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The influence of fire severity on recruitment of fynbos with particular emphasis on seed size : a field study in the Cape Peninsula
Fifty-two sites throughout the Cape Peninsula area burnt in the January 2000 fires were sampled to investigate the effects of fire severity on the recruitment of invasive and fynbos plants with particular emphasis on seed size. Four hundred fynbos species were divided into big- (>l0mg) and small-...
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
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Department of Biological Sciences
2017
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| _version_ | 1867613164313509888 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Botha, Susan |
| author2 | Bond, William J |
| author_browse | Bond, William J Botha, Susan |
| author_facet | Bond, William J Botha, Susan |
| author_sort | Botha, Susan |
| collection | Thesis |
| description | Fifty-two sites throughout the Cape Peninsula area burnt in the January 2000 fires were sampled to investigate the effects of fire severity on the recruitment of invasive and fynbos plants with particular emphasis on seed size. Four hundred fynbos species were divided into big- (>l0mg) and small-seeded (<10mg) species. Different measurements of burnt plant skeletons were examined to find the most appropriate indicator of the biological effects of a fire. It was found that the measurement of thinnest branch diameter of plant species with similar growth forms can be used as estimates of fire severity. Seedling density of fynbos species decline with an increase in fire severity, whereas recruitment of alien seedlings is not affected by fire severity. Big-seeded species and seedlings showed no significant correlation with fire severity, whereas the density of small-seeded species and seedlings correlated significantly with fire severity. It is likely that variations in fire severity that influences the depth to which seeds are killed will affect the ability of small seeds to emerge. High severity burns may thus have a different community composition by favouring the survival of big-seeded species. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/25912 |
| institution | University of Cape Town (South Africa) |
| language | eng |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:31:47.142Z |
| license_str | Not specified — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| publishDate | 2017 |
| publishDateRange | 2017 |
| publishDateSort | 2017 |
| 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:11427/25912 The influence of fire severity on recruitment of fynbos with particular emphasis on seed size : a field study in the Cape Peninsula Botha, Susan Bond, William J Botany Plant Ecology Fifty-two sites throughout the Cape Peninsula area burnt in the January 2000 fires were sampled to investigate the effects of fire severity on the recruitment of invasive and fynbos plants with particular emphasis on seed size. Four hundred fynbos species were divided into big- (>l0mg) and small-seeded (<10mg) species. Different measurements of burnt plant skeletons were examined to find the most appropriate indicator of the biological effects of a fire. It was found that the measurement of thinnest branch diameter of plant species with similar growth forms can be used as estimates of fire severity. Seedling density of fynbos species decline with an increase in fire severity, whereas recruitment of alien seedlings is not affected by fire severity. Big-seeded species and seedlings showed no significant correlation with fire severity, whereas the density of small-seeded species and seedlings correlated significantly with fire severity. It is likely that variations in fire severity that influences the depth to which seeds are killed will affect the ability of small seeds to emerge. High severity burns may thus have a different community composition by favouring the survival of big-seeded species. 2017-10-30T13:38:44Z 2017-10-30T13:38:44Z 2001 2017-03-09T13:17:28Z Bachelor Thesis Honours BSc (Hons) http://hdl.handle.net/11427/25912 eng application/pdf Department of Biological Sciences Faculty of Science University of Cape Town |
| spellingShingle | Botany Plant Ecology Botha, Susan The influence of fire severity on recruitment of fynbos with particular emphasis on seed size : a field study in the Cape Peninsula |
| thesis_degree_str | Bachelor's / Honours |
| title | The influence of fire severity on recruitment of fynbos with particular emphasis on seed size : a field study in the Cape Peninsula |
| title_full | The influence of fire severity on recruitment of fynbos with particular emphasis on seed size : a field study in the Cape Peninsula |
| title_fullStr | The influence of fire severity on recruitment of fynbos with particular emphasis on seed size : a field study in the Cape Peninsula |
| title_full_unstemmed | The influence of fire severity on recruitment of fynbos with particular emphasis on seed size : a field study in the Cape Peninsula |
| title_short | The influence of fire severity on recruitment of fynbos with particular emphasis on seed size : a field study in the Cape Peninsula |
| title_sort | influence of fire severity on recruitment of fynbos with particular emphasis on seed size a field study in the cape peninsula |
| topic | Botany Plant Ecology |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/11427/25912 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT bothasusan theinfluenceoffireseverityonrecruitmentoffynboswithparticularemphasisonseedsizeafieldstudyinthecapepeninsula AT bothasusan influenceoffireseverityonrecruitmentoffynboswithparticularemphasisonseedsizeafieldstudyinthecapepeninsula |