| Popis: |
Alien annual herbs are presently invading the fynbos vegetation. Six study sites were surveyed, five of the sites are in lowland fynbos and one is in mountain fynbos. The alpha diversity of indigenous, summer deciduous herbs was recorded on 1-m2 plots, along transects through areas where alien annuals occurred at various levels of infestation. There is a clear negative association between the density of alien annuals and the density and number of species of indigenous annuals and geophytes. This study documents the extent to which these alien species are able to replace the indigenous species and the consequent threat they pose to the survival of many endemic fynbos species. |
