Post-fire vegetative recruitment of the alien grass Glyceria maxima at a KwaZulu-Natal Midlands dam, South Africa

Abstract

An accidental fire at a site where the reproductive behaviour of Glyceria maxima was being investigated provided an opportunity to measure its effect on G. maxima vegetative recruitment. The fire burned G. maxima growing along the water’s edge and down to a water depth of 10 cm. Post-fire tiller densities in these zones were greater than identical sampling zones that were not burnt. Although fire appeared to favour G. maxima vegetative recruitment, more research is required with particular emphasis on integrating weed control methods with wetland restoration practices.

Keywords: aquatic ecosystems, invasive alien grass, tiller density, water depth