The efficient use of small plots in a fynbos phytosociological study in the northern Cederberg: a quick way to collect plant-environmental data

A phytosociological survey of selected plant communities in the northern Cederberg was made using small (4-16 m') plot sizes. A satisfactory phytosociological table was obtained, and plant-environmental relationships were inferred from it. The use of small plot sizes enabled ecological information about plant communities to be quickly, easily and efficiently obtained. This method could be of considerable use for establishing and monitoring vegetation patterns

Vegetation classification in a floristically complex area: the Agulhas Plain

The vegetation of the Agulhas Plain was classified and described using Campbell’s (1985) approach. Data collected included a subset of Campbell’s structural and higher taxon characters, as well as dominant (10% cover) species, which would enable the recognition of communities to at least the sub-series level in his hierarchy. The classification was produced using the Braun–Blanquet method of table sorting. Nine zonal communities, at various hierarchical levels, were recognized and mapped. Non-fynbos communities included Forest & Thicket, and Renoster Shrubland. Fynbos communities, which covered most of the study area, were Mesotrophic Asteraceous Fynbos, Dune Asteraceous Fynbos, Dry Restioid Fynbos, Protea repens Proteoid Fynbos, Protea obtusifolia–Leucadendron meridianum/P. susannae–L. coniferum Proteoid Fynbos, L. platyspermum–P. compacta–L. xanthoconus Proteoid Fynbos and Mesic Ericaceous Fynbos. It was not possible to classify Forest & Thicket below the group level while a new concept (Dune Asteraceous Fynbos) was developed at the sub-series level. In all other respects the largely lowland vegetation of the Agulhas Plain could be integrated with Campbell’s Fynbos Biome mountain vegetation concepts. This study therefore demolished any justification for retaining a lowland fynbos vegetation concept. Since we utilized the skills of a number of trained botanists in collecting easily recognizable structural, and limited floristic data, the entire study was completed in under 18months. The mapped communities are adequate for conservation planning and comprise an essential descriptive basis for future studies on the evolution and maintenance of species diversity on the Agulhas Plain. The efficiency and effectiveness of our approach makes it suitable as a model for rapid vegetation classification of the much-threatened vegetation of the fynbos biome lowlands

Phosphorus accumulation in Proteaceae seeds: a synthesis

The family Proteaceae dominates the nutrient-poor, Mediterranean-climate floristic regions of southwestern Australia (SWA) and the Cape of South Africa. It is well-recognised that mediterranean Proteaceae have comparatively large seeds that are enriched with phosphorus (P), stored mainly as salts of phytic acid in protein globoids. Seed P can contribute up to 48% of the total aboveground P, with the fraction allocated depending on the species fire response. For SWA species, 70–80% of P allocated to fruiting structures is invested in seeds, compared with 30–75% for Cape species, with SWA species storing on average 4.7 times more P per seed at twice the concentration. When soil P is less limiting for growth, seed P reserves may be less important for seedling establishment, and hence plants there tend to produce smaller seeds with less P. For Australian Hakea and Grevillea species the translocation of P from the fruit wall to the seed occurs in the days/ weeks before final fruit dry mass is reached, and accounts for 4–36% of seed P. Seed P content increases with the level of serotiny, though it decreases marginally as a fraction of the total reproductive structure. The greater occurrence of serotiny and higher seed P content within the Proteaceae in SWA supports the notion that SWA soils are more P-impoverished than those of the Cape