Magister Scientiae (Biodiversity and Conservation Biology) - MSc (Biodiv & Cons Biol) / Fire as a form of disturbance is unique in the way it impacts upon the environment, acting like
a herbivore with a ubiquitous appetite. Consuming both dead and living material, converting
complex organic molecules into organic and mineral products, which return to the soil. The
role of disturbance has long been considered a driver of diversity within Mediterranean type
ecosystems. Recently the interest in soil microbes has been piqued, as the importance thereof
has been emphasised, particularly their role in nutrient cycling and the chelation of essential
plant nutrients. The occurrence of fire results in several environmental and ecological impacts
on soil, as well as the dynamics of the microbial populations present. This study explores the
impact of fire as a disturbance on the plant and bulk soil microbial communities of the
Succulent Karoo. This was achieved through two sub-studies, in which three different states
were studied: unburnt, 7-year and 2-year post-fire. Today microbial profiles are also used as
indicators of disturbance, thus many techniques exploring microbial community composition
are available.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:uwc/oai:etd.uwc.ac.za:11394/6428 |
| Date | January 2018 |
| Creators | Lucas, Lyle |
| Contributors | Knight, Richard |
| Publisher | University of the Western Cape |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Rights | University of the Western Cape |
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