Canopy plant composition and structure of Cape subtropical dune thicket are predicted by the levels of fire exposure.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The subtropical dune thicket (hereafter "dune thicket") of the Cape Floristic Region experiences a wide range of fire exposure throughout the landscape, unlike other dry rainforest formations that rarely experience fire. We sought to determine how fire exposure influences species composition and the architectural composition of dune thicket.

Methods

We used multivariate analysis and diversity indices based on cover abundance of species to describe the species composition, architectural guild composition and structure of dune thicket sites subject to different levels of fire exposure, namely low (fire return interval of >100 years), moderate (fire return interval of 50-100 years), and high (fire return interval of 10-50 years).

Results

The diversity, cover a

SUBMITTER: Strydom T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9651048 | biostudies-literature | 2022

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature