Shifting patch dynamics of floodplain woodlands in an arid savanna region: effects of soil form, flooding and large herbivores

摘要: Our study addressed the regeneration dynamics of the patch mosaic of monospecific woodland groves in the floodplains of the Luvuvhu and Limpopo rivers following the removal of human settlements to create the Makuleke Contractual Park falling within the northern Kruger National Park. We anticipated that subsequent increases by elephants and meso-browsers like impalas would deflect or even prevent the re-establishment of these groves through the damage that they inflicted on plants. We compared the responses exhibited in groves of fever trees (Vachellia xanthophloea) associated with layered clay alluvium with those of ana trees (Faidherbia albida) associated with deep sandy deposits. Multi-decadal changes in the woodland mosaic were identified using aerial photographs and Google Earth imagery supported by onsite inspections and related to flood events and soil features. Woodland regeneration …