Objective
The main objectives are defined as follows :
* To investigate the current, and likely future, impact of A. arenaria on the dune systems of South Africa by studying the natural behaviour of the introduced sand stabilising dune grass.
* To compare the effect of soil-borne pathogens and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi on vegetation succession in temperate European sand dunes with coastal and inland sand dunes in Southern Africa and to examine the genetic structure of the invasive plant species.
* To provide management prescriptions for the wise use and, if appropriate, control of A. arenaria to maximise its beneficial properties for coast protection without a concomitant threat to ecosystem function, biodiversity and wildlife.
* To provide management procedures for the wise use and, if appropriate, control of the naturally invading tropical weed grass Cenchrus biflorus to maximise its beneficial properties for re-establishment of vegetation in over-exploited areas of Kalahari sand dune savannah.
Expected Outcome
This project should provide recommendations to use species for coastal dune management in South Africa which can be controlled or else blend in with the natural landscape. It should also provide recommendations to manage the Kalahari savannah ecosystem, especially around artificial watering points, without a concomitant threat to ecosystem function, biodiversity and wildlife. In addition, it should provide knowledge on the role of soil organisms and genetic variation in the invasiveness of plant species.
The key activities involve :
* Life history of A. arenaria and its effect on the coastal dune ecosystem : In the field, flowering characteristics and seed set, seed viability, dispersal, and germination success rate will be determined, as well as seed establishment as compared to establishment from vegetative plant parts. Sand trapping ability of A. arenaria will be determined in relation to that of indigenous vegetation and the subsequent effect on dune topography will be determined. The impact of A. arenaria on South African coastal dunes will be assessed and how its wise use for sand stabilization will be determined together with local dune managers.
* Life history of C. biflorus and its effect on the Kalahari savannah ecosystem : In the field, times and duration of flowering, seed set and dispersal, percentages of germination and persistence of seed banks, competitiveness of the plants with native species in different stages of their life cycles will be determined. In experimental facilities, mycorrhizal inoculation potentials of the invasive and the native plant species will be established. The impact of C. biflorus on Kalahari sand dune savannah and its wise use will be determined together with farmers and representatives from the Botswanean Rangeland Ecology Department.
* Relationship of natural, as well as invasive plants and soil pathogens : Field surveys and trials in experimental facilities will be determined to establish the relation between indigenous flora and the alien plant species.
* Variability of A. arenaria and C. biflorus and the relation to their invasiveness : The genetic structure of the invaders will be established and morphological as well as physiological variability, as well as response in different environmental conditions will be determined on field-collected material
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- humanities history and archaeology history
- natural sciences physical sciences astronomy planetary sciences planetary geology
- natural sciences biological sciences ecology
- natural sciences biological sciences microbiology mycology
- agricultural sciences agriculture, forestry, and fisheries agriculture industrial crops fodder
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Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Coordinator
6666 ZG HETEREN
Netherlands
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.