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The role of nurse plants in the vegetation dynamics of the succulent Karoo
Little is known about the vegetation dynamics of the Karoo region of South Africa. The aim of this study was to focus on the role of the "availability of suitable space" in the regeneration of Succulent Karoo vegetation. By undertaking a series of manipulative experimental transplants and pattern an...
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
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Department of Biological Sciences
2016
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| _version_ | 1867614278769442816 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Beukman, Ruth Pam |
| author2 | Bond, William J |
| author_browse | Beukman, Ruth Pam Bond, William J |
| author_facet | Bond, William J Beukman, Ruth Pam |
| author_sort | Beukman, Ruth Pam |
| collection | Thesis |
| description | Little is known about the vegetation dynamics of the Karoo region of South Africa. The aim of this study was to focus on the role of the "availability of suitable space" in the regeneration of Succulent Karoo vegetation. By undertaking a series of manipulative experimental transplants and pattern analyses, it was shown not only that shrubs in the Karoo facilitate other species by provision of 'sui table space' beneath their canopies, but also that certain shrub species are more effective "nurses" I than others . The plants dependent on nurse plants are referred to as "patient" plants. Not only did the 'main patient species Tylecodon wallichi require nurse plants generally for successful establishment, but this species was also most successful (in terms of reaching maturity) beneath a specific nurse Pteronia pallens. Thus the patient was "nurse specific". In time however, the initial commensal relationship between the nurse and the patient (whereby the patient benefits and the nurse is unaffected) changes to a competitive one, since nurse vigour declines as the patient grows larger. Despite this area being arid, a manipulative experimental investigation revealed that competition between the nurse and the patient was not for water. An examination of the rooting patterns of the two species showed that their root systems were separated in vertical and horizontal space. Though the mechanism of competition between Pteronia and Tylecodon was not resolved in this study, the patient Tylecodon did appear to reduce nurse vigour and ultimately replace the nurse Pteronia pallens. Since specific species associations do exist (i.e. some patient species are nurse specific), the replacement of one species by another (the nurse by its patient) is predictable and so 'succession' at the scale of the individual plant can be said to occur in the Karoo. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/21845 |
| institution | University of Cape Town (South Africa) |
| language | eng |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:49:30.616Z |
| license_str | Not specified — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| publishDate | 2016 |
| publishDateRange | 2016 |
| publishDateSort | 2016 |
| publisher | Department of Biological Sciences |
| publisherStr | Department of Biological Sciences |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| spelling | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/21845 The role of nurse plants in the vegetation dynamics of the succulent Karoo Beukman, Ruth Pam Bond, William J Botany Little is known about the vegetation dynamics of the Karoo region of South Africa. The aim of this study was to focus on the role of the "availability of suitable space" in the regeneration of Succulent Karoo vegetation. By undertaking a series of manipulative experimental transplants and pattern analyses, it was shown not only that shrubs in the Karoo facilitate other species by provision of 'sui table space' beneath their canopies, but also that certain shrub species are more effective "nurses" I than others . The plants dependent on nurse plants are referred to as "patient" plants. Not only did the 'main patient species Tylecodon wallichi require nurse plants generally for successful establishment, but this species was also most successful (in terms of reaching maturity) beneath a specific nurse Pteronia pallens. Thus the patient was "nurse specific". In time however, the initial commensal relationship between the nurse and the patient (whereby the patient benefits and the nurse is unaffected) changes to a competitive one, since nurse vigour declines as the patient grows larger. Despite this area being arid, a manipulative experimental investigation revealed that competition between the nurse and the patient was not for water. An examination of the rooting patterns of the two species showed that their root systems were separated in vertical and horizontal space. Though the mechanism of competition between Pteronia and Tylecodon was not resolved in this study, the patient Tylecodon did appear to reduce nurse vigour and ultimately replace the nurse Pteronia pallens. Since specific species associations do exist (i.e. some patient species are nurse specific), the replacement of one species by another (the nurse by its patient) is predictable and so 'succession' at the scale of the individual plant can be said to occur in the Karoo. 2016-09-20T12:34:54Z 2016-09-20T12:34:54Z 1991 Master Thesis Masters MSc http://hdl.handle.net/11427/21845 eng application/pdf Department of Biological Sciences Faculty of Science University of Cape Town |
| spellingShingle | Botany Beukman, Ruth Pam The role of nurse plants in the vegetation dynamics of the succulent Karoo |
| thesis_degree_str | Master's |
| title | The role of nurse plants in the vegetation dynamics of the succulent Karoo |
| title_full | The role of nurse plants in the vegetation dynamics of the succulent Karoo |
| title_fullStr | The role of nurse plants in the vegetation dynamics of the succulent Karoo |
| title_full_unstemmed | The role of nurse plants in the vegetation dynamics of the succulent Karoo |
| title_short | The role of nurse plants in the vegetation dynamics of the succulent Karoo |
| title_sort | role of nurse plants in the vegetation dynamics of the succulent karoo |
| topic | Botany |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/11427/21845 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT beukmanruthpam theroleofnurseplantsinthevegetationdynamicsofthesucculentkaroo AT beukmanruthpam roleofnurseplantsinthevegetationdynamicsofthesucculentkaroo |