Charon Chikuruwo

Last update: 10 February 2017

Title: Functional traits of native and alien plant species along a gradient of human/livestock disturbances in savannas located inside and at the periphery of protected areas in Southern Africa.

Summary

Encroachment of invasive alien species has been regarded as a major threat to global biodiversity, second only to habitat loss.

 Tropical savannas support about 12% of the world’s large wild herbivores and more than half of the continent’s total human population. The invasion of savannas by numerous alien plant species such as Lantana camara, Opuntia fulgida and Richardia scabra, will likely change tree grass interactions in savannas, altering the pattern of service provision.

Functional traits of native species like seed mass, specific leaf area and plant height in interaction with disturbance are likely to determine savanna invasibility as they have a direct effect on plant performance and fitness. The trait based approach adopted in this study may help us predict which aliens may invade savanna habitats making it possible to devise strategies for preventing their introduction and conserving native biodiversity.

This study therefore aims at understanding whether and in what way disturbance plays a role in determining the alien plant invasions of African savannas;

bias has been adopted in previous studies, more work has been done in temperate boreal and deciduous biomes than savannas. More studies need to be conducted in Tropical savanna biomes and also on shrub and tree species so that we can get comprehensive information on invasion.

Using a combination of field assessment of key functional traits of assembled plants and field manipulative experiments, this study will devise methods for predicting the pattern of invasion and controlling the spread of invasives as well as minimizing their ecological and economic impacts.

Last update: 10 February 2017