| Summary: | Bibliography: leaves 144-163. === The southern African grassland biome has a diverse flora including many rare and endangered species deserving a high conservation priority. With less than two percent currently conserved, proper management of this biome is crucial to maintaining its diversity. Fire, in particular, is important and although there has been extensive research into the grazeable component of the sward, little attention has been paid to the effects of burning on forbs or the overall phytodiversity. The aim of this study was examine the effects of different burning regimes on grassland phytodiversity. To do this, three long-term burning trials, widely located across the biome and consisting of a range of treatments randomly allocated to plots in replicated block designs, were sampled. Manipulated according to the frequency and season of burn, with fire protection controls, diversity was sampled at different scales across a range of treatments. In addition, a range of sward attributes was sampled in an attempt to explain diversity patterns.
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