Abstract
Changes in biotic and abiotic factors may create opportunities for biodiversity recovery in abandoned agricultural fields. This study examined the natural/old field edge effect on plant diversity and soil properties at Lapalala Wilderness in Limpopo Province, South Africa. Detailed vegetation surveys and soil measurements were conducted in three old fields that share a natural/old field road edge boundary. On each site, three transects, each with four plots (10 × 10 m), located 10 m into the natural area and 10, 30 and 50 m into the old field from the edge, were setup. Plant diversity and composition measurements were conducted on each plot. Soil moisture and total N, C and P were measured at the center of each plot. Results indicate that abundance of some woody species was significantly (P < 0.001) higher close to the edge than far into the old fields. However, this was not the case for herbs and grasses which did not increase with edge proximity. All measured soil properties were significantly (P < 0.001) higher close to the edge than far into the old fields. The study concludes that both vegetation and soil properties are influenced by proximity to the edge.
Highlights
Land abandonment has been on the rise in South Africa due to several factors, such as rural depopulation, poor land management, shifts in global markets for agricultural products and decline in soil fertility [1,2]
To make recommendations for ecological restorations in old fields targeted for ecological restoration at Lapalala Wilderness, this study examined how natural/old field edges affect both plant diversity and soil properties
The hypothesis that changes in vegetation diversity and cover due to edge proximity will influence changes in soil properties is accepted. This is because results show that both vegetation diversity and measured soil properties decreased with increasing distance from the edge into the old field
Summary
Land abandonment has been on the rise in South Africa due to several factors, such as rural depopulation, poor land management, shifts in global markets for agricultural products and decline in soil fertility [1,2]. The successful recovery of vegetation and soil in old fields is determined by the interaction of several biotic and abiotic factors e.g., soil seed bank, seed dispersal mechanisms, propagule source, species interactions, soil nutrient availability and temperature regimes [8,9]. To further complicate the restoration process in old fields, the extent to which both vegetation and soil properties were damaged during cultivation, has a bearing on the recovery process [4]. Cultivation has been shown to negatively affect soil nutrients and soil stored seed banks [4,8,10], and the extent to which the above-mentioned soil properties are damaged may slow down the natural succession process after the land is abandoned
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