The Dynamics of the Indigenous Forest-Fynbos Ecotone in the Southern Cape

Abstract

A hypothesis that the indigenous forest colonises fynbos and disturbed sites in the Southern Cape has been tested by surveying the forest-fynbos ecotone and the adjoining fynbos and analysing the data by means of reciprocal averaging and factor analysis. On all the study sites except one the ordination of the environmental factors with factor analysis showed no co-incidence with the present forest-fynbos ecotone and it was concluded that the forest ecotone had been articifially induced on these sites.