00216 The Rate of Regeneration of Native Plant Species After Eradication of Invasive Alien Plant Species (Acacia Decurrens Willd.) in the Limpopo Province, South Africa.

Reference Article

Melford Mbedzi, Milingoni Peter Tshisikhawe, Sebataolo Rahlao et al. The Rate of Regeneration of Native Plant Species After Eradication of Invasive Alien Plant Species (Acacia Decurrens Willd.) in the Limpopo Province, South Africa., 22 March 2021, PREPRINT (Version 1) available at Research Square [https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-294036/v1]

Abstract

Riparian invasive alien plants are known to compete with native plant species for water, space, daylight, and different other resources by decreasing structural diversity of native vegetation and subsequently changing the functioning of the ecosystem. The aim of this study was to investigate the rate of native plant species recolonization after the eradication of A. decurrens. The investigation was done in the Waterberg District Municipality, Limpopo Province in a farm, which is highly infested with A. decurrens. Twenty-four permanent plots of 10 m x 10 m were constructed and the A. decurrens individuals in the plots were removed and the area was monitored for a period of 2 years. The size of quadrats was based on the size and distribution of the invasive alien plants which develop in an aggregated form and have exceptionally small canopies.