PJB-2017-601
Guidelines for habitat management: the influence of slope on population expansion of Euphorbia clivicola R.A. Dyer. a case study
Seloba Ignitius Chuene, Martin Johannes Potgieter and Johannes Wilhelmus Kruger
Abstract
Topographical factors such as slope aspect and position play a significant role in plant survival and community arrangement. Euphorbia clivicola is a rare and critically endangered plant species in the Limpopo Province, South Africa. This species tend to grow on northern slopes that are usually earmarked for urban development within its distribution area. The aim of this research was to assess the significance of slope on population structure. The occupied habitat was stratified into three positions: top slope, middle slope and bottom slope. Population structure and density of the plants were documented. Euphorbia clivicola plants gradually decreased in canopy size as the slope gradient decrease (from top to bottom). Thus the significance of slope on population structure is that; slope influences propagule dispersal and ultimately population structure through surface water runoff. Density was inversely proportional to canopy size, which suggests that colonisation of sites by E. clivicola is influenced by slope gradient. Conservators should discourage development on the northern aspects of habitats occupied by E. clivicola, as it will negatively affect the relief site of the population.
To Cite this article:
Chuene, S.I., M.J. Potgieter and J.W. Kruger. 2019. Guidelines for habitat management: the influence of slope on population expansion of Euphorbia clivicola R.A. Dyer. a case study. Pak. J. Bot., 51(4): DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.30848/PJB2019-4(20)
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