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Made available in DSpace on 2015-04-17T14:55:20Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 arquivototal.pdf: 4002692 bytes, checksum: 85600be9b689a4e4048b5414df434ab6 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-08-23 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / Studies related to litter dynamics are important to comprehend decomposing deciduos material, nutrients cycling, succession patterns, ecological disturbance and environmental variables interactions in terrestrial ecosystems. In opposition to Caatinga's degradation speed, a lack of studies related to litter production dynamics is observed. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate climatic factors (rainfall and evapotranspiration) and vegetation effects over temporal and spatial dynamics of litter production in Brazilian Northeastern's semiarid. A phytosociologic survey was performed in Paraiba's Cariri in 12 sampling areas. Two 1 m2 collectors (with 0,15 m3) were placed about 50 m distant from each other in order to estimate litter monthly production between November 2009 and 2011. Litter deposition values observed in this study varied between 3430 and 4600 kg.ha-1.year-1. Litter production was significantly bigger in the second year of survey and it varied between months in both years. Intra-annual variation was positive to total litter production, showing peaks of litterfall in dry period about three or four months after the greatest rates of monthly rainfall. While reproductive structures and branches corresponded to 14% and miscellany from 3% to 5%, leaves, which represented more than 60% of the total, corresponded to the predominant part of litter. Litter production was significantly different between areas so as each of its parts. The density of plant species, vegetation height and trunk diameter at ground were responsible for 79% of annual litter production in those different areas. Results reveal that litter production in Caatinga have a spatiotemporal heterogeneity, which is related to climate and vegetation and must provide effects over substratum in edaphic microorganisms activities and, consequently, in edaphic conditions and nutrients availability. Therefore, in Caatinga, associations of spatial variations in microhabitats conditions and inter-annual variations could interfere in the offering period of floral resource, substrate nutrients availability and, possibly, in the behavior of substrate-using animals. / Apesar do reconhecimento de que a fauna seja importante na ciclagem de nutrientes, as suas relações com a decomposição da serrapilheira ainda são pouco conhecidas em ambientes semiáridos. O objetivo deste estudo foi investigar o efeito espacial e temporal das condições do habitat e dos microartrópodes do solo sobre a decomposição na Caatinga. No Cariri paraibano, entre novembro de 2009 e outubro de 2011, a taxa de decomposição foliar foi avaliada através de dois transectos com 30 bolsas de serrapilheira, com 10±0,5 g de folhas de Caesalpinia pyramidalis e Croton blanchetianus, em igual proporção, distribuídos em 12 áreas de amostragem. No transecto denominado controle, as bolsas foram preenchidas apenas com folhas, enquanto no segundo transecto, denominado fauna-reduzida, além das folhas, as bolsas de serrapilheira apresentavam cerca de 30 bolas de naftalina (~33,2 g), para avaliação do efeito da fauna sobre a decomposição. No primeiro ano, a taxa de decomposição foi menor independentemente do período de exposição, sendo decomposto cerca de 32%, 47% e 63% em 120, 240 e 360 dias, respectivamente. Enquanto, no segundo ano, a perda de massa foi de 45%, 54% e 73%, respectivamente. A taxa de decomposição correlacionou-se com a precipitação (acumulada) e a evapotranspiração (acumulada). Analisando os efeitos da fauna de microartrópodes e de cada área de amostragem sobre a taxa de decomposição, verificou-se que estes fatores tanto atuam isoladamente, quanto de forma conjunta sobre esse processo, entre os diferentes períodos de exposição (120, 240, 360 dias). A riqueza de espécies, densidade, altura da vegetação e o diâmetro do tronco à altura do solo (DTS), a serrapilheira produzida e o efeito da fauna, juntas, explicaram 91% da taxa de decomposição anual da serrapilheira, porém o DTS foi à única variável não significativa neste modelo. A precipitação e ETR tem efeito chave sobre a decomposição, pois além de atuarem sobre as perdas por lixiviação de compostos lábeis solúveis em água, estes fatores influenciam a vegetação, a produção de serrapilheira e a fauna decompositora e, portanto, desencadeiam estímulos sobre diferentes fatores, que atuam sobre o processo de decomposição. Este experimento mostrou que a decomposição de plantas pode ser influenciada por fatores bióticos em uma Floresta Tropical Seca, como a Caatinga, e que a decomposição não pode ser explicada apenas pelo clima e pela qualidade do substrato, visto que no sistema solo-serrapilheira, a vegetação e os organismos edáficos são fatores críticos na manutenção e disponibilidade de nutrientes.

Le cacaoyer (Theobroma cacao, L.) est cultivé dans les tropiques humides d'Amérique latine, d'Afrique et d'Asie. Principale source de revenus d'une agriculture essentiellement familiale, les systèmes agroforestiers à base de cacaoyers fournissent de nombreux services écologiques et contribuent à la conservation de la biodiversité. Ces systèmes associent plantes ligneuses et cultures de manière simultanée, dans une gamme importante et peu décrite de richesses et de structures botaniques. Les connaissances actuelles sur leur productivité se limitent à des essais en milieu contrôlé associant un petit nombre d'espèces. Nos travaux testent l'hypothèse d'une relation de compromis entre le niveau de productivité des cacaoyers et le niveau de biodiversité hébergée par les agroforêts à base de cacaoyers. Nous caractérisons ces compromis sur un gradient de situations de production paysannes, reposant sur la structure verticale, l'intensité de gestion de la composante végétale et le contexte bio-physique des agro-systèmes étudiés. Sur un dispositif de 36 cacaoyères paysannes situées dans la région de Talamanca, Costa Rica, nous montrons que des variations significatives de la structure végétale reflètent les modes de gestion de la parcelle et affectent le rendement par cacaoyer (295 à 667g/arbre/an) mais pas le rendement en cacao (136 kg/ha/an), ni le volume végétal global (400 m3/ha). Ces variations de la structure végétale affectent peu la diversité α des peuplements de plantes associées, d'épiphytes, d'amphibiens, de reptiles, de mamifères, d'invertébrés du sol et de la litière, mais leur diversité β répond de manière contrastée à ces variations d'habitat. Les relations de compromis que nous mettons finalement en évidence entre la productivité en cacao marchand à l'hectare ou à l'arbre et les niveaux de biodiversité atteints sont de nature (linéaire, cubique, quadratique) et de tendances (négative, postive) contrastées selon le taxon considéré et remettent en cause les résultats de certains travaux récents. Nos travaux dévoilent également des situations de compromis optimales, offrant des perspectives positives pour l'intensification écologique des systèmes agroforestiers tropicaux. / Cacao (Theobroma cacao, L.) is cultivated in the humid tropics of Latin America, Africa and Asia. Cocoa-based agroforestry systems are the main source of income for smallholders' families and provide numerous ecological services and contribute to biodiversity conservation. These systems associate trees with crops simultaneously, in a wide and poorly described range of botanical and structural plant diversity. The current knowledge about their productivity is restricted to controlled trials with a low numer of associated plant species. Our work tests the hypothesis of a trade-off relationship between the level of cocoa productivity and the level of biodiversity hosted in cocoa-based agroforests. We characterize these trade-offs on a gradient of production situations, based on the vertical structure, the management intensity of the vegetal component and the bio-physical context of cocoa-based agroforests. On the base of a 36 on farm cocoa plots network located in Talamanca, Costa Rica, we show that significant variations in the vegetation vertical structure reflect farmer's management strategies and affect the cocoa yield per tree (295 to 667g/tree/year) but neither the cocoa yield per plot (136 kg/ha/year), nor the global plant volume (400 m3/ha). The variations in vegetation structure poorly affected the α-diversity of 7 plant and animal taxa, but their β-diversity gave contrasted and significant responses to habitat variations. Finally, the trade-offs relationships we display between dry cocoa productivity per hectare or per tree and the observed biodiversity levels showed contrasted forms (cubic, quadratic, linear) and tendances (positive, negative) according to the taxa considered and question results from recent publications. Our work also revealed optimal trade-off situations which offer positive prospects for the ecological intensification of tropical agroforestry systems.

Dans les paysages agricoles, les habitats non cultivés constituent une source importante pour l’entomofaune auxiliaire de cultures. Il est donc important d’adapter la gestion de ces habitats afin de bénéficier au mieux des services fournis par la diversité de ces auxiliaires. L’objectif de cette thèse est de comprendre comment la gestion des bandes enherbées permet d’améliorer le service du contrôle biologique délivré par les carabes. Nous avons d’abord examiné par quels mécanismes, les changements dans la diversité fonctionnelle des carabes augmentent leur capacité de suppression de ravageurs. Ainsi, a été comparée au laboratoire, l’efficience de prédation sur une population de proie, par des assemblages de carabes qui ont différents niveaux de diversité de taille. Par ailleurs, à travers une expérimentation mise en place dans des champs de céréales, nous avons étudié les effets de cinq modes de gestion des bandes enherbées sur la structure végétale de ces habitats non cultivés, et par conséquent sur la structure des communautés carabiques. Nos résultats révèlent l’absence d’une partition de ressources entre les carabes de tailles différentes. La quantité et de la taille de proies consommées augmente avec la taille des carabes. La suppression des proies a ainsi été fortement augmentée par la présence des carabes de grande taille dans les assemblages. Ces résultats suggèrent que l’augmentation de la diversité de taille chez les carabes augmente leur efficience de prédation par l’effet d’échantillonnage. Nous avons mis en évidence une redondance fonctionnelle entre les espèces de carabes. Cette redondance permet de réduire la variabilité spatio-temporelle dans la fonction de régulation exercée sur les populations de ravageurs. L’importance des bandes enherbées en tant qu’habitat pour plusieurs espèces de carabes importantes pour le contrôle biologique, a été mise en évidence. La gestion influence les carabes seulement dans les bandes enherbées. La diversité fonctionnelle des plantes au sein de ces bandes enherbées a été identifiée comme le principal facteur favorisant la richesse spécifique des carabes. L’activité-densité des carabes a, par ailleurs, été favorisée par une végétation peu hétérogène et un pourcentage élevé de sol nu. Les carabes de tailles différentes divergent dans leur réponse à la structure de la végétation. Cette divergence semble être liée aussi à la variation d'autres traits d'histoire de vie des espèces (i.e. régime alimentaire). Les connaissances et les résultats produits dans le cadre de ce travail de thèse, serviront au développement d’indicateurs mesurant l’impact des pratiques de gestion sur le contrôle biologique exercé par les carabes / In the agricultural landscapes, non cropped habitats are an important source for the beneficial entomofauna of crops. It is therefore important to adapt the management of these habitats to best benefit of the services provided by the diversity of this beneficial entomfauna. The objective of this thesis is to understand how field margin management could improve the biological control service delivered by ground beetles. First, we examined by which mechanisms, changes in the functional diversity of ground beetles increases their capacity of pest suppression. Thus, efficiency of predation by ground beetle assemblages, which have different levels of body size diversity, on a prey population was compared in the laboratory. Also, through an experiment installed in cereal fields, we studied the effects of five field margin management on the vegetation structure of these non cropped habitats, and therefore on the structure of ground beetle communities. Our results revealed the absence of resource partitioning among the different-sized ground beetles. The amount and size of prey consumed increased with increasing ground beetle body size. Prey suppression was, therefore, strongly strengthened by the presence of large ground beetles in the assemblages. These results suggest that increasing ground beetles size diversity increases their predation efficiency through the sampling effect. We have showed a functional redundancy among species of ground beetles. This redundancy could reduce the spatial and temporal variability in pest suppression by ground beetles. Our study showed the importance of the field margins as a habitat for many ground beetle species that are important for biological control. Management influenced ground beetles only in the field margin. Plants functional diversity within these field margins has been identified as the main factor promoting the species richness of ground beetles. However, activity-density of ground beetles was promoted by less heterogeneous vegetation and high percentage of bare ground. The responses to the vegetation structure vary between ground beetles with different body sizes. This diversity in ground beetles responses to the vegetation structure appears to be also related to variation in other life history traits (i.e. diet). The knowledge and results produced as part of this thesis will be used in the development of indicators measuring the impact of management on biological control delivered by ground beetles

Knowledge of the impacts of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus; hereafter deer) as dominant herbivores throughout the Southeastern United States of America is lacking. To address this, three paired experimental units of exclosures and controls were constructed in 2000 on three Wildlife Management Areas across Mississippi within the ecoregions of the Upper Coastal Plain, Lower Coastal Plain, and the Mississippi Alluvial Valley. Vegetation was sampled in the summers of 2000, 2005, and 2021 including vegetation structure, canopy coverage, basal area, and species composition. Additionally, in 2005 and 2021, biomass was sampled to determine potential impacts on nutritional carrying capacity. Among the three study sites, vegetation metrics followed successional trends and were not influenced by herbivory or lack thereof. Additionally, regional differences in nutritional carrying capacity seemed to be of greater importance than herbivory. This research illustrates the difference in effects of deer by region and forest type.

Throughout its current range, the Cross Timbers forest ecosystem is vulnerable to land-use change. In this study, we examined the surrounding land use matrix on the vegetation structure, composition and regeneration of six Cross Timbers forest fragments in Denton County, Texas (north of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex). Two fragments adjacent to agricultural land, two to residential neighborhoods, and two formally protected forest sites were selected. In summer 2015, five 100 m2 plots were randomly established in each fragment at least 200 meters from the edge. In each plot, all live and dead trees ≥ 3 cm diameter were identified and their height and diameter at breast height (DBH at 1.3 m aboveground) measured. Evidence of dumping (presence of trash) was recorded as an index of human frequentation. Differences in vegetation structure among the forest fragments were found. Most notably, fragments adjacent to agriculture contained 25% to 50% fewer trees per hectare than all other sites (Kruskal-Wallis, p < 0.02), especially trees <10 cm DBH. However, residential fragments had fewer trees that were ≥15 cm DBH compared to the other fragments, indicating that these are the youngest of the forest patches surveyed. Trash was observed in 60% of plots surveyed at residential forest sites, showing high levels of human frequentation compared to the protected and agricultural forest sites. Agricultural sites contained the lowest number of recorded tree species and were most similar to each other, sharing 91% of species. These findings indicate that surrounding land use affects forest structure and composition, consequently affecting valuable ecosystem services including wildlife habitat, aesthetics and recreation.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-28T14:56:37Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 JULIANA MULLER FREIRE 1.pdf: 749833 bytes, checksum: a742c73867fc6e2a5a39f7af7a54b15e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-07-01 / Coordena??o de Aperfei?oamento de Pessoal de N?vel Superior / This study aimed to evaluate the structure and floristics of shrubs and trees in areas of northern and southern slopes in the southern portion of the Maci?o da Pedra Branca, Rio de Janeiro, RJ. We tested the hypothesis that different component orientations may influence the structure and floristic changes. In a sample area of 9.700 m2, divided into ten areas, were surveyed 1508 individuals, distributed in 324 species, 154 genera and 52 families. The families richest in species were: Myrtaceae, Lauraceae, Fabaceae, Rubiaceae and Euphorbiaceae. The Diversity Index Shannon-Wiener (H ') was 5.093 nats / indiv., And the evenness (J) was 0.881. Horizontal structure in the species Joannesia princeps, Piptadenia gonoacantha e Pseudopiptadenia contorta, Meternichia princeps, Apuleia leiocarpa, Astrocaryum aculeatissimum, Chrysophyllum flexuosum reached the highest value of phytosociological importance. A phytosociological analysis of each individual area indicated significant floristic and structural variations, with a trend toward greater diversity is found in areas of higher altitude and farther from the urban perimeter. Of the 324 species found in the study, 124 were found exclusively on the north side, 100 on the southern slope and 100 occurred in both strands. The exclusive species and more frequent on the north side were Brosimum guianense e Annona cacans, Zollernia ilicifolia, Couratari pyramidata, Lecythis pisonis e Gallesia integrifolia. On the southern slope, the exclusive species that stood out were Cariniana estrellensis, Cabralea canjerana, Eugenia microcarpa. Cluster analysis among the ten areas indicated, in general, greater similarity due to the proximity between areas than for the orientation of the slope, however comparing the north and south closer together, it is observed that the highest diversity indices, most proportion of rare species and unique and the most advanced stages of succession were found on the southern slope. The cases where this did not happen were observed in areas closer to the urban boundaries that regardless of the slope were less floristic diversity. The diameter distribution model presented inverted J, with a diameter range quite variable between areas. No pattern was found between the diameter distribution and orientation of the slope. Comparing the flora of Pedra Branca with other forest areas in Rio de Janeiro, there was generally a low floristic similarity. The major floristic identity occurred with the work in-house Pedra Branca, Serra da Tiririca, and Tijuca Forest. Works out of the city showed floristic similarity below 25%. The high diversity of the studied area is a reflection of its high environmental heterogeneity, related to differences in altitude, slope orientation, successional stage and history of use, which puts the Pedra Branca as a strategic area for species conservation in Rio de Janeiro. / Este trabalho teve como objetivo avaliar a estrutura e a flor?stica do estrato arbustivo e arb?reo em ?reas de encostas norte e sul, na por??o meridional do maci?o da Pedra Branca, Rio de Janeiro, RJ. Foi testada a hip?tese que diferentes orienta??es de vertente podem influenciar a estrutura e a flor?stica da vegeta??o. Em uma ?rea amostral de 9.700 m2, distribu?das em dez ?reas, foram inventariados 1.508 indiv?duos, distribu?dos em 324 esp?cies, 154 g?neros e 52 fam?lias. As fam?lias mais ricas em esp?cies na foram: Myrtaceae, Lauraceae, Fabaceae, Rubiaceae e Euphorbiaceae. O ?ndice de Diversidade de Shannon- Wiener (H ) foi de 5,093 nats/indiv., e a equabilidade (J) foi de 0,881. Na estrutura horizontal as esp?cies Joannesia princeps, Piptadenia gonoacantha e Pseudopiptadenia contorta, Meternichia princeps, Apuleia leiocarpa, Astrocaryum aculeatissimum, Chrysophyllum flexuosum alcan?aram o maior valor de import?ncia fitossociol?gico. A an?lise fitossociol?gica de cada ?rea indicou importantes varia??es estruturais e flor?sticas, com tend?ncia ? maior diversidade ser encontrada nas ?reas de maior altitude e mais distantes do per?metro urbano. Das 324 esp?cies encontradas no trabalho, 124 ocorreram exclusivamente na vertente norte, 100 na vertente sul e 100 ocorreram em ambas as vertentes. As esp?cies exclusivas e mais freq?ente na vertente norte foram o Brosimum guianense e Annona cacans, Zollernia ilicifolia, Couratari pyramidata, Lecythis pisonis e Gallesia integrifolia. Na vertente sul, as esp?cies exclusivas que mais se destacaram foram Cariniana estrellensis, Cabralea canjerana, Eugenia microcarpa. A an?lise de agrupamento entre as dez ?reas indicou, em geral, maior semelhan?a em decorr?ncia da proximidade entre ?reas do que pela orienta??o da encosta, entretanto comparando as vertentes norte e sul mais pr?ximas, observase que os maiores ?ndices de diversidade, a maior propor??o de esp?cies raras e exclusivas e os est?gios de sucess?o mais avan?ados foram encontradas na vertente sul. Os casos em que isso n?o ocorreu foram observados nas ?reas mais pr?ximas ao per?metro urbano que, independente da vertente apresentaram menor diversidade flor?stica. A distribui??o diam?trica apresentou modelo do J invertido, sendo a amplitude diam?trica bastante vari?vel entre ?reas. N?o foi encontrado um padr?o entre distribui??o diam?trica e a orienta??o da encosta. Comparando a flor?stica do trecho estudado do Maci?o da Pedra Branca com outras ?reas florestais do Rio de Janeiro, observou-se uma baixa similaridade flor?stica. A maior identidade flor?stica ocorreu com trabalhos realizados na pr?pria Pedra Branca, na Serra da Tiririca, e na Floresta da Tijuca. Trabalhos fora do munic?pio apresentaram similaridade flor?stica inferior a 25%. A elevada diversidade da ?rea estudada ? reflexo da sua alta heterogeneidade ambiental, relacionada a diferen?as na altitude, orienta??o de encosta, est?gio sucessional e hist?rico de uso, o que coloca a Maci?o da Pedra Branca como ?rea estrat?gica para conserva??o de esp?cies do munic?pio do Rio de Janeiro.

Various types of woody vegetation are a key biodiversity refugee in intensively managed agricultural landscapes. However, the role of woodlots, representing an important type of such a vegetation, remains overlooked so far. Whereas the previous studies focused on the effect of their area, shape and isolation, consequences of variation in their habitat quality for biodiversity were not assessed up to now. This thesis is thus one of the first studies focusing on woodlots as a specific habitat for birds in agricultural landscape. My goals were: (I) to find out what is the bird community composition of woodlots in a Czech landscape, (II) to find out, what are the key habitat predictors of bird species richness and abundance in woodlots, (III) to describe differences in habitat preferences among various guilds and (IV) to formulate recommendations for conservational practice. I surveyed birds in 82 woodlots in an intensively managed landscape in Central Bohemia, Czechia, and measured variables describing woodlots' habitat quality together with woodlots' area, shape, isolation and types of surrounding land-use. I recorded numerous forest and non-forest bird species (57 in total), including some endangered farmland birds. The habitat variables showing significant relationships to bird community...

The flood of 2000 caused extensive changes within the riparian landscape of the Sabie River, Kruger National Park (KNP). Changes within the riparian landscape and the removal of vegetation resulted in considerable changes in riparian vegetation characteristics. Open patches created by the flood served as a template for the establishment of new species and the regeneration of existing species, which consequently resulted in a patch mosaic. This memorable event encouraged an investigation into the response of the Sabie River ecosystem to the memorable Large Infrequent Disturbance (LID). Riparian ecosystems are driven by varying combinations of environmental factors, such as water availability, disturbance, herbivory, fire and river morphology. This complexity depicts unique vegetation structure and assemblages of associated plant species. The lack of sufficient knowledge on the role of riparian vegetation in the health assessment of surrounding ecosystems along semi-arid rivers prompted the establishment of the Kruger Rivers Post Flood Research Program (KRPFRP). Research conducted through this monitoring program four years after the 2000 flood, revealed no significant changes in the species composition, although the location and density of many common riparian species have been changed. There was a decrease in species density across the macro channel floor (MCF) and an increase in species density across the macro channel bank (MCB). Furthermore, it was reported that the flood altered the distribution of height classes across the macro channel. In general the riparian vegetation was shorter and bushier four years post-flood. These studies furthermore illustrated that the tree to shrub ratio did not change drastically from pre-flood conditions, although a decrease in the number of shrub individuals was reported. The research presented in this dissertation was designed to further explore changes in woody species composition and structure along the Sabie River, KNP at a post flood temporal interval, i.e. between the last survey in 2004 (by the KRPFRP) and 2010. For data compatibility, the sampling and analytical approach of this study conforms to the approach followed by the KRPFRP. Data were sampled within four preselected belt-transects that form part of the larger KRPFRP. All established woody individuals were counted and measured within each contiguous 10 m x 30 m plot within each of the four belt-transects. Log transformed species composition data were analysed through the application of the Bray Curtis dissimilarity index in combination with Ward’s method of clustering. Statistical significant differences between clusters were tested through the application of the Fisher’s exact relationship test. The MIXED Procedure or PROC MIXED model was used to investigate change within the vegetation structural data. Results obtained through the various analytical methods broadly support the findings of the KRPFRP. No significant change in woody species composition could be detected between 2004 and 2010. However, a change in the density (increase and decrease) of certain species across the MCB and MCF was revealed. Species richness and density increased significantly on the MCF oppose to small changes on the MCB. A significant increase in the total number of shrubs on the MCF contributed to an overall increase in woody density for the entire study area between 2004 and 2010. Shrubs therefore remained the most dominant growth form in both sampling years. Trees decreased across the MCB although the total number of established trees remained unchanged between 2004 and 2010. Riparian vegetation structure is directly linked to species assemblages, hence the continued dominance of shrub species along the Sabie River in the KNP The Sabie River riparian landscape is therefore still characterised by short and multi-stemmed woody individuals ten years after the LID. / Thesis (MSc (Environmental Sciences))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013

The flood of 2000 caused extensive changes within the riparian landscape of the Sabie River, Kruger National Park (KNP). Changes within the riparian landscape and the removal of vegetation resulted in considerable changes in riparian vegetation characteristics. Open patches created by the flood served as a template for the establishment of new species and the regeneration of existing species, which consequently resulted in a patch mosaic. This memorable event encouraged an investigation into the response of the Sabie River ecosystem to the memorable Large Infrequent Disturbance (LID). Riparian ecosystems are driven by varying combinations of environmental factors, such as water availability, disturbance, herbivory, fire and river morphology. This complexity depicts unique vegetation structure and assemblages of associated plant species. The lack of sufficient knowledge on the role of riparian vegetation in the health assessment of surrounding ecosystems along semi-arid rivers prompted the establishment of the Kruger Rivers Post Flood Research Program (KRPFRP). Research conducted through this monitoring program four years after the 2000 flood, revealed no significant changes in the species composition, although the location and density of many common riparian species have been changed. There was a decrease in species density across the macro channel floor (MCF) and an increase in species density across the macro channel bank (MCB). Furthermore, it was reported that the flood altered the distribution of height classes across the macro channel. In general the riparian vegetation was shorter and bushier four years post-flood. These studies furthermore illustrated that the tree to shrub ratio did not change drastically from pre-flood conditions, although a decrease in the number of shrub individuals was reported. The research presented in this dissertation was designed to further explore changes in woody species composition and structure along the Sabie River, KNP at a post flood temporal interval, i.e. between the last survey in 2004 (by the KRPFRP) and 2010. For data compatibility, the sampling and analytical approach of this study conforms to the approach followed by the KRPFRP. Data were sampled within four preselected belt-transects that form part of the larger KRPFRP. All established woody individuals were counted and measured within each contiguous 10 m x 30 m plot within each of the four belt-transects. Log transformed species composition data were analysed through the application of the Bray Curtis dissimilarity index in combination with Ward’s method of clustering. Statistical significant differences between clusters were tested through the application of the Fisher’s exact relationship test. The MIXED Procedure or PROC MIXED model was used to investigate change within the vegetation structural data. Results obtained through the various analytical methods broadly support the findings of the KRPFRP. No significant change in woody species composition could be detected between 2004 and 2010. However, a change in the density (increase and decrease) of certain species across the MCB and MCF was revealed. Species richness and density increased significantly on the MCF oppose to small changes on the MCB. A significant increase in the total number of shrubs on the MCF contributed to an overall increase in woody density for the entire study area between 2004 and 2010. Shrubs therefore remained the most dominant growth form in both sampling years. Trees decreased across the MCB although the total number of established trees remained unchanged between 2004 and 2010. Riparian vegetation structure is directly linked to species assemblages, hence the continued dominance of shrub species along the Sabie River in the KNP The Sabie River riparian landscape is therefore still characterised by short and multi-stemmed woody individuals ten years after the LID. / Thesis (MSc (Environmental Sciences))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013