Thesis (MScFor)--Stellenbosch University, 2002. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Namaqualand has a very unusual diversity of plant life, with many endemic plant species. The
fundamental question of this thesis is how this system, damaged by strip-mining activities, can
be rehabilitated. The aim was to base the rehabilitation methods on ecological processes.
In order to answer this question an overview of the relevant literature was needed in
order to identify possible research needs and also to evaluate the work that has been done in
the field of strip-mine rehabilitation in arid areas. An understanding of community and
ecosystem dynamics would help to establish aims and methods for site-specific rehabilitation.
In Namaqualand, South Africa, there is also a need for experimentation to establish which of the
many factors is most limiting to long-term ecosystem recovery.
It is important to have a good knowledge of the successional processes and disturbance
history of the land which needs to be rehabilitated. The vegetation on unmined areas and
mined areas of different ages and treatments after mining, were sampled. It was shown that
some areas could be expected to show a large degree of recovery in the space of a few years,
whilst others would show little or no recovery over a period of decades. It is important to
recognise rehabilitation as a gradual process that takes place at different rates in different areas
and in different years. The planting of Atriplex nummularia and sowing of Atriplex semibaccata
did not facilitate the return of indigenous, perennial species, but rather seem to inhibit their
return.
In view of the importance of topsoil in terms of the fertility of the soil and the seed bank
present in the topsoil, the influence of topsoil removal and stockpiling due to strip-mining
activities were tested. The soil fertility was tested by means of radish bioassays and soil
laboratory analysis, whilst species diversity and richness were tested with seedling emergence
trials. As expected a higher plant species diversity was found on the unmined soils and
radishes grew larger on these soils. The topsoil deteriorated in terms of plant species richness,
diversity and soil fertility whilst it was stockpiled. Direct replacement of topsoil would ensure a
planting medium closer to the pre-disturbance level that could lead to fairly rapid and successful
recolonization of the mined area.
Successful plant recruitment also depends on the microsites to which seeds are
dispersed. The effect that different microsites had on seed germination, seedling growth and
survival was tested. It was found that micro catchments always yielded the highest numbers.
The establishment and survival of seedlings in the other microsite types (under single shrubs,
under clumped shrubs and in the open) varied, depending on the amount of rainfall received in
the particular year. Lastly, I experimented with the translocation of three local, indigenous,
succulent plant species. These plants were transplanted either in clumps of three together or
alone, since I hypothesized that planting them together would facilitate their survival. However,
it was found that it depended largely on the morphology of the plant and the amount of rainfall received in a particular year, whether these plants will compete with each other for limiting
resources or facilitate each other's survival.
The thesis contributes to the understanding of vegetation dynamics in the Succulent
Karoo after strip-mining has taken place. Guidelines are provided based on ecological
processes, for strip-mine rehabilitation in the Succulent Karoo. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Namakwaland is bekend vir sy ongewone diversiteit van plante, met baie endemiese spesies.
Die fundamentele vraag wat deur hierdie tesis gevra word is hoe hierdie sisteem, wat beskadig
is deur oppervlak mynbou, gerehabiliteer kan word. Die doel is om die rehabilitasie metodes te
baseer op ekologiese prosesse.
'n Oorsig van die relevante literatuur was nodig om moontlike areas van verdere
navorsing te identifiseer en ook die navorsing wat reeds gedoen is oor rehabilitasie van
oppervlak myne in ariede gebiede, te evalueer. 'n Goeie begrip van gemeenskap en
ekosisteem dinamika sal help om doelwitte en metodes daar te stel vir die rehabilitasie van
spesifieke areas. Dit is ook nodig om in Namakwaland, Suid -Afrika, uit te vind watter van die
baie faktore, die lang-termyn herstel van 'n ekosisteem, die meeste verhinder.
Dit is baie belangrik om In goeie kennis te hê van die versteurings geskiedenis van die
area wat gerehabiliteer moet word, asook die suksessionele prosesse wat werksaam is.
Plantegroei van areas wat op verskillende tye gemyn en verskillend behandel is, asook
ongemynde areas is ondersoek. Sekere areas het In groot mate van herstel gewys in 'n tydperk
van 'n paar jaar, terwyl ander, min of geen hersteloor 'n periode van dekades getoon het nie.
Dit is belangrik om rehabilitasie as 'n geleidelike proses te sien, wat teen verskillende tempos
plaasvind tydens verskillende jare en in verskillende areas. Daar is bevind dat die plant van
Atriplex nummularia asook die saai van Atriplex semibaccata nie die terugkeer van inheemse,
meerjarige spesies bevoordeel nie, maar dit eerder inhibeer.
Aangesien die bo-grond so belangrik is in terme van die grondvrugbaarheid en ook die
saadbank wat teenwoordig is, word die invloed van die verwydering en opberging van die bogrond
getoets. Die grondvrugbaarheid was bepaal deur groei-toetse op radyse en laboratorium
analise op die grond te doen. Die plant spesie diversiteit en rykheid was bepaal met In saad
ontkieming studie. In ooreenstemming met die verwagte uitkoms, was die plant spesie
diversiteit hoër op die ongemynde bo-grond en die radyse het groter geword op dieselfde grond.
Dit kom voor asof die plant spesie diversiteit en rykheid, asook die grond vrugbaarheid afneem
met tyd wat die bo-grond geberg word. Die direkte verspreiding van die bo-grond nadat dit
verwyder is, sal In medium vir die plante verseker wat nader is aan die vlak voordat die grond
versteur is. Dit sal oak sorg vir redelike vinnige en suksesvolle terugkoms van plante op die
gemynde grond.
Die suksesvolle vestiging van plante hang ook af van die mikro areas (klein areas in
terme van die grootte van 'n saad, wat In eie mikro-klimaat vorm), waarna saad versprei word.
Die effek van sulke mikro-gebiede op die ontkieming van saad, die groei van die saailinge en
die oorlewing van die saailinge was bepaal. Mikro-water- opvanggebiede het in al drie bogenoemde gevalle die hoogste syfers getoon. Die vestiging en oorlewing van saailinge in die
ander mikro-gebiede (die area onder enkel struike, die area onder groepe struike en oop areas)
het gevarieer afhangend van die hoeveelheid reënval wat ontvang is in die spesifieke jaar.
Laastens, is daar ge-eksperimenteer met die oorplant van drie plaaslike, inheemse, sukkulente
spesies. Hierdie plante was alleen geplant of in groepies van drie, bymekaar. Die hipotese was
dat huloorlewingskanse beter sal wees as hulle saam geplant word. Dit was egter bevind dat
die hoeveelheid reënval in 'n spesifieke jaar en die morfologie van die plant, bepaal of hulle sal
kompeteer vir die beperkte bronne en of hulle deur saam te groei huloorlewingskanse sal
verhoog.
Hierdie tesis dra by tot die verstaan van die plantegroei dinamika in die Sukkulente
Karoo nadat oppervlak mynbou plaasgevind het. Riglyne vir die rehabilitasie van oppervlak
myne, gebasseer op ekologiese prosesse, word ook voorgestel.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/53068 |
| Date | 12 1900 |
| Creators | Schmidt, Anel |
| Contributors | Milton, S. J., Le Roux, A., Stellenbosch University. Faculty of AgriSciences. Dept. of Forest and Wood Science. |
| Publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | en_ZA |
| Detected Language | Unknown |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | 114 p. : ill. |
| Rights | Stellenbosch University |
Page generated in 0.003 seconds