Fire in South African Mountain Fynbos

1. Front Matter

   Pages I-XXI

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2. The Swartboskloof Experimental Site

   • B. W. van Wilgen, D. J. McDonald

   Pages 1-20

3. The Climate of Swartboskloof

   • D. B. Versfeld, D. M. Richardson, B. W. van Wilgen, R. A. Chapman, G. G. Forsyth

   Pages 21-36

4. Fuel Properties of Vegetation in Swartboskloof

   • B. W. van Wilgen, H. J. van Hensbergen

   Pages 37-53

5. Regeneration Strategies in Fynbos Plants and Their Influence on the Stability of Community Boundaries After Fire

   • B. W. van Wilgen, G. G. Forsyth

   Pages 54-80

6. Is Fynbos a Stage in Succession to Forest? Analysis of the Perceived Ecological Distinction Between Two Communities

   • P. T. Manders, D. M. Richardson, P. H. Masson

   Pages 81-107

7. Coexistence of Seeders and Sprouters in a Fire-Prone Environment: the Role of Ecophysiology and Soil Moisture

   • R. E. Smith, B. W. van Wilgen, G. G. Forsyth, D. M. Richardson

   Pages 108-122

8. The Relative Advantages of Seeding and Sprouting in Fire-Prone Environments: a Comparison of Life Histories of Protea neriifolia and Protea nitida

   • D. C. Le Maitre

   Pages 123-144

9. Life Cycles and Fire-Stimulated Flowering in Geophytes

   • D. C. Le Maitre, P. J. Brown

   Pages 145-160

10. Why Is Mountain Fynbos Invasible and Which Species Invade?

    • D. M. Richardson, R. M. Cowling

    Pages 161-181

11. Do Small Mammals Govern Vegetation Recovery After Fire in Fynbos?

    • H. J. van Hensbergen, S. A. Botha, G. G. Forsyth, D. C. Le Maitre

    Pages 182-202

12. The Influence of Fire, Vegetation Age and Argentine Ants (Iridomyrmex humilis) on Ant Communities in Swartboskloof

    • A. E. De Kock, J. H. Giliomee, K. L. Pringle, J. D. Majer

    Pages 203-215

13. The Effects of Fire on Soil Water Repellency, Catchment Sediment Yields and Streamflow

    • D. F. Scott, D. B. van Wyk

    Pages 216-239

14. Fire and Catchment Chemical Budgets

    • D. B. van Wyk, W. Lesch, W. D. Stock

    Pages 240-257

15. Soil Microorganisms and Activities in Relation to Season, Soil Factors and Fire

    • C. A. van Reenen, G. J. Visser, M. A. Loos

    Pages 258-272

16. Ecosystem, Community and Species Response to Fire in Mountain Fynbos: Conclusions from the Swartboskloof Experiment

    • D. M. Richardson, B. W. van Wilgen

    Pages 273-284

17. Back Matter

    Pages 285-325

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Ecologists are increasingly being drawn into the task of addressing problems of environmental degradation. They are expected to find solutions that will lead to sustainable resource use throughout the world. In doing so, the robustness of the science becomes increasingly important, and the problem of extrapolating the results of research conducted within what is usually a relatively limited geographical scope is increasingly highlighted. One approach to developing a globally robust ecology involves more or less formal intercontinental comparative studies, usually focused on the question of ecological convergence. These studies are directed at testing the prediction that similar physical and other environmental factors in different parts of the world, through their selective influences, will give rise to ecosystems which share com­ mon structural and functional features. Should this be true, the predictive power of ecology developed within such a framework should be sufficient to solve similar problems elsewhere in such biomes. There is a long history of such an approach in mediterranean­ type ecosystems, documented in a series of volumes and their accompanying scientific papers beginning with that of Di Castri and Mooney (1973).

• Feuer
• Südafrika
• Vegetation
• Vegetation succession
• biology
• climate
• cyclin
• ecology
• ecosystem
• invasion biology
• mammals
• nutrient cycling
• soil
• sustainability
• Ökologie
• air pollution and air quality

• Division of Forest Science and Technology, CSIR, Jonkershoek Forestry Research Centre, Stellenbosch, South Africa

  Brian W. Wilgen, David M. Richardson

• Division of Forest Science and Technology, CSIR, Pretoria, South Africa

  Frederick J. Kruger

• Department of Nature Conservation Forestry Faculty, University of Stellenbosch, Stellenbosch, South Africa

  Hubertus J. Hensbergen

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