Effects of Soil Properties on the Distribution of Woody Plants in Communally Managed Rangelands in Ngaka Modiri Molema District, North-West Province, South Africa

Soil properties are important drivers of species distribution and community structure in grassland. This study was undertaken to assess the influence of soil properties on woody plant distribution around six selected communally managed rangelands in the District. At each communal rangeland, a total of 25 plots of 20 × 20 m were surveyed to record the density, frequency, and composition of woody species. Soil samples were collected for thirteen soil variables. A Tukey HSD (Tukey’s honestly significant difference) post hoc test was used to compare soil properties and canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) to relate the soil properties to the woody species distribution. The study recorded a total of 17 woody species in 9 families. Fabaceae was the most dominant family, and Senegalia mellifera was the most abundant and frequent encroaching species. Most of the species were native, whereas Prosopis velutina was the only invasive alien species recorded. Senegalia mellifera, P. velutina, and Terminalia sericea were considered the most encroaching in the study sites, with densities exceeding 2000 TE ha-1 (i.e., tree equivalent). CCA results exhibited the strong effect of soil variables on the distribution of woody plant species. CCA ordination analyses showed that K was the most influential soil variable on woody species distributions, followed by Mg, CEC, Na, pH, sand, clay and silt. In terms of woody distribution, the CCA diagram showed similarities between Disaneng, Logageng and Tshidilamolomo. This study provides baseline information on woody species diversity for future management of this ecosystem.