Abstract
The relationship between changes in soil nutrient characteristics and fynbos community boundaries was investigated near Cape Agulhas, South Africa. Soil characteristics relating to total nutrient content (pH, total N and total P, organic carbon, and various cations) were assessed at sites along three transects crossing the boundaries between five plant communities. Dynamics of available N and P in soils of three communities were studied in the field over one year, using ion-exchange resins. There was a wide range in the degree of change in soil nutrient content across different community boundaries. The characteristics that varied most were pH, total N, Ca and total P. Differences in available nutrients among soils indicated that the communities in this landscape were associated with a mosaic of N and P availability. It is proposed that spatial variation in soil nutrient availability rather than total soil nutrient contents may be important in explaining landscape-level species distributions and community composition in nutrient-poor mediterranean-climate ecosystems.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Allen, S. E., Grimshaw, H. M., Parkinson, J. A., Quarmby, C. 1974. Chemical Analysis of Ecological Materials. Blackwell Scientific Publications, Oxford.
Bell, D. T. & Loneragan, W. A. 1985. The relationship of fire and soil type to floristic patterns within heathland vegetation near Badgingarra, Western Australia. J. Roy. Soc. Western Australia. 67: 98-108.
Brown, J. M. & Hopkins, A. J. M. 1983. The kwongan (sclerophyllous shrublands) of Tutanning Nature Reserve, WesternAustralia. Austr. J. Ecol. 8: 63-73.
Cowling, R. M. 1990. Diversity components in a species-rich area of the cape Floristic Region. J. Vegetation Sci. 1: 699-710.
Cowling, R. M.& Holmes, P. M. 1992. Flora and Vegetation. pp. 23- 61 In: Cowling, R. M. (ed) The Ecology of Fynbos - Nutrients, Fire and Diversity, Oxford University Press, Cape Town.
Cowling, R. M., Holmes, P. M.& Rebelo, A. G. 1992. PlantDiversity and Endemsim. pp 62-113. In: Cowling, R. M. (ed) The Ecology of Fynbos - Nutrients, Fire and Diversity, Oxford University Press, Cape Town.
Davis, S. D. 1991. Lack of niche differentiation in adult shrubs implicates the importance of the regeneration niche. Trends Ecol. Evol. 6: 272-274.
Davis, S. D. & Mooney, H. A. 1986. Water-use patterns of four co-occurring chaparral shrubs. Oecologia 70: 172-177.
Griffen, E. A., Hopkins, A. J. M. & Hnatiuk, R. J. 1983. Regional variation in mediterranean-type shrublands near Eneabba, southwestern Australia. Vegetatio 52: 103-127.
Gross, K. L., Pretziger, K. S. & Burton, A. J. 1995. Spatial variation in nitrogen availability in three successional plant communities. J. Ecol. 83: 357-367.
Groves, R. H. 1983. Nutrient cycling in Australian heath and South African Fynbos. pp 179-191. In: Kruger, F. J., Mitchell, D. T., Jarvis, J. U.M. (eds.) Mediterranean-Type Ecosystems - the role of nutrients. Springer-Verlag, Berlin.
Haynes, R. J. & Goh, K. M. 1978. Ammonium and nitrate nutrition of plants. Biol. Rev. 53: 465-510.
Hnatiuk, R. J. & Hopkins, A. J. M. 1981. An ecological analysis of kwongan vegetation south of Eneabba, Western Australia. Austr. J. Ecol. 6: 423-438.
Hobbie, S. E. 1990. Effects of plant species on nutrient cycling. Trends Ecol. Evol. 7: 336-339.
Hollander, M. & Wolfe, D. A. 1973. Nonparametric Statistcal Methods. John Wiley and Sons, New York.
Hopkins, A. J. M. & Griffen, E. A. 1984. Floristic patterns. pp 69- 83. In: Pate, J. S. & Beard, J. S. (eds) Kwongan, Plant Life of the Sandplain, University Western Australia Press, Nedlands.
Jackson, M. L. 1958. Soil Chemical Analysis. Prentice-hall Inc., Englewood Cliffs, N.J.
Kruger, F. J., Mitchell, D. T. & Jarvis, J. U. M. (eds) 1983. Mediterranean-Type Ecosystems. The role of nutrients. Springer-Verlag, Berlin.
Lajtha, K. 1988. The use of ion-exchange resin bags for measuring nutrient availability in an arid ecosystem. Plant Soil 105: 105- 111.
Lajtha, K. & Schlesinger, W. H. 1988. The biogeochemistry of phosphorus cycling and phosphorus availability along a desert soil chronosequence. Ecology 69: 24-39.
Lamont, B. B. 1983. Strategies of maximizing nutrient uptake in two Mediterranean ecosystems of low nutrient status. pp 246- 273. In: Kruger, F. J., Mitchell, D. T. & Jarvis, J. U. M. (eds) Mediterranean-Type Ecosystems - the role of nutrients. Springer-Verlag, Berlin.
Lamont, B. B., Enright, N. J. & Bergl, S. M. 1989. Coexistence and competitive exclusion of Banksia hookerianain the presence of congeneric seedlings along a topographical gradient. Oikos 56: 39-42.
Mitchell, D. T., Brown, G.& Jongens-Roberts, S.M.1984. Variation and forms of phosphorus in the sandy soils of coastal fynbos, south-western Cape. J. Ecol. 72: 575-584.
Mitchell, D. T., Coley, P. G. F., Webb S. & Allsopp, N. 1986. Litterfall and decomposition processes in the coastal fynbos vegetation, south-western Cape, South Africa. J. Ecol. 74: 977-993.
Murphy, J. & Riley, J. P. 1962. A modified single solution method for the determination of phosphate in natural waters. Anal. Chim. Acta 27: 31-36.
Pate, J. S., Stewart, G. R. & Unkovich, M. 1993. 15N natural abundance of plant and soil components of a Banksiawoodland ecosystem in relation to nitrate utilization, life-form, mycorrhizal status and N2-fixing abilities of component species. Plant, Cell Environ. 16: 365-373.
Richards, M. B., Stock, W. D. & Cowling, R. M. 1995a. Water relations of seedlings and sdults of two fynbos Proteaspecies in relation to their distribution patterns. Funct. Ecol. 9: 575-583.
Richards, M. B., Cowling, R. M. & Stock, W. D. 1995b. Fynbos plant communities and vegetation-environment relationships in the Soetanysberg hills, Western Cape. South African J. Bot. 61: 298-305.
Seeling, B. & Zasowski, R. J. 1993. Microbial effects in maintaining organic and inorganic solution phosphorus concentrations in a grassland topsoil. Plant Soil 148: 277-284.
Sibbesen, E. 1977. A simple ion-exchange resin procedure for extracting plant-available elements from the soil. Plant Soil 46: 665-669.
Stewart, G. R., Pate, J. S. & Unkovich, M. 1993. Characteristics of inorganic nitrogen assimilation of plants in fire-prone Mediterranean-type vegetation. Plant, Cell Environ. 16: 351-363.
Stewart, J. W. B. & Tiessen, H. 1987. Dynamics of soil organic phosphorus. Biogeochemistry 4: 41-60.
Stock, W. D. 1983. An evaluation of some manual colorimetric methods for the determination of inorganic nitrogen in soil extracts. Soil Science Plant Anal. 14: 925-936.
Stock, W. D. & Lewis, O. A. M. 1986. Soil nitrogen and the role of fire as a mineralizing agent in a South African coastal fynbos ecosystem. J. Ecol. 74: 317-328.
Stock, W. D., Lewis, O. A. M. & Allsopp, N. 1988. Soil nitrogen mineralization in a coastal fynbos succession. Plant Soil 106: 295-298.
Stock, W. D. & Allsopp, N. 1992. Functional perspectives of ecosystems. pp. 241-259. In: Cowling, R. M. (ed) The Ecology of Fynbos - Nutrients, Fire and Diversity, Oxford University Press, Cape Town.
Stock, W. D., Wienand, K. T. & Baker, A. C. 1995. Impacts of invading N2-fixing Acaciaspecies on patterns of nutrient cycling in two Cape ecosystems: evidence from soil incubation studies and 15N natural abundance values. Oecologia 101: 375-382.
Thwaites, N. R. & Cowling, R. M. 1988. Soil-vegetation relationships on the Agulhas Plain, South Africa. Catena 15: 333-345.
Wedin, D. A.& Tilman, D. 1990. Species effects on nitrogen cycling: a test with perennial grasses. Oecologia 84: 433-441.
Witkowski E. T. F. & Mitchell, D. T. 1987. Variations in soil phosphorus in the fynbos biome, SouthAfrica. J. Ecol. 75: 1159-1171.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Richards, M.B., Cowling, R.M. & Stock, W.D. Soil nutrient dynamics and community boundaries in the Fynbos vegetation of South Africa. Plant Ecology 130, 143–153 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1009742225383
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1009742225383