Glossary

abiotic factors: the non-living factors of the environment that directly affect an ecosystem, such as water, air climate and light.

aliens: species of plants or animals which have been introduced by man to areas outside their natural ranges.

biome: a major regional ecological community of plants and animals characterised by a specific climate.

biotic factors: the living components of the environment, namely plants and animals.

bulb: a short underground stem with many fleshy scale leaves filled with stored food and water.

corm: a compressed swollen underground stem that serves as an efficient storage area for food and water.

deciduous: the strategy used by certain plants which involves shedding their leaves in an unfavourable period or season.

dispersal: the process in which parts of a plant such as seeds are spread into the environment.

elaiosome: the fleshy, oily attachments found on many fynbos seeds.

endemic: an organism which is restricted to a particular area or region.

evergreen: plants that have leaves present throughout the year.

geophytes: plants that have modified underground stems which store food (eg. corms).

germination: the physical and physiological processes whereby seed growth begins when water is absorbed by the seed.

herbivore: an organism that feeds on plant matter.

indigenous: plants that occur naturally in an area.

inflorescences: the arrangement of the flowering portion of a plant; a flower cluster.

invasives: alien plants introduced deliberately or inadvertently to an area. When self-sustaining populations of certain alien plants are established, they spread rapidly in their new environment and pose a major threat to the natural occupants of the biome, often displacing them irreversibly.

limestone-derived soils: soils derived from sedimentary rock largely composed of calcium carbonate. They are formed from calcareous remains of animals such as corals and molluscs.

locally extinct: disappearance of a species, in a particular area.

quartzites: rocks composed essentially of quartz (sand); derived from sandstone by intense metamorphism (chemical and physical change).

sclerophyll: small, tough, grey-green leaves, often with a covering of hairs and/or thick cuticles.

secondary metabolites: chemical compounds produced in plants which do not play a role in the primary functions, such as photosynthesis and respiration.

serotinous cones: cones that remain on the tree or shrub for several years, and require the heat of fire to open them and release the seeds which are stored inside.

soil texture: the relative proportions of size categories of clay (< 0.002mm), silt (0.002 -0.05mm) and sand (0.05 - 2mm) present in a soil.