New Zealand Journal of Botany abstracts

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Plant succession in relation to periodic soil movements in the subalpine zone of the NE Ben Ohau Range, New Zealand

A. C. Archer

Grasslands Division, DSIR, Private Bag, Christchurch, New Zealand

Abstract Three high country yellow-brown earths (eldefulvic soils) influenced by periodic erosion and deposition were studied in the Twin Stream Catchment, north-east Ben Ohau Range. Six different-aged surfaces were recognised and designated as KO (youngest surface), Kl, K2, K3, K4, and K5 which is the oldest buried surface (afte£ Butler's 1959 nomenclature). Successive cycles of erosion and deposition had buried soils which were recognised by charcoals. ¹⁴C dating from a buried soil on the K4 surface was 1115 ±80 yr b.p. Base saturations and phosphorus fractions indicated that the soil on the Kl surface was a less leached soil than the soils on the K2 and K3 surfaces. Plant succession showed a dominant community of Trifolium repens growing on the more recent soils (Kl surface) with shrub communities dominating the older surface (K3).

Received 7 August 1978
New Zealand Journal of Botany, 1979, Vol. 17:15-22

PDF file of entire paper: medium quality (965K); (scanned from paper original: notes about this process)

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