Multivariate analysis of grassland in the Thee Rivers area, Natal

Abstract

Twenty grassland sites in the Three Rivers area, Natal, were sampled for presence of grass species in 20 8ft square quadrats placed in a restricted random manner at each site. The data were analysed using Wisconsin ordination principal components ordination and normal association analysis. Comparable results were obtained from ordination and association analyses. They reveal that highland grassland differs markedly from lowland grassland, and there also appears to be subdivisions within the latter. The results suggest that a more comprehensive analysis could result in a useful vegetation map with objectively defined boundaries.

Keywords: ordinations|data analyses|grassland types|Three Rivers area (map)|vegetation mapping|lowland sites|highland habitats|principal component analyses|grass species|grasslands|multivariate analyses|Natal (map)|association analyses