Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of contributors
- Preface
- Part I Introduction
- Part II Historical background
- Part III Biogeography of taxa
- 7 Invasive plants of the Mediterranean Basin
- 8 Invasive vascular plants of California
- 9 Introduction of plants into the mediterranean-type climate area of Chile
- 10 Introduced plants of the fynbos biome of South Africa
- 11 Invasive plants of southern Australia
- 12 Life cycles of some Mediterranean invasive plants
- 13 Invasion processes as related to succession and disturbance
- 14 Is fire an agent favouring plant invasions?
- 15 Plant invasion and soil seed banks: control by water and nutrients
- 16 Invasion by annual brome grasses: a case study challenging the homoclime approach to invasions
- 17 Patterns of Pleistocene turnover, current distribution and speciation among Mediterranean mammals
- 18 Introduced mammals in California
- 19 Ecology of a successful invader: the European rabbit in central Chile
- 20 Mammals introduced to the mediterranean region of South Africa
- 21 Mammals introduced to southern Australia
- 22 Invasions and range modifications of birds in the Mediterranean Basin
- 23 Invasions in the mediterranean avifaunas of California and Chile
- 24 Birds introduced to the fynbos biome of South Africa
- 25 Species of introduced birds in mediterranean Australia
- Part IV Applied aspects of mediterranean invasions
- Part V Overview
- Index of scientific names
- Subject index
10 - Introduced plants of the fynbos biome of South Africa
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 02 December 2009
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of contributors
- Preface
- Part I Introduction
- Part II Historical background
- Part III Biogeography of taxa
- 7 Invasive plants of the Mediterranean Basin
- 8 Invasive vascular plants of California
- 9 Introduction of plants into the mediterranean-type climate area of Chile
- 10 Introduced plants of the fynbos biome of South Africa
- 11 Invasive plants of southern Australia
- 12 Life cycles of some Mediterranean invasive plants
- 13 Invasion processes as related to succession and disturbance
- 14 Is fire an agent favouring plant invasions?
- 15 Plant invasion and soil seed banks: control by water and nutrients
- 16 Invasion by annual brome grasses: a case study challenging the homoclime approach to invasions
- 17 Patterns of Pleistocene turnover, current distribution and speciation among Mediterranean mammals
- 18 Introduced mammals in California
- 19 Ecology of a successful invader: the European rabbit in central Chile
- 20 Mammals introduced to the mediterranean region of South Africa
- 21 Mammals introduced to southern Australia
- 22 Invasions and range modifications of birds in the Mediterranean Basin
- 23 Invasions in the mediterranean avifaunas of California and Chile
- 24 Birds introduced to the fynbos biome of South Africa
- 25 Species of introduced birds in mediterranean Australia
- Part IV Applied aspects of mediterranean invasions
- Part V Overview
- Index of scientific names
- Subject index
Summary
This chapter reviews information on introduced plants of the fynbos biome in the context of invasions by introduced plants in the southern African subcontinent as a whole. Southern Africa is defined as that part of the continent lying south of latitude 22° S. It covers a land area of approximately 2077 700 km2, in which seven biomes are represented: fynbos, succulent karoo, nama karoo, desert, grassland, savanna and forest (Rutherford & Westfall, 1986; Figure 10.1). The fynbos biome occurs only within the boundaries of the Republic of South Africa.
The southern Africa flora region, which extends north of latitude 22° S to the northern borders of Namibia, covers an area of approximately 2573000 km2, from which about 20000 indigenous species (Gibbs Russell, 1985) and 1000 naturalised introduced species have been recorded.
Mediterranean-type ecosystems in southern Africa
The winter-rainfall region of southern Africa, treated as a single climatic habitat (Figure 10.2), occupies an area of approximately 160000 km2, i.e. 7.8 per cent of the area of the subcontinent. It stretches from the south–western Cape, where rainfall on mountain peaks may exceed 3000 mm per year, northwards for approximately 1100 km, ending in Namibia, where the mean annual rainfall may be as low as 20 mm. The northern extremity of the region, not shown in Figure 10.2, approximates to that of the succulent karoo biome in Figure 10.1.
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- Biogeography of Mediterranean Invasions , pp. 115 - 130Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 1991
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