Lantana camara invasion along road-river interchanges and roadsides in Soutpansberg, Vhembe Biosphere Reserve in South Africa
- Ruwanza, Sheunesu, Mhlongo, Edward S
- Authors: Ruwanza, Sheunesu , Mhlongo, Edward S
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/480473 , vital:78445 , https://hdl.handle.net/10520/EJC-1ffe77f0e7
- Description: Roads and rivers act as conduits of alien plant invasion; however, little is known regarding the abundance and invasion extent of Lantana camara, an invasive shrub, along road–river interchanges and roadsides in South Africa. We assessed the effects of road–river interchanges and roadsides as invasion corridors that facilitate L. camara invasion. A road survey method was used to measure the invasion extent of L. camara along road–river interchanges and roadsides from national and regional roads covering 446 km in Soutpansberg, Vhembe Biosphere Reserve, South Africa. L. camara occurred along 21 of the 48 surveyed road–river interchanges and its abundance and cover were similar between road–river interchanges and roadsides, although height and diameter of L. camara were greater along road–river interchanges than roadsides. Other alien species that dominated road–river interchanges were Solanum mauritianum, Caesalpinia decapetala and Rubus rigidus. Our results indicate that L. camara dominates both road–river interchanges and roadsides, therefore roads and bridges should be considered important targets for L. camara control.
- Full Text:
- Authors: Ruwanza, Sheunesu , Mhlongo, Edward S
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/480473 , vital:78445 , https://hdl.handle.net/10520/EJC-1ffe77f0e7
- Description: Roads and rivers act as conduits of alien plant invasion; however, little is known regarding the abundance and invasion extent of Lantana camara, an invasive shrub, along road–river interchanges and roadsides in South Africa. We assessed the effects of road–river interchanges and roadsides as invasion corridors that facilitate L. camara invasion. A road survey method was used to measure the invasion extent of L. camara along road–river interchanges and roadsides from national and regional roads covering 446 km in Soutpansberg, Vhembe Biosphere Reserve, South Africa. L. camara occurred along 21 of the 48 surveyed road–river interchanges and its abundance and cover were similar between road–river interchanges and roadsides, although height and diameter of L. camara were greater along road–river interchanges than roadsides. Other alien species that dominated road–river interchanges were Solanum mauritianum, Caesalpinia decapetala and Rubus rigidus. Our results indicate that L. camara dominates both road–river interchanges and roadsides, therefore roads and bridges should be considered important targets for L. camara control.
- Full Text:
Potential of soil seed bank and ungulate-mediated endozoochory in old field restoration:
- Authors: Ruwanza, Sheunesu
- Date: 2020
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/150216 , vital:38950 , https://0-muse.jhu.edu.wam.seals.ac.za/article/750319/pdf
- Description: Soil seed bank plays a key role in old field restoration because it provides information about plant species that may regenerate (Hopfensperger 2007). Most studies on old field restoration have concentrated on floristic similarities between soil seed bank and standing vegetation (Török et al. 2018). However, investigating the effects of proximity to natural/old field edge (habitat fragmentation border) on soil seed bank could yield better recovery predictions. Proximity to natural/old field edge may favour recruitment of a different plant community than that found in the old field interior. This due to favorable abiotic (e.g., soil moisture) and biotic (e.g., seed dispersal) microenvironments created near the edge. On the other hand, ungulate-mediated endozoochory has been shown to potentially facilitate ecological restoration in degraded systems, given that ungulates disperse diaspores across different landscapes (Baltzinger et al. 2019). However, ungulate-mediated endozoochory dispersal in degraded old fields is affected by several factors that include availability of nearby natural perches that attract dispersers, structural vegetation complexities, presence of food especially fruits, and feeding regimes (Baltzinger et al. 2019).
- Full Text:
- Authors: Ruwanza, Sheunesu
- Date: 2020
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/150216 , vital:38950 , https://0-muse.jhu.edu.wam.seals.ac.za/article/750319/pdf
- Description: Soil seed bank plays a key role in old field restoration because it provides information about plant species that may regenerate (Hopfensperger 2007). Most studies on old field restoration have concentrated on floristic similarities between soil seed bank and standing vegetation (Török et al. 2018). However, investigating the effects of proximity to natural/old field edge (habitat fragmentation border) on soil seed bank could yield better recovery predictions. Proximity to natural/old field edge may favour recruitment of a different plant community than that found in the old field interior. This due to favorable abiotic (e.g., soil moisture) and biotic (e.g., seed dispersal) microenvironments created near the edge. On the other hand, ungulate-mediated endozoochory has been shown to potentially facilitate ecological restoration in degraded systems, given that ungulates disperse diaspores across different landscapes (Baltzinger et al. 2019). However, ungulate-mediated endozoochory dispersal in degraded old fields is affected by several factors that include availability of nearby natural perches that attract dispersers, structural vegetation complexities, presence of food especially fruits, and feeding regimes (Baltzinger et al. 2019).
- Full Text:
Topsoil transfer from natural renosterveld to degraded old fields facilitates native vegetation recovery:
- Authors: Ruwanza, Sheunesu
- Date: 2020
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/148639 , vital:38758 , https://doi.org/10.3390/su12093833
- Description: The transfer of soils from intact vegetation communities to degraded ecosystems is seen as a promising restoration tool aimed at facilitating vegetation recovery. This study examined how topsoil transfer from intact renosterveld to degraded old fields improves vegetation diversity, cover, and composition. Transferred topsoil were overlaid on 30 quadrats, each measuring 1 m2, in May 2009. Eight years following the initial soil transfer, vegetation diversity in the soil transfer site showed an increase towards the natural site compared to the old field site where no soil transfer was administered. Both species richness and cover for trees and shrubs in the soil transfer site increased towards the natural site, though this was not the case for herbs and grasses. One-way analysis of similarity (ANOSIM) showed significant (R = 0.55) separation in community composition between sites. The study concludes that soil transfer from intact renosterveld to degraded old fields is a promising restoration technique because it increases species diversity and cover and facilitates vegetation recovery. A significant restoration implication of this study is that soil transfer introduces key renosterveld native tree and shrub species that can facilitate successful restoration and act as restoration foci or nurse plants.
- Full Text:
- Authors: Ruwanza, Sheunesu
- Date: 2020
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/148639 , vital:38758 , https://doi.org/10.3390/su12093833
- Description: The transfer of soils from intact vegetation communities to degraded ecosystems is seen as a promising restoration tool aimed at facilitating vegetation recovery. This study examined how topsoil transfer from intact renosterveld to degraded old fields improves vegetation diversity, cover, and composition. Transferred topsoil were overlaid on 30 quadrats, each measuring 1 m2, in May 2009. Eight years following the initial soil transfer, vegetation diversity in the soil transfer site showed an increase towards the natural site compared to the old field site where no soil transfer was administered. Both species richness and cover for trees and shrubs in the soil transfer site increased towards the natural site, though this was not the case for herbs and grasses. One-way analysis of similarity (ANOSIM) showed significant (R = 0.55) separation in community composition between sites. The study concludes that soil transfer from intact renosterveld to degraded old fields is a promising restoration technique because it increases species diversity and cover and facilitates vegetation recovery. A significant restoration implication of this study is that soil transfer introduces key renosterveld native tree and shrub species that can facilitate successful restoration and act as restoration foci or nurse plants.
- Full Text:
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