DOCSLIB.ORG

The Relationship Between the Length of Flowering Periods and the Distribution Ranges of Plant Species in Eastern South Africa

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Relationship Between the Length of Flowering Periods and the Distribution Ranges of Plant Species in Eastern South Africa The relationship between the length of flowering periods and the distribution ranges of plant species in eastern South Africa By Nikara Mahadeo 207 511 025 Supervisor: Prof. Ş. Procheş Co-Supervisor: Dr. S. Ramdhani Submitted in fulfilment of the academic requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Environmental Science School of Agricultural, Earth and Environmental Sciences College of Agriculture, Engineering and Science University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville December 2012 The financial assistance of the National Research Foundation (NRF) towards this research is hereby acknowledged. Opinions expressed and conclusions arrived at, are those of the author and are not necessarily to be attributed to the NRF. Declaration One This thesis was conducted at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, College of Agriculture, Engineering and Science, School of Agricultural, Earth and Environmental Sciences (Westville) in fulfilment of the MSc. Degree in Environmental Science 2012. It is representative of my original work and where the works of other authors have been used, they are duly acknowledged. ……………………. Nikara Mahadeo ……………………. Prof. Şerban Procheş (Supervisor) ……………………. Dr. Syd Ramdhani (Co-Supervisor) i. Declaration Two: Plagiarism I, Nikara Mahadeo declare that: 1. The research reported in this thesis, except where otherwise indicated, is my original research. 2. This thesis has not been submitted for any degree or examination at any other university. 3. This thesis does not contain other persons’ data, pictures, graphs or other information, unless specifically acknowledged as being sourced from other persons. 4. This thesis does not contain other persons' writing, unless specifically acknowledged as being sourced from other researchers. 5. This thesis does not contain text, graphics or tables copied and pasted from the Internet, unless specifically acknowledged, and the source being detailed in the thesis and in the References section. Signed: _____________________ ii. Table of Contents Declaration One ............................................................................................................... i Declaration Two: Plagiarism .......................................................................................... ii Table of Contents ........................................................................................................... iii List of Figures ................................................................................................................ vi List of Tables ................................................................................................................ vii Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................ ix Abstract ........................................................................................................................... x Chapter One: Introduction ...................................................................................... 1-6 1.1. Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 1 1.2. Motivation ........................................................................................................................... 3 1.3. Hypothesis ........................................................................................................................... 5 1.4. Aim ...................................................................................................................................... 5 1.5. Objectives ............................................................................................................................ 5 1.6. Dissertation outline ............................................................................................................. 6 Chapter Two: Literature Review ........................................................................... 7-28 2.1. Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 7 2.2. Macroecology ...................................................................................................................... 7 2.3. Geographic range size determinants ................................................................................... 9 2.3.1. Latitude and altitude ................................................................................................ 10 2.3.2 Climate ..................................................................................................................... 11 2.3.3 Resource availability ................................................................................................ 12 2.3.4. Intrinsic determinants .............................................................................................. 13 2.3.4.1. Dispersal ability.......................................................................................... 13 2.3.4.2. Body and seed size ...................................................................................... 14 2.3.4.3. Niche breadth .............................................................................................. 15 2.3.4.4. Genetic diversity and phenotypic plasticity ................................................ 16 2.4. Determinants of flowering period length .......................................................................... 16 iii. 2.4.1 Seasonality and physiology of flowering ................................................................. 17 2.4.1.1 Temperature ................................................................................................. 17 2.4.1.2 Photoperiod ................................................................................................. 18 2.4.2. Pollinator availability .............................................................................................. 20 2.5. Effects of plant invasion and climate change on flowering period ................................... 23 2.5.1. Biological plant invasions and flowering periods ................................................... 23 2.5.2. Climate change and flowering periods .................................................................... 25 2.6. Flowering phenology in South Africa ............................................................................... 27 2.7. Conclusion ......................................................................................................................... 27 Chapter Three: Study Region and Methodology ................................................ 29-43 3.1. Study region ...................................................................................................................... 29 3.1.1. Climate .................................................................................................................... 30 3.1.2. Topography and geology ......................................................................................... 31 3.1.3. Vegetation ............................................................................................................... 32 3.1.4. Centres of endemism ............................................................................................... 34 3.2. Methodology ..................................................................................................................... 35 3.2.1. Criteria ..................................................................................................................... 35 3.2.1.1. Distribution criteria .................................................................................... 36 3.2.2. Data collection ........................................................................................................ 38 3.2.3. Data analysis ........................................................................................................... 40 Chapter Four: Results ........................................................................................... 44-55 4.1. Patterns in flowering (Factor Analysis) ............................................................................ 44 4.2. Patterns in range size (Box-and-Whisker Plots) ............................................................... 47 4.3. Linking flowering to range size (Correlations and ANCOVAs) ....................................... 51 Chapter Five: Discussion ....................................................................................... 56-68 5.1. Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 56 5.2. Flowering patterns ............................................................................................................. 56 5.3. Range size patterns ............................................................................................................ 60 5.4. Linking flowering and range size patterns ........................................................................ 63 iv. 5.5. Relevance for biological invasions and climate change .................................................... 66 Chapter Six: Conclusions ...................................................................................... 69-70 References ............................................................................................................... 71-85 Appendices ...........................................................................................................
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Vegetation Survey of Mount Gorongosa
    VEGETATION SURVEY OF MOUNT GORONGOSA Tom Müller, Anthony Mapaura, Bart Wursten, Christopher Chapano, Petra Ballings & Robin Wild 2008 (published 2012) Occasional Publications in Biodiversity No. 23 VEGETATION SURVEY OF MOUNT GORONGOSA Tom Müller, Anthony Mapaura, Bart Wursten, Christopher Chapano, Petra Ballings & Robin Wild 2008 (published 2012) Occasional Publications in Biodiversity No. 23 Biodiversity Foundation for Africa P.O. Box FM730, Famona, Bulawayo, Zimbabwe Vegetation Survey of Mt Gorongosa, page 2 SUMMARY Mount Gorongosa is a large inselberg almost 700 sq. km in extent in central Mozambique. With a vertical relief of between 900 and 1400 m above the surrounding plain, the highest point is at 1863 m. The mountain consists of a Lower Zone (mainly below 1100 m altitude) containing settlements and over which the natural vegetation cover has been strongly modified by people, and an Upper Zone in which much of the natural vegetation is still well preserved. Both zones are very important to the hydrology of surrounding areas. Immediately adjacent to the mountain lies Gorongosa National Park, one of Mozambique's main conservation areas. A key issue in recent years has been whether and how to incorporate the upper parts of Mount Gorongosa above 700 m altitude into the existing National Park, which is primarily lowland. [These areas were eventually incorporated into the National Park in 2010.] In recent years the unique biodiversity and scenic beauty of Mount Gorongosa have come under severe threat from the destruction of natural vegetation. This is particularly acute as regards moist evergreen forest, the loss of which has accelerated to alarming proportions.
    [Show full text]
  • Albany Thicket Biome
    % S % 19 (2006) Albany Thicket Biome 10 David B. Hoare, Ladislav Mucina, Michael C. Rutherford, Jan H.J. Vlok, Doug I.W. Euston-Brown, Anthony R. Palmer, Leslie W. Powrie, Richard G. Lechmere-Oertel, Şerban M. Procheş, Anthony P. Dold and Robert A. Ward Table of Contents 1 Introduction: Delimitation and Global Perspective 542 2 Major Vegetation Patterns 544 3 Ecology: Climate, Geology, Soils and Natural Processes 544 3.1 Climate 544 3.2 Geology and Soils 545 3.3 Natural Processes 546 4 Origins and Biogeography 547 4.1 Origins of the Albany Thicket Biome 547 4.2 Biogeography 548 5 Land Use History 548 6 Current Status, Threats and Actions 549 7 Further Research 550 8 Descriptions of Vegetation Units 550 9 Credits 565 10 References 565 List of Vegetation Units AT 1 Southern Cape Valley Thicket 550 AT 2 Gamka Thicket 551 AT 3 Groot Thicket 552 AT 4 Gamtoos Thicket 553 AT 5 Sundays Noorsveld 555 AT 6 Sundays Thicket 556 AT 7 Coega Bontveld 557 AT 8 Kowie Thicket 558 AT 9 Albany Coastal Belt 559 AT 10 Great Fish Noorsveld 560 AT 11 Great Fish Thicket 561 AT 12 Buffels Thicket 562 AT 13 Eastern Cape Escarpment Thicket 563 AT 14 Camdebo Escarpment Thicket 563 Figure 10.1 AT 8 Kowie Thicket: Kowie River meandering in the Waters Meeting Nature Reserve near Bathurst (Eastern Cape), surrounded by dense thickets dominated by succulent Euphorbia trees (on steep slopes and subkrantz positions) and by dry-forest habitats housing patches of FOz 6 Southern Coastal Forest lower down close to the river.
    [Show full text]
  • Savanna Fire and the Origins of the “Underground Forests” of Africa
    SAVANNA FIRE AND THE ORIGINS OF THE “UNDERGROUND FORESTS” OF AFRICA Olivier Maurin1, *, T. Jonathan Davies1, 2, *, John E. Burrows3, 4, Barnabas H. Daru1, Kowiyou Yessoufou1, 5, A. Muthama Muasya6, Michelle van der Bank1 and William J. Bond6, 7 1African Centre for DNA Barcoding, Department of Botany & Plant Biotechnology, University of Johannesburg, PO Box 524 Auckland Park 2006, Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa; 2Department of Biology, McGill University, 1205 ave Docteur Penfield, Montreal, QC H3A 0G4, Quebec, Canada; 3Buffelskloof Herbarium, P.O. Box 710, Lydenburg, 1120, South Africa; 4Department of Plant Sciences, University of Pretoria, Private Bag X20 Hatfield 0028, Pretoria, South Africa; 5Department of Environmental Sciences, University of South Africa, Florida campus, Florida 1710, Gauteng, South Africa; 6Department of Biological Sciences and 7South African Environmental Observation Network, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, 7701, Western Cape, South Africa *These authors contributed equally to the study Author for correspondence: T. Jonathan Davies Tel: +1 514 398 8885 Email: [email protected] Manuscript information: 5272 words (Introduction = 1242 words, Materials and Methods = 1578 words, Results = 548 words, Discussion = 1627 words, Conclusion = 205 words | 6 figures (5 color figures) | 2 Tables | 2 supporting information 1 SUMMARY 1. The origin of fire-adapted lineages is a long-standing question in ecology. Although phylogeny can provide a significant contribution to the ongoing debate, its use has been precluded by the lack of comprehensive DNA data. Here we focus on the ‘underground trees’ (= geoxyles) of southern Africa, one of the most distinctive growth forms characteristic of fire-prone savannas. 2. We placed geoxyles within the most comprehensive dated phylogeny for the regional flora comprising over 1400 woody species.
    [Show full text]
  • SABONET Progress Report Using Interpretive Labels Mateku Expedition Zimbabwe Threatened Plants Programme
    Newsletter of the Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Volume 8 No. 1 ISSN 1027-4286 March 2003 SABONET Progress Report Using Interpretive Labels Mateku Expedition Zimbabwe Threatened Plants Programme SABONET News Vol. 8 No. 1 March 2003 1 contents 22 African Botanic Gardens Network Launched Forum 25 Annual Logframe Planning Botanicum ON OUR COVER: A true giant herb. and Budget Allocation Flowering specimens of the giant Meeting 58 SAAB Gold Medal: Prof. Lobelias in Chimanimani. Chris Bornman (Photo: Anthony Mapaura) 26 Progress Report: End-User Workshops, Threatened 59 The 2001 Compton Prize Plants Programmes, and 59 SAAB Silver Medal for Cover Stories Internships Botany: Prof. Brian Huntley 31 Obituary: Lloyd Gideon 60 Dr Otto Leistner Silver 7 Using Interpretive Labels Nkoloma (1944–2003) Medallist (2003) 8 Mateku Expedition 30 A Tribute to SABONET 62 Richard Hall Accepts Certifi- 20 Zimbabwe Threatened Plants Contract Staff cate of Merit Programme 34 Luanda Herbarium 26 SABONET Progress Report Features Book Reviews 42 A Checklist of Lesotho 5 Profile: Nonofo E’man Grasses Published Mosesane 43 Regions of Floristic Ende- 5 Farewell Nyasha! mism in Southern Africa 6 Profile: Puleng Matebesi 44 Trees and Shrubs of 7 Using Interpretive Labels to Mpumalanga and Kruger 36 Paper Chase Help Save Threatened National Park Plants—a Case Study 45 Pteridophytes of Upper 8 SABONET Expedition Katanga (DRC) Reveals Mateku Plant Diversity Regulars 15 The Millennium Seed Bank in 3 Editorial Southern Africa 4 Letters to the editors 17 Sedges of Southern 35 From the Web Mozambique 36 The Paper Chase 44 Book Review 18 IUCN Policy on the 46 Regional news update Management of Ex Situ Populations 51 E-mail addresses 20 Threatened Plants Programme for Zimbabwe 8 Mateku Expedition 20 Threatened Plants—Zimbabwe 2 SABONET News Vol.
    [Show full text]
  • Botanical Garden Collection Plan 2019 OBJECTIVE: Identify What The
    Botanical Garden Collection Plan 2019 OBJECTIVE: Identify what the botanical garden plant collection should contain to satisfy our central mission of conservation, research, and education. Cultivate the collections with the aim to create Oklahoma’s premiere botanical collection. STRATEGY: Develop the botanical collection documents (i.e. a collections management policy, a collections management plan, and a collections management manual etc.). These documents will guide and give structure to the botanical collection. Cultivate and mobilize the horticulture staff to follow the collections management plan. TACTICS: Document, catalog, and place signage on the existing collection specimens. Collect new specimens per the acquisition list for each individual collection to strengthen the collection and to create an educational experience for our guests using the botanical gardens. CONSERVATION . Support the Zoo’s conservation mission through the development of a diverse plant collection plan that focuses on saving rare and endangered plant species and fragile ecosystems. March 2019. Emphasize our most endangered plant family, the Cactaceae, by identifying a plant conservation action regarding it and connecting it to the cactus collection. April 2019. Develop plant conservation signage to support the botanical collections and animal habitats. May 2019. RESEARCH . Research and develop an Oklahoma native plant flora. Collaborate with local university to develop a research program that benefits the OKC Zoo’s botanical collections program. Find graduate students that will benefit from using the botanical collection for studies/experiments. COLLECTIONS . Develop the proposed plant collections below: 1 . Oklahoma Native Plant Collection: . What does it mean to be a native plant? What are the benefits of using native plants in your garden? -Drought tolerance, supports native wildlife, reduces garden maintenance.
    [Show full text]
  • Original Article a Novel Phylogenetic Regionalization of Phytogeographic
    1 Article type: Original Article A novel phylogenetic regionalization of phytogeographic zones of southern Africa reveals their hidden evolutionary affinities Barnabas H. Daru1,2,*, Michelle van der Bank1, Olivier Maurin1, Kowiyou Yessoufou1,3, Hanno Schaefer4, Jasper A. Slingsby5,6, and T. Jonathan Davies1,7 1African Centre for DNA Barcoding, University of Johannesburg, APK Campus, PO Box 524, Auckland Park, 2006, Johannesburg, South Africa 2Department of Plant Science, University of Pretoria, Private Bag X20, Hatfield 0028, South Africa 3Department of Environmental Sciences, University of South Africa, Florida Campus, Florida 1710, South Africa 4Technische Universität München, Plant Biodiversity Research, Emil-Ramann Strasse 2, 85354 Freising, Germany 5Fynbos Node, South African Environmental Observation Network, Private Bag X7, 7735, Rhodes Drive, Newlands, South Africa 6Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cape Town, Private Bag X3, Rondebosch 7701, South Africa 7Department of Biology, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 0G4, Canada *Correspondence: Barnabas H. Daru, Department of Plant Science, University of Pretoria, Private Bag X20, Hatfield 0028, South Africa. Journal of Biogeography 2 Email: [email protected] Running header: Phylogenetic regionalization of vegetation types Manuscript information: 266 words in the Abstract, 5060 words in manuscript, 78 literature citations, 22 text pages, 4 figures, 1 table, 4 supplemental figures, and 3 supplemental tables. Total word count (inclusive of abstract, text and references) = 7407. Journal of Biogeography 3 Abstract Aim: Whilst existing bioregional classification schemes often consider the compositional affinities within regional biotas, they do not typically incorporate phylogenetic information explicitly. Because phylogeny captures information on the evolutionary history of taxa, it provides a powerful tool for delineating biogeographic boundaries and for establishing relationships among them.
    [Show full text]
  • A Convenient Thin Layer Chromatographic Technique for Chemotaxonomic Application in Maytenus (Celastraceae)
    S. Afr. J. Bot. 2000, 66(1): 7-9 7 A convenient thin layer chromatographic technique for chemotaxonomic application in Maytenus (Celastraceae) C. B. Rogers*, A.T.D. Abbotll and A. E. van Wyk2 *Department of Chemistry. University of Durban-Westville. Private Bag X54001 , Durban, 4000 Republic of South Africa 1P.O . Box 111 , Port Edward. 4295 Republic of South Africa 2H.G .W .J Schweickerdt Herbarium, Department of Botany, University of Pretoria, Pretoria. 0002 Republic of South Africa Received .J August 1998: rev1sed I 5 December 1998 The genus Maytenus in southern Africa is replete with taxonomic problems, both at specific and supra-specific levels. Chemical data in taxonomy are an important adjunct to morphological evidence as it reflects on relationships of plants at another level of structural organization. In this study fourteen species of Maytenus (mainly from the Pondoland Centre of endemism) have been used to test the applicability of an easy-to-use thin layer chromatographic (TLC) technique. Leaf extracts provided chemical 'fingerprints' which were diagnostic for each species. Chemical evidence thus obtained also supports the reinstatement of the segregate genus Gymnosporia. The technique described holds considerable promise, not only for resolving classification problems in Maytenus, but also for taxonomic application in other groups of plants. Keywords: Celastraceae, chemotaxonomy, Gymnosporia, Maytenus, taxonomy, thin layer chromatography. ·To whom correspondence should be addressed, (E-mail: [email protected]). Introduction GPm aluminium backed plates using I(JUr sol vent systems or ~ar~­ Floristically the sandstone region of southern KwaZulu-Natal ing polarity. Solutions were applied to plates in bands I em wide and Pondoland has been identified as a distinct centre of ende­ (two or three applications) and allowed to develop t<1r 9 em .
    [Show full text]
  • N2 Wildcoast Toll Road – Greenfields Section
    N2 Wild Coast Toll Road between East London and Durban: Environmental Impact Assessment Report 3. FLORA AND VEGETATION 3.1 General Introduction This chapter examines impacts on the plants and vegetation of the proposed route of the N2 Wild Coast Toll Road. The study of plants concerns both the flora and the vegetation, and these terms need to be defined. 3.1.1 The flora of the region Flora refers to the particular plants that occur in an area, with reference to species which it contains, but also the genera or families. Plants are not evenly distributed, as they are confined to defined geographical ranges, and botanists classify the different ranges of species into regions, referred to as phytogeographic regions, where phyto means plants. These are very often associated with other features such as geology, climate, etc. In this way the world has been divided into phytogeographical regions, each with its own distinct compliment of species (Good, 1974). Thus, the Cape Flora is referred to, due to the species (or more specifically the taxa, i.e. families, genera, species etc.) that are typically found in that region of the Cape. Plants endemic1 to the Cape region are thus those that form the natural characteristics of the Cape flora and are confined to this region. Endemism is relative to scale, and it usually refers to the distributional range of these species, with the distribution being affected by historical, ecological or physiological reasons. Consequently, plants are referred to as being endemic to a particular region, e.g. the Cape, Transkei, Pondoland, etc.
    [Show full text]
  • Country Report Republic of South Africa
    REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA This country report is prepared as a contribution to the FAO publication, The Report on the State of the World’s Forest Genetic Resources. The content and the structure are in accordance with the recommendations and guidelines given by FAO in the document Guidelines for Preparation of Country Reports for the State of the World’s Forest Genetic Resources (2010). These guidelines set out recommendations for the objective, scope and structure of the country reports. Countries were requested to consider the current state of knowledge of forest genetic diversity, including: Between and within species diversity List of priority species; their roles and values and importance List of threatened/endangered species Threats, opportunities and challenges for the conservation, use and development of forest genetic resources These reports were submitted to FAO as official government documents. The report is presented on www. fao.org/documents as supportive and contextual information to be used in conjunction with other documentation on world forest genetic resources. The content and the views expressed in this report are the responsibility of the entity submitting the report to FAO. FAO may not be held responsible for the use which may be made of the information contained in this report. Table of contents Acronyms Executive summary PART 1: INTRODUCTION TO SOUTH AFRICA AND ITS FORESTRY SECTOR 1.1. Location and Administrative Framework 1.2. Physiography 1.3. Climate 1.4 Soils 1.5 Wildlife 1.6 Forests 1.7 Population 1.8 Economy 1.9 Land Use 1.10 Report Background 1.10.1 Purpose of the Report 1.10.2 Report Outline PART 2: Chapter 1: THE CURRENT STATE OF FOREST GENETIC RESOURCES 1.1.
    [Show full text]
  • Plant Diversity Patterns of Domestic Gardens in Five Settlements of South Africa
    Plant diversity patterns of domestic gardens in five settlements of South Africa E Davoren 13087452 Thesis submitted for the degree Philosophiae Doctor in Environmental Sciences at the Potchefstroom Campus of the North-West University Promoter: Prof SS Cilliers Co-promoter: Prof SJ Siebert May 2017 Abstract As urbanisation increases globally, domestic gardens are becoming increasingly important in terms of ecosystem service provisioning, biodiversity conservation and human health and well- being. Individually gardens are small, but collectively they comprise substantial proportions of both rural and urban areas and consequently they provide green corridors for the movement of wildlife through the urban matrix. The aim of this thesis was to collect and compare information on the flora present in the domestic gardens of five different settlements across South Africa (Tlhakgameng, Ganyesa, Ikageng, Potchefstroom and Roodepoort) and to determine if the garden management practices and socioeconomic status of householders influences the plant species richness and diversity of these domestic gardens. Additionally, the plant diversity patterns of different land-use types were compared with those of the sampled domestic gardens within each settlement. In comparison with other land-use types, domestic gardens contribute greatly to the overall species richness of both urban and rural settlements. A total of 1424 species were recorded in 598 sample sites for all five settlements and 1524 species were recorded in 256 domestic gardens. The majority of species recorded in the domestic gardens were alien cultivated, while the natural areas contained mostly indigenous species in all five settlements. However, despite the fact domestic gardens provide habitats for biodiversity conservation and support the livelihoods of householders, by introducing and spreading alien species, gardens could threaten natural ecosystems and their services.
    [Show full text]