- Title
- Abundance and correlates of the Acacia dealbata invasion in the northern Eastern Cape, South Africa
- Creator
- Gouws, Aidan J
- Creator
- Shackleton, Charlie M
- Subject
- To be catalogued
- Date Issued
- 2019
- Date
- 2019
- Type
- text
- Type
- article
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/10962/179735
- Identifier
- vital:43165
- Identifier
- xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2018.09.048"
- Description
- An increase in the density and biomass of woody invasive plants contributes to the intensification of ecological impacts and can often be met with dissatisfaction by local communities. Despite their reliance on Acacia dealbata as a source of livelihood, villagers in the northern Eastern Cape have expressed concerns about the high densities of the species. This study sought to quantify the current abundance and growth of A. dealbata in selected landscapes in the northern Eastern Cape, around nine villages in rural Matatiele, Mount Fletcher and Maclear. Standard vegetation survey techniques were adopted to quantify the density, biomass and growth rate of A. dealbata. Overall, the average density, biomass and productivity of A. dealbata were estimated at approximately 7000 stems ha−1, 12 Mg ha−1 and 4 Mg ha−1 year−1, respectively. However, the abundance and productivity of A. dealbata were spatially variable between study areas. Acacia dealbata stems experienced significant growth over the period of a single year, contributing to substantial biomass production at the landscape level, despite continued harvest. Furthermore, relatively few biophysical variables were significantly influential correlates with the abundance of A. dealbata. Indeed, the degree of biological invasion can be highly variable across the landscape, shaped by the interaction of local-scale biophysical conditions.
- Format
- computer
- Format
- online resource
- Format
- application/pdf
- Format
- 1 online resource (12 pages)
- Format
- Publisher
- Elsevier
- Language
- English
- Relation
- Forest Ecology and Management
- Relation
- Gouws, A.J. and Shackleton, C.M., 2019. Abundance and correlates of the Acacia dealbata invasion in the northern Eastern Cape, South Africa. Forest Ecology and Management, 432, pp.455-466.
- Relation
- Forest Ecology and Management volume 432 number p. 455 2019 0378-1127
- Rights
- Publisher
- Rights
- Use of this resource is governed by the terms and conditions of the Elsevier Terms of Use Statement ( https://www.elsevier.com/legal/elsevier-website-terms-and-conditions )
- Rights
- Closed Access
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Collections
RU DST/NRF SARChI for Interdisciplinary Science in Land and Natural Resource Use for Sustainable Livelihoods
RU Department of Environmental Science
Shackleton, Charles Michael (Distinguished Prof)
SDG 15. Life On Land
| Thumbnail | File | Description | Size | Format | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| View Details Download | SOURCE1 | Abundance and correlates of the Acacia dealbata invasion in the northern Eastern Cape, South Africa (1).pdf | 742 KB | Adobe Acrobat PDF | View Details Download |