Search results for "Thicket"
showing 2 items of 2 documents
Evolution of leaf anatomy in arid environments – A case study in southern African Tetraena and Roepera (Zygophyllaceae)
2015
The dry biomes of southern Africa (Desert, Nama Karoo and Succulent Karoo) are home to a rich and diverse xerophytic flora. This flora includes two morphologically diverse clades of Zygophyllaceae, Tetraena and Roepera (Zygophylloideae), which inhabit some of the most arid habitats in the region. Using a plastid phylogeny of Zygophylloideae we assess whether the evolution of putatively adaptive traits (leaf shape, vasculature, mode of water storage and photosynthetic type: C3 versus C4) coincides with the successful colonisation of environments with different drought regimes within southern Africa. Our results show general niche conservatism within arid habitats in Tetraena, but niche shift…
Spatial distribution of saplings in heavily worn urban forests: Implications for regeneration and management
2012
Abstract We studied the spatial distribution of saplings in the vicinity of other saplings and mature trees in heavily worn urban forests. Our aim was to identify favorable microsites for saplings to regenerate under different levels of wear. We hypothesized that these safe microsites were situated close to tree trunks that might offer shelter from trampling caused by humans and their pet dogs. The distribution of saplings was explored at 0.1–0.6 m to the nearest sapling and 0.1–2 m to the nearest mature tree. Sorbus aucuparia was the most abundant sapling species, followed by Populus tremula , Betula pubescens and Picea abies . These species all tended to cluster with their conspecific sap…