The many forms of thirst : investigating forest constraints in the Cape Floristic Region

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dc.contributor.authorMidgley, Alisonen_ZA
dc.date.accessioned2015-09-15T10:33:01Z
dc.date.available2015-09-15T10:33:01Z
dc.date.issued2013en_ZA
dc.description.abstractIdentifying the primary determinants of forest distribution has been a considerable challenge for ecologists. Although focus was traditionally directed towards climatological variables, predictive models showed that suitable forest conditions were far more extensive than the actual forest distribution. This study investigated the primary constraints of forests in the Cape Floristic Region (CFR), in South Africa. Based on a study by Lehmann et al. (2011) on savanna ecosystems, it was hypothesised that seasonal drought and moisture balance were more likely to limit forest distribution than broader rainfall patterns. The biomes of the CFR were mapped using Mucina & Rutherford’s (2006) vegetation map. Environmental data was extracted from Schulze (2007) and analysed using various statistical methods and the effective rainfall during the wet and dry seasons was examined in relation to vegetation patterns. As a complementary analysis, high resolution spatial data was extracted from the Worldclim database (www.worldclim.org) and run in the program Maximum Entropy. The presence of forest was shown to be constrained by soil moisture deficits in the driest half of the year. However there was considerable overlap of climactic and edaphic conditions across the different biomes. It was suggested that seasonal drought may play an indirect rather than direct role in shaping vegetation type. As the length of the dry season correlated with the length of the dry season, it was determined that seasonal drought may effect vegetation by promoting landscape-shaping fires. These findings have implications for predicting and understanding historical and future ecosystem shifts and their relationship with global and local climate change.en_ZA
dc.identifier.apacitationMidgley, A. (2013). <i>The many forms of thirst : investigating forest constraints in the Cape Floristic Region</i>. (Thesis). University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Science ,Department of Biological Sciences. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/11427/14019en_ZA
dc.identifier.chicagocitationMidgley, Alison. <i>"The many forms of thirst : investigating forest constraints in the Cape Floristic Region."</i> Thesis., University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Science ,Department of Biological Sciences, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/14019en_ZA
dc.identifier.citationMidgley, A. 2013. The many forms of thirst : investigating forest constraints in the Cape Floristic Region. University of Cape Town.en_ZA
dc.identifier.ris TY - Thesis / Dissertation AU - Midgley, Alison AB - Identifying the primary determinants of forest distribution has been a considerable challenge for ecologists. Although focus was traditionally directed towards climatological variables, predictive models showed that suitable forest conditions were far more extensive than the actual forest distribution. This study investigated the primary constraints of forests in the Cape Floristic Region (CFR), in South Africa. Based on a study by Lehmann et al. (2011) on savanna ecosystems, it was hypothesised that seasonal drought and moisture balance were more likely to limit forest distribution than broader rainfall patterns. The biomes of the CFR were mapped using Mucina & Rutherford’s (2006) vegetation map. Environmental data was extracted from Schulze (2007) and analysed using various statistical methods and the effective rainfall during the wet and dry seasons was examined in relation to vegetation patterns. As a complementary analysis, high resolution spatial data was extracted from the Worldclim database (www.worldclim.org) and run in the program Maximum Entropy. The presence of forest was shown to be constrained by soil moisture deficits in the driest half of the year. However there was considerable overlap of climactic and edaphic conditions across the different biomes. It was suggested that seasonal drought may play an indirect rather than direct role in shaping vegetation type. As the length of the dry season correlated with the length of the dry season, it was determined that seasonal drought may effect vegetation by promoting landscape-shaping fires. These findings have implications for predicting and understanding historical and future ecosystem shifts and their relationship with global and local climate change. DA - 2013 DB - OpenUCT DP - University of Cape Town LK - https://open.uct.ac.za PB - University of Cape Town PY - 2013 T1 - The many forms of thirst : investigating forest constraints in the Cape Floristic Region TI - The many forms of thirst : investigating forest constraints in the Cape Floristic Region UR - http://hdl.handle.net/11427/14019 ER - en_ZA
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11427/14019
dc.identifier.vancouvercitationMidgley A. The many forms of thirst : investigating forest constraints in the Cape Floristic Region. [Thesis]. University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Science ,Department of Biological Sciences, 2013 [cited yyyy month dd]. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/11427/14019en_ZA
dc.language.isoengen_ZA
dc.publisher.departmentDepartment of Biological Sciencesen_ZA
dc.publisher.facultyFaculty of Scienceen_ZA
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Cape Town
dc.subject.otherBiological Sciencesen_ZA
dc.titleThe many forms of thirst : investigating forest constraints in the Cape Floristic Regionen_ZA
dc.typeBachelor Thesis
dc.type.qualificationlevelHonours
dc.type.qualificationnameBSc (Hons)en_ZA
uct.type.filetypeText
uct.type.filetypeImage
uct.type.publicationResearchen_ZA
uct.type.resourceThesisen_ZA
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