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An investigation of nitrogen cycling processes in a coastal fynbos ecosystem in the South Western Cape Province, South Africa
The Cape Floral Kingdom, known locally as "fynbos", is of great scientific and aesthetic interest as well as being economically important as a water source zone, as a source of flowers for the cut flower industry and as a recreation area. Sound ecological knowledge is required in order to manage and...
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
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Department of Biological Sciences
2016
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| _version_ | 1867613605447335936 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Stock, William David |
| author2 | Lewis, O A M |
| author_browse | Lewis, O A M Stock, William David |
| author_facet | Lewis, O A M Stock, William David |
| author_sort | Stock, William David |
| collection | Thesis |
| description | The Cape Floral Kingdom, known locally as "fynbos", is of great scientific and aesthetic interest as well as being economically important as a water source zone, as a source of flowers for the cut flower industry and as a recreation area. Sound ecological knowledge is required in order to manage and conserve fynbos because the extent of this unique, species-rich, endemic flora has been drastically reduced. Nutrients, in particular nitrogen and phosphorus, have been identified as being of crucial importance in the structure and functioning of fynbos ecosystems because of the nutrient poor substrates upon which this vegetation type exists. This study has concentrated on the following aspects of the nitrogen cycle which are considered to be important in describing the functioning of a coastal fynbos ecosystem: a) The nitrogen status of soils supporting coastal fynbos. b) The forms of nitrogen and the seasonal changes in nitrogen concentrations in these soils. c) The influence of fire disturbance on nitrogen form and concentration in these soils. d) An investigation of the nitrogen mineralization process in these soils in relation to control by physical factors, successional age of the stand and the impact of fire on this process. e) The uptake and utilization of different forms of nitrogen by characteristic species of fynbos vegetation. f) The importance of internal recycling of nitrogen as an adaptation to the low nutrient soils of the area. g) The role of atmospheric inputs of nitrogen to the ecosystem, in particular the importance of this source in replacing nitrogen lost during recurrent fires. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/21933 |
| institution | University of Cape Town (South Africa) |
| language | eng |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:38:48.486Z |
| 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:11427/21933 An investigation of nitrogen cycling processes in a coastal fynbos ecosystem in the South Western Cape Province, South Africa Stock, William David Lewis, O A M Botany The Cape Floral Kingdom, known locally as "fynbos", is of great scientific and aesthetic interest as well as being economically important as a water source zone, as a source of flowers for the cut flower industry and as a recreation area. Sound ecological knowledge is required in order to manage and conserve fynbos because the extent of this unique, species-rich, endemic flora has been drastically reduced. Nutrients, in particular nitrogen and phosphorus, have been identified as being of crucial importance in the structure and functioning of fynbos ecosystems because of the nutrient poor substrates upon which this vegetation type exists. This study has concentrated on the following aspects of the nitrogen cycle which are considered to be important in describing the functioning of a coastal fynbos ecosystem: a) The nitrogen status of soils supporting coastal fynbos. b) The forms of nitrogen and the seasonal changes in nitrogen concentrations in these soils. c) The influence of fire disturbance on nitrogen form and concentration in these soils. d) An investigation of the nitrogen mineralization process in these soils in relation to control by physical factors, successional age of the stand and the impact of fire on this process. e) The uptake and utilization of different forms of nitrogen by characteristic species of fynbos vegetation. f) The importance of internal recycling of nitrogen as an adaptation to the low nutrient soils of the area. g) The role of atmospheric inputs of nitrogen to the ecosystem, in particular the importance of this source in replacing nitrogen lost during recurrent fires. 2016-09-25T16:51:48Z 2016-09-25T16:51:48Z 1985 Doctoral Thesis Doctoral PhD http://hdl.handle.net/11427/21933 eng application/pdf Department of Biological Sciences Faculty of Science University of Cape Town |
| spellingShingle | Botany Stock, William David An investigation of nitrogen cycling processes in a coastal fynbos ecosystem in the South Western Cape Province, South Africa |
| thesis_degree_str | Doctoral |
| title | An investigation of nitrogen cycling processes in a coastal fynbos ecosystem in the South Western Cape Province, South Africa |
| title_full | An investigation of nitrogen cycling processes in a coastal fynbos ecosystem in the South Western Cape Province, South Africa |
| title_fullStr | An investigation of nitrogen cycling processes in a coastal fynbos ecosystem in the South Western Cape Province, South Africa |
| title_full_unstemmed | An investigation of nitrogen cycling processes in a coastal fynbos ecosystem in the South Western Cape Province, South Africa |
| title_short | An investigation of nitrogen cycling processes in a coastal fynbos ecosystem in the South Western Cape Province, South Africa |
| title_sort | investigation of nitrogen cycling processes in a coastal fynbos ecosystem in the south western cape province south africa |
| topic | Botany |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/11427/21933 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT stockwilliamdavid aninvestigationofnitrogencyclingprocessesinacoastalfynbosecosysteminthesouthwesterncapeprovincesouthafrica AT stockwilliamdavid investigationofnitrogencyclingprocessesinacoastalfynbosecosysteminthesouthwesterncapeprovincesouthafrica |