Aspects of the syntaxonomy and synecology of the grasslands of southern KwaZulu-Natal

[摘要] The Grassland biome of South Africa is ofmajor importance to this country's agriculture,mining and conservation practices. The extent of urbanisation and economic activity withinthis biome has led to the destruction or alteration of large areas of it, and concerns over thishave led to the formation of a Grasslands Biome Project. A primary objective of the project isto improve our understanding of the workings of grassland systems, so that land use planningand conservation practices can be facilitated.The identification and description of major vegetation types and subtypes in the grasslands ofsouthern KwaZulu-Natal forms part ofthis study. A total of547 sample riots were randomlydistributed over an area of 14 000 km 2 between Estcourt and the Eastern Cape border.Stratification was based on Turner's Physiographic Regions ( 1967), Phillips' BioclimaticSubregions ( 1973 ), and terrain units. The vegetation was classified by means of TWINSP ANand Braun-Blanquet procedures. Altogether 27 plant communities and 41 sub-communitieswere identified, described phytosociologically and ecologically interpreted. The diversity ofthese grassland communities was compared to that of grasslands in other parts of the country,and their conservation status was assessed in terms of land utilisation, endemism andbiodiversity.

[发布机构] University of Pretoria