Geohydrological characteristics of Table Mountain Group aquifer-fed seeps and the plant ecophysiological consequences

Fynbos, the native vegetation of the Western Cape of Southern Africa experiences a mild, Mediterranean type climate with hot dry summers and cool wet winters. In terms of climate, fynbos is comparable with other Mediterranean systems found around the Mediterranean in Europe, in parts of Chile, south-western Australia and in the Chaparral in California (Aschmann, 1973). The Cape Floristic Region, of which fynbos is part, is one of the world's most botanically diverse regions, home to an estimated 9030 vascular species (Goldblatt, 1978; Goldblatt and Manning, 2002). The region has exceptionally high levels of endemism. Almost 69% of its 8920 species of flowering plants are endemic (Goldblatt and Manning, 2002), and, despite its small area, it is regarded as one of the six global plant kingdoms (Takhtajan, 1986). Ericaceae, Iridaceae, Proteaceae and the Restionaceae are well represented and there are a number of families that are endemic or nearly so (Goldblatt and Manning, 2002). The largest is the Penaeaceae, followed by Grubbiaceae, Roridulaceae and Geissolomataceae, which together contain 15 endemic genera (Goldblatt and Manning, 2002). These families are almost without exception evergreen sclerophyllous shrubs and are thought to be palaeoendemic remnants from an ancient temperate flora, when conditions were cooler and wetter (February et al., 2004). As a result, many of these species are restricted to wetter areas such as wetlands and mountain seeps (February et al., 2004). Many of these seeps, as well as other groundwater-fed ecosystems, are likely to be connected to the Table Mountain Group (TMG) aquifer from which the city of Cape Town may begin to abstract water.

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

Department of Biological Sciences

Year dc:date.issued

2007

Author dc:creator

• Aston, Tim

Advisors dc:contributor.advisor

• Bond, William J
• February, Edmund C
• Midgley, Jeremy J

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/11427/6223

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/6223