Effects of environmental factors on plant productivity in the mountain grassland of the Mountain Zebra National Park, Eastern Cape, South Africa

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dc.contributor.author Munyai, Nthabeliseni
dc.contributor.author Ramoelo, Abel
dc.contributor.author Adelabu, Samuel
dc.contributor.author Bezuidehout, Hugo
dc.contributor.author Sadiq, Hassan
dc.date.accessioned 2024-01-11T08:17:00Z
dc.date.available 2024-01-11T08:17:00Z
dc.date.issued 2023-12
dc.description DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT : Data are available on request from the corresponding author. en_US
dc.description SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL : TABLE S1. Management Units at Mountain Zebra National Park and their description. FIGURE S1. Location of the study area showing biomass distribution across the vegetation units in the Mountain Zebra National Park, South Africa. en_US
dc.description.abstract The relationship between plant productivity, measured according to biomass and species richness, is a fundamental focal point in community ecology, as it provides the basis for understanding plant responses or adaptive strategies. Although studies have been conducted on plant biomass and environmental factors, research concerning mountainous grassland areas is scarce. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to examine the influence of environmental factors on aboveground plant biomass in the mountainous grassland of the Mountain Zebra National Park, South Africa. Biomass distribution was uneven within the park, owing to certain species having relatively higher biomass values. These differences may be attributed to the chemical and physical properties of the soil, including carbon and nitrogen content, soil pH, and soil texture (sand, silt, and coarse fragments). A disc pasture meter was used to collect biomass data. Multiple regression analysis revealed that most environmental factors did not significantly influence plant biomass. The only environmental factor influencing plant biomass was soil pH; the influences of other factors were not statistically significant. The results of this study elucidate the interactions of environmental factors with plant biomass. Future research could investigate how environmental factors influence plant biomass, both below and above the ground in mountainous grassland. en_US
dc.description.department Geography, Geoinformatics and Meteorology en_US
dc.description.librarian hj2023 en_US
dc.description.sdg SDG-15:Life on land en_US
dc.description.sponsorship The South African National Park and the JRS6 Biodiversity Foundation SPKH1400 in Washington, DC, through South African National Parks. en_US
dc.description.uri https://www.mdpi.com/journal/ecologies en_US
dc.identifier.citation Munyai, N.; Ramoelo, A.; Adelabu, S.; Bezuidehout, H.; Sadiq, H. Effects of Environmental Factors on Plant Productivity in the Mountain Grassland of the Mountain Zebra National Park, Eastern Cape, South Africa. Ecologies 2023, 4, 749–761. https://doi.org/10.3390/ecologies4040049. en_US
dc.identifier.issn 2673-4133 (online)
dc.identifier.other 10.3390/ecologies4040049
dc.identifier.uri http://hdl.handle.net/2263/93922
dc.language.iso en en_US
dc.publisher MDPI en_US
dc.rights © 2023 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license. en_US
dc.subject Grasslands en_US
dc.subject Plant biomass en_US
dc.subject Aboveground biomass (AGB) en_US
dc.subject Species richness en_US
dc.subject Belowground biomass en_US
dc.subject Mountain Zebra National Park en_US
dc.subject Eastern Cape Province (ECP) en_US
dc.subject South Africa (SA) en_US
dc.subject SDG-15: Life on land en_US
dc.title Effects of environmental factors on plant productivity in the mountain grassland of the Mountain Zebra National Park, Eastern Cape, South Africa en_US
dc.type Article en_US


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