Research@Lincoln
    • Login
     
    View Item 
    •   Research@Lincoln Home
    • Theses and Dissertations
    • Theses and Dissertations with Restricted Access
    • View Item
    •   Research@Lincoln Home
    • Theses and Dissertations
    • Theses and Dissertations with Restricted Access
    • View Item
    JavaScript is disabled for your browser. Some features of this site may not work without it.

    Plant succession and soil development, Wanganui River catchment, South Westland, New Zealand

    Sowden, J. R.
    Abstract
    A chronosequence of plants and soils have been investigated in the Wanganui river catchment of South Westland. The sequence comprises a series of river terraces and extends over approximately 7,000 years with sites well spaced throughout this age range. Plant succession is taking place on fine alluvial material and shows a progression from dense Olearia avicenniaefolia scrub, through low seral Weinmannia racemosa forest and Dacrycarpus dacrydioides forest to climax Dacrydium cupressinum, Weinmannia racemosa/Quintinia acutifolia forest within approximately 3,000 years. No retrogressive phase was present. The patterns of plant succession were considered to follow the established model for South Westland. Soil development appeared to closely parallel the plant succession with progressive weathering producing recent, yellow brown earth, gleyed and podzolised yellow brown earth, after approximately 3,000 years and finally gley podzol soils. The general pattern of soil development together with acid extractable and organic phosphorus transformations also closely followed the existing models. However, soil nitrogen accumulation, patterns were more difficult to interpret. Plant succession proceeded rapidly over the first 1,000 years, thereafter, vegetation composition changed relatively slowly. This later development phase was marked by the presence of dominants which are long-lived and able to maintain themselves for more than one generation on anyone site. Soil changes along the sequence were characterised by decreasing pH, increasing weights of soil organic matter, decreasing acid extractable phosphorus weights and declining drainage status. Ordination of the vegetation data showed that over the first 3,000 years of forest succession acid extractable phosphorus concentrations and soil drainage were most highly correlated with the vegetation changes. Over the remaining 4,000 years the correlations of these variables became insignificant and soil organic matter concentrations were found to be most highly correlated with the vegetation changes. Plant succession is perceived as a function of the interaction of these habitat factors with phenomena associated with the individual species present in the sequence. Habitat factors and plant phenomena change with time bringing about changes in species composition.... [Show full abstract]
    Keywords
    plant succession; soil chronosequences; South Westland; vegetation development; soil development
    Fields of Research
    050104 Landscape Ecology
    Date
    1986
    Type
    Thesis
    Access Rights
    Digital thesis can be viewed by current staff and students of Lincoln University only. Print copy available for reading in Lincoln University Library.
    Collections
    • Department of Pest Management and Conservation [646]
    • Theses and Dissertations with Restricted Access [2207]
    Share this

    on Twitter on Facebook on LinkedIn on Reddit on Tumblr by Email

    View/Open
    Staff/student login to read
    Metadata
     Expand record
    This service is managed by Learning, Teaching and Library
    • Archive Policy
    • Copyright and Reuse
    • Deposit Guidelines and FAQ
    • Contact Us
     

     

    Browse

    All of Research@LincolnCommunities & CollectionsTitlesAuthorsKeywordsBy Issue DateThis CollectionTitlesAuthorsKeywordsBy Issue Date

    My Account

    LoginRegister

    Statistics

    View Usage Statistics
    This service is managed by Learning, Teaching and Library
    • Archive Policy
    • Copyright and Reuse
    • Deposit Guidelines and FAQ
    • Contact Us