Seed and seedling ecology of four Agulhas Proteaceae

• Main Author: Mustart, Penny
• Other Authors: Cowling, Richard M
• Format: Doctoral Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: University of Cape Town 2014
• Subjects: Botany
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/11427/9671

Includes bibliographical references === Serotinous (canopy-stored seed) Proteaceae, Protea obtusifolia and Leucadendron meridianum occur on shallow, alkaline soils overlying limestone, and P.susannae and L.coniferum on adjacent, deep, weakly acidic sands, in fire-prone fynbos. Seed reciprocal transplants were used to test whether regeneration niche requirements were determinants of adult distributions. There were no germination niche differences, but limestone species showed greater seedling mortality on the transplanted colluvial sands than limestone. There were also greater relative growth rates of seedlings on their own soil than counterparts on transplanted soil.