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Do Small Mammals Govern Vegetation Recovery After Fire in Fynbos?

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Fire in South African Mountain Fynbos

Part of the book series: Ecological Studies ((ECOLSTUD,volume 93))

Abstract

Fynbos vegetation is of low nutritive quality for mammals (Bigalke 1979b). Palatable grasses are scarce (Cowling 1983b) have low protein and phosphorus values and deficiencies in some trace elements (Louw 1969). The low productivity of fynbos vegetation, apart from the first few years after fire (Kruger 1977a; see also Chap. 9; Sect. 9.3.2), also limits the availability of food for mammals (Fox et al. 1985). In contrast with the foliage the seeds of some fynbos plants are large and rich in both energy and nutrients and are therefore a valuable food resource for animals (Bond and Breytenbach 1985).

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© 1992 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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van Hensbergen, H.J., Botha, S.A., Forsyth, G.G., Le Maitre, D.C. (1992). Do Small Mammals Govern Vegetation Recovery After Fire in Fynbos?. In: van Wilgen, B.W., Richardson, D.M., Kruger, F.J., van Hensbergen, H.J. (eds) Fire in South African Mountain Fynbos. Ecological Studies, vol 93. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-76174-4_10

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-76174-4_10

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-76176-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-76174-4

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