Response of a hypersaline salt marsh to a large flood and rainfall event along the west coast of southern Africa

2010 ◽  
Vol 87 (3) ◽  
pp. 378-386 ◽  
Author(s):  
T.G. Bornman ◽  
J.B. Adams
Keyword(s):  
Salt Marsh ◽  
Southern Africa ◽  
West Coast ◽  
Rainfall Event ◽  
The West

Taxonomy of the genus Ehrharta (Poaceae) in southern Africa: the Villosa group

Bothalia ◽  
1987 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 191-194 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. E. Gibbs Russell
Keyword(s):  
Southern Africa ◽  
West Coast ◽  
Far East ◽  
Sandy Soils ◽  
Species Group ◽  
Southern Coast ◽  
Succulent Karoo ◽  
The West

The Villosa species group in the genus  Ehrharta Thunb. is differentiated morphologically by very large, profusely hairy, bearded and aristate spikelets and by a suffrutescent habit, with culms woody at the base and with reduced leaf blades. The Villosa group is composed of two species, one with a variety: E. thunbergii Gibbs Russell, nom. nov., E. villosa Schult. f. var.  villosa and E. villosa var. maxima Stapf. Members of the group occur on sandy soils in the Succulent Karoo and Fynbos Biomes, along the west coast in Strandveld and on the southern coast as far east as the Fish River. Morphologically, the group appears to be related to the Calycina and Capensis groups.

A taxonomic revision of the southern African native and naturalized species of Silene L. (Caryophyllaceae)

Bothalia ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 42 (2) ◽  
pp. 147-186
Author(s):  
J. C. Manning ◽  
P. Goldblatt
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
Southern Africa ◽  
Morphological Variation ◽  
West Coast ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Taxonomic Revision ◽  
Western Cape ◽  
The West ◽  
Sem Micrographs ◽  
Two New Species

The native and naturalized species of Silene L. in southern Africa are reviewed, with full synonomy and the description of two new species from the West Coast of Western Cape. Eight native species and three naturalized species are recognized, including the first identification in southern Africa of the Mediterranean S. nocturna L. The identity of S. aethiopica Burm., which has remained unknown since its description, is established and is found to be the oldest name for S. clandestina Jacq. Patterns of morphological variation within each species are discussed and subspecies are recognized for geographically segregated groups of populations that are ± morphologically diagnosable. The following new names or combinations are made among the southern African taxa: S. aethiopica subsp. longiflora; S. burchellii subsp. modesta, subsp. multiflora, and subsp. pilosellifolia; S. crassifolia subsp. primuliflora; S. saldanhensis; S. rigens; and S. undulata subsp. polyantha. Each taxon is described, with information on ecology and distribution, and most species are illustrated, including SEM micrographs of the seeds.

Tendencies in the geographical distribution of the genus Mariscus (Cyperaceae) in southern Africa*

Bothalia ◽  
1983 ◽  
Vol 14 (3/4) ◽  
Author(s):  
P. J. Voster
Keyword(s):  
Geographical Distribution ◽  
Southern Africa ◽  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
West Coast ◽  
Summer Rainfall ◽  
Annual Rainfall ◽  
The West ◽  
Water Requirements ◽  
Winter Rainfall ◽  
Flora Of Southern Africa

The genus Mariscus occurs over practically the whole of the Flora of Southern Africa (FSA) region, with the exception of the west coast and the Karoo region of the Cape Province. Practically no species occur under conditions of less than 250 mm of rain per annum, whereas the highest concentrations of subgenera/sections and species occur where the annual rainfall is more than 500 mm. All the species in the region are summer rainfall plants, or if they occur in the winter rainfall area they behave like summer rainfall plants. The different subgenera/sections recognized within the genus differ widely in respect of their water requirements, yet there is a general concentration of taxa in the eastern part of the country where the rainfall is higher than in the west. Nevertheless, the highest concentrations of taxa are not in the areas of highest rainfall, which suggests that topographical diversity is probably the most important factor determining concentrations of taxa. The geographical distribution of each subgenus/section in the FSA region is explained in relation to the total distribution of the subgenus/section. The possible climatic or environmental conditions which may determine the distribution of each subgenus/section are mentioned, and the concentration of species within each subgenus/section is demonstrated by means of maps.

Late Cenozoic Palaeoenvironments on the West Coast of Southern Africa

1978 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 319 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anthony J. Tankard ◽  
John Rogers
Keyword(s):  
Southern Africa ◽  
West Coast ◽  
Late Cenozoic ◽  
The West

Changes in biological traits of macro-benthic communities subjected to different intensities of demersal trawling along the west coast of southern Africa

2013 ◽  
Vol 93 (8) ◽  
pp. 2027-2038 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Fleddum ◽  
L.J. Atkinson ◽  
J.G. Field ◽  
P. Shin
Keyword(s):  
Southern Africa ◽  
West Coast ◽  
Benthic Communities ◽  
Biological Traits ◽  
Benthic Assemblages ◽  
The West ◽  
Faunal Assemblages ◽  
Sampling Locations ◽  
General Potential ◽  
Ecological Functioning

Biological traits analysis (BTA) is considered to be a powerful technique for describing the ecological functioning of marine benthic assemblages. This study is the first to apply BTA to assess differences in the traits of benthic faunal assemblages between areas exposed to heavy and light trawling in a major upwelling ecosystem along the west coast of southern Africa. The data were collected from two sampling locations in Namibia and six sampling locations in South Africa. The intensity of trawling varied from area to area. Significant differences in biological traits (BT) were detected between heavily and lightly trawled areas. Weighted infaunal traits showed significant differences between heavily and lightly trawled areas for 17% of the traits investigated, while 24% of epifaunal traits investigated were significantly different between areas of different trawling intensities. This suggests that the measured BTs of the epifauna might be more sensitive to trawling disturbances than BTs of the infauna. The infaunal traits differed significantly between areas with larger or smaller proportions of sand and mud. Nevertheless, more of the significant differences in infaunal BTs were related to variations in trawling intensity than to variations in sediment composition. Significant modifications of BTs are likely to lead to modified functioning of the community and provide more general potential indicators for management than those based on species. The study confirms the need for more basic biological and life history data on macro-benthic invertebrates but nevertheless shows that BTA detected specific features that correlate with trawling intensity and that these features may be important for epifaunal assemblage functioning.

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