Australia
      Brearley, Darren (2003)
      Continued expansion of the gold and nickel mining industry in Western Australia during recent years has led to disturbance of larger areas and the generation of increasing volumes of waste rock. Mine operators are obligated ...
    Advanced search

    Browse

    Communities & CollectionsIssue DateAuthorTitleSubjectDocument TypeThis CollectionIssue DateAuthorTitleSubjectDocument Type

    My Account

    Admin

    Statistics

    Most Popular ItemsStatistics by CountryMost Popular Authors

    Follow Curtin

    • 
    • 
    • 
    • 
    • 

    CRICOS Provider Code: 00301JABN: 99 143 842 569TEQSA: PRV12158

    Copyright | Disclaimer | Privacy statement | Accessibility

    Curtin would like to pay respect to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander members of our community by acknowledging the traditional owners of the land on which the Perth campus is located, the Whadjuk people of the Nyungar Nation; and on our Kalgoorlie campus, the Wongutha people of the North-Eastern Goldfields.