Read more about the article Alien scarlet bottlebrush makes itself at home on Devils Peak
Chelsey Matthys

Alien scarlet bottlebrush makes itself at home on Devils Peak

C∙I∙B student, Chelsey Matthys, and C∙I∙B Associate, Sjirk Geerts (based at Cape Peninsula University of Technology), together with colleagues documented the first detailed assessment of the distribution and invasive potential of scarlet bottlebrush (Melaleuca rugulosa) in South Africa.

Comments Off on Alien scarlet bottlebrush makes itself at home on Devils Peak
Read more about the article Using wet and dry plants to understand riverbank flooding
Wild almond (Brabejum stellatifolium) (Photo: Wikimedia Commons contributors)

Using wet and dry plants to understand riverbank flooding

A group, including C∙I∙B researchers, have developed a method that uses plant communities to determine the position of the 1:2 year flood line on Fynbos rivers that lack hydrological records.

Comments Off on Using wet and dry plants to understand riverbank flooding
Read more about the article Neither tristylous flowers nor pollinators limit reproduction in a new invader: purple loosestrife
Pollinators including an African Monarch butterfly, a Cabbage White butterfly and a Cape honeybee visiting purple loosestrife flowers. Photo credit: Prof Sjirk Geerts

Neither tristylous flowers nor pollinators limit reproduction in a new invader: purple loosestrife

A recent study, published in Biological Invasions, had a closer look at the role of flower structure and pollinators in the reproduction of a new invader in South Africa, called purple loosestrife.

Comments Off on Neither tristylous flowers nor pollinators limit reproduction in a new invader: purple loosestrife

The Table Mountain fire: what we can learn from the main drivers of wildfires

The fires that started on 18 April 2021 on the slopes of Table Mountain in South Africa destroyed several buildings on the campus of the University of Cape Town. These included the Jagger Library, as well as the restaurant at Rhodes Memorial, the historic Mostert’s Mill, and several residential houses. This was a tragic event that will affect many people for a long time.

Comments Off on The Table Mountain fire: what we can learn from the main drivers of wildfires
Read more about the article Invasive Australian acacias change fynbos soil functioning
Rooikrans (Acacia cyclops) was the dominant invader at the site near Vermaaklikheid on the Agulhas Plain, South Africa. (Photo: Suzaan Kritzinger-Klopper)

Invasive Australian acacias change fynbos soil functioning

Microbial communities of fynbos soils have not received as much attention as its aboveground components. This is especially true regarding the impacts of invasive plants on these communities. However, this has recently been explored in a study by C·I·B members.

Comments Off on Invasive Australian acacias change fynbos soil functioning