Fj Kruger

Mediterranean-type ecosystems : the role of nutrients

Section I. Evolution and Character of Mediterranean-Type Ecosystems.- 1. The Comparative Evolution of Mediterranean-Type Ecosystems: A Southern Perspective.- 2. Mediterranean-Type Heathlands and Sclerophyllous Shrublands of the World: An Overview.- 3. Ecological Control of the Vegetation of Southwestern Australia: Moisture versus Nutrients.- 4. Influence of Nutrients on the Composition and Distribution of Plant Communities in Mediterranean-Type Ecosystems of Israel.- 5. Approaches to the Definition of Mediterranean Growth Forms.- Section II. Plant Form and Function.- 6. Carbon-Gaining Capacity and Allocation Patterns of Mediterranean-Climate Plants.- 7. Moisture Regime and Nutrient Control of Seasonal Growth in Mediterranean Ecosystems.- 8. Canopy Structure of Mediterranean-Type Shrubs in Relation to Heat and Moisture.- 9. Carbon and Nitrogen Economy of Diplacus aurantiacus, a Californian Mediterranean-Climate Drought-Deciduous Shrub.- Section III. Nutrient Cycling.- 10. Nutrient Cycling in Australian Heath and South African Fynbos.- 11. Impact of Fire on Nutrient Cycles in Mediterranean-Type Ecosystems with Reference to Chaparral.- 12. Decomposition and Mineralization Processes in Mediterranean-Type Ecosystems and in Heathlands of Similar Structure.- 13. The Effects of Different Fire Regimes on Soil Nutrient Levels in Quercus coccifera Garrigue.- Section IV. Plant Nutrition.- 14. Strategies for Maximizing Nutrient Uptake in Two Mediterranean Ecosystems of Low Nutrient Status.- 15. The Effects of Fire on Photosynthesis in Chaparral Resprouts.- 16. Mineral Nutrient and Nonstructural Carbon Pools in Shrubs from Mediterranean-Type Ecosystems of California and Chile.- 17. Comparative Phenology of Mediterranean-Type Plant Communities.- Section V. Community Patterns and Diversity.- 18. Some Thoughts on Resource Competition and Diversity in Plant Communities.- 19. On Alpha Diversity and the Richness of the Cape Flora: A Study in Southern Cape Fynbos.- 20. Continental Diversity Patterns and Convergent Evolution in Bird Communities.- 21. Distribution and Species Diversity of Birds and Plants in Fynbos Vegetation of Mediterranean-Climate Zone, South Africa.- 22. Plant Community Structure - Spatial Partitioning of Resources.- 23. Plant Community Diversity and Dynamics in Relation to Fire.- 24. Mammal Species Diversity in Australian Heathlands: the Importance of Pyric Succession and Habitat Diversity.- 25. Animal Demography in Relation to Fire and Shortage of Food: Some Indicative Models.- Section VI. Plant-Animal Interactions.- 26. The Role of Sclerophyllous Leaves in Determining Insect Grazing Damage.- 27. Defoliation Patterns in Matorral Ecosystems.

Fire in Fynbos

Fires in fynbos are frequent, spectacular and alarming. They often cause considerable economic loss, as when 21 houses were lost in the Betty’s Bay fire of 1970. Great fires, such as those in the region between Swellendam and Port Elizabeth in 1869, are cardinal in the history of land management in the zone and the lessons from them are embedded in the manager’s lore. To the biologist the consequences of fire often seem disastrous. It is hard for an observer to imagine that the blackened waste to be seen after a fynbos fire is merely a stage in the cycle of regeneration and development of such rich and attractive communities.

Ecological research and conservation management in the Cape Floristic Region between 1945 and 2015: History, current understanding and future challenges

In 1945, the Royal Society of South Africa published a wide-ranging report, prepared by a committee led by Dr C.L. Wicht, dealing with the preservation of the globally unique and highly diverse vegetation of the south-western Cape. The publication of the Wicht Committee’s report signalled the initiation of a research programme aimed at understanding, and ultimately protecting, the unique and diverse ecosystems of the Cape Floristic Region. This programme has continued for over 70 years, and it constitutes the longest history of concerted scientific endeavour aimed at the conservation of an entire region and its constituent biota. This monograph has been prepared to mark the 70th anniversary of the Wicht Committee report. It provides a detailed overview of the circumstances that led up to the Wicht Committee’s report, and the historical context within which it was written. It traces the development of new and substantial scientific understanding over the past 70 years, particularly with regard to catchment hydrology, fire ecology, invasive alien plant ecology, the harvesting of plant material and conservation planning. The Wicht Committee’s report also made recommendations about ecosystem management, particularly with regard to the use of fire and the control of invasive alien plants, as well as for the establishment of protected areas. Subsequently, a combination of changing conservation philosophies and scientific conservation planning led to the creation and expansion of a network of protected areas that now covers nearly 19% of the Cape Floristic Region. We also review aspects of climate change, most of which could not have been foreseen by the Wicht Committee. We conclude that those responsible for the conservation of these ecosystems will face many challenges in the 21st century. These will include finding ways for effectively managing invasive alien plants and fires, as foreseen by the Wicht Committee. While the protected area network has expanded beyond the modest targets proposed by the Wicht Committee, funding has not kept pace with this expansion, with consequences for the ability to effectively manage protected areas. The research environment has also shifted away from long-term research conducted by scientists embedded in management agencies, to short-term studies conducted largely by academic institutions. This has removed a significant benefit that was gained from the long-term partnership between research and management that characterised the modis operandus of the Department of Forestry. Growing levels of illegal resource use and a changing global climate also pose new challenges that were not foreseen by the Wicht Committee.