Tuesday 16th October, Room E419, 4th floor, John Dalton East Building, from 1.00-2.00pm
Pores for Thought: Bio-physical Competition and Processes within the Kalahari Epidermis
Dr Stephen Hoon, MMU
The Kalahari Desert comprises a vast semi-arid dryland area of some 900,000 km2 situated within the Kalahari Basin of Southern Africa, much of it containing fossil dunes. Remarkably uniform Kalahari Sand and Calcrete Pan soils predominate, supporting both annual and perennial vegetation, commercial and wildlife grazing. The northern Kalahari is home to the only permanent river: the wildlife-rich Okavango River and delta.
Rainfall whilst limited, characterised by an aridity gradient decreasing from 150mm/yr in the SW to 500mm/yr in NE, supports heterogeneous vegetation which along with biological soil crusts (BSCs) a few millimetres thickness stabilize the Kalahari Sand soil. Dewfall is also an important moisture input.
This talk focuses upon the importance of, and delicate balance within, the soil pores in the soil surface to complementary biotic (microbial and fungal BSC communities) and abiotic (water permeation and CO2 diffusion, heat conduction and light scattering) processes. Healthy pores are a prerequisite for continued soil stabilisation and Kalahari soil fertility in the face of both climatic and land use change.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment