Fynbos in mountains

Montane fynbos and renosterveld ecoregion

WFF AT1203

Map
Also see lowland fynbos

Fynbos is a general description for a range of plants unique to the southwestern Cape of South Africa and covers 54% of this ecoregion. Renosterveld is dominated by the renosterbos (Elytropappus rhinocerotis, Asteraceae) and covers 46% of this region. With 9'000 species it is one of the most diverse regions in the world -- the highest outside tropical rain forest areas. About 80% of plant species are endemic.

• Location
• Elevation
• Area
• Nature Reserves
• Climate
• Geology
• Vegetation
• Mammals
• Birds
• Amphibians
• Reptiles
• Butterflies
• Bugs

Location

The ecoregion is found mostly in the mountains and uplands of the Western Cape Province with a small portion in the neighboring Eastern Cape Province. The are is the same as that of the Lowland Fynbos ecoregion, except that this ecoregion is at a higher altitude in the mountains.

There are 4 subregions:

• Western Mountains
• South Coastal Mountains
• Interior Mountains
• Little Karoo Inselbergs

Western Mountains

• extend for 375 km from the Cape Peninsula (south) to the Bokkeveld Mountains (north)

South Coastal Mountains

• extend from the Elgin Basin in the west, to near Port Elizabeth in the east, an unbroken chain of some 800 km.

Interior Mountains

• north of the Little Karoo Basin
• runs from Laingsburg (west) to the vicinity of Willowmore (east), a distance of 400 km.

Little Karoo Inselbergs

• several isolated, fynbos-clad ranges within the Little Karoo, a basin between the South Coastal and Interior Mountains

Elevation

This ecoregion lies above approximately 300 m elevation.

Western Mountains

• main elevations (south to north):
  • Cape Peninsula: 1,086 m
  • Kogelberg: 1,269 m
  • Hottentots Holland: 1,590 m
  • Du Toits: 1,995 m
  • Slanghoek: 1,694 m
  • Hex River: 2,249 m
  • Witsenberg: 1,630 m
  • Groot Winterhoek: 1,884 m
  • Skurweberg: 2,071 m
  • Koue Bokkeveld: 1,800 m
  • Olifants River: 1,015 m
  • Cederberg: 2,026 m
  • Gifberg: 1,016 m
  • Bokkeveld: 982 m

South Coastal Mountains

• main elevations (west to east):
  • Groenland: 1,201 m
  • Riviersonderend: 1,654 m
  • Klein River: 964 m
  • Langeberg: 1,710 m
  • Outeniqua: 1,579 m
  • Tsitsikamma: 1,675 m
  • Kouga: 1,757 m
  • Groot Winterhoek: 1,758 m
  • Elandsberg: 987 m

Interior Mountains

• main elevations (west to east):
  • Witteberg: 1,504 m
  • Klein Swartberg: 2,325 m
  • Groot Swartberg: 2,085 m
  • Baviaanskloof: 1,626 m

Little Karoo Inselbergs

• main elevations (west to east):
  • Anysberg: 1,622 m
  • Warmwaterberg: 1,350 m
  • Touwsberg: 1,491 m
  • Rooiberg: 1,490 m
  • Gamkaberg: 1,100 m
  • Kamanassieberg: 1,955 m
  • Antoniesberg: 1,720 m

Area

45,800 square kilometers

Nature Reserves

Nature Reserves found in this ecoregion are:

• Anysberg Nature Reserve
• Baviaanskloof Nature Reserve
• Cederberg Wilderness Area
• Groot Winterhoek Wilderness Area
• Grootvadersbosch State Forest complex
• Outeniqua protected areas complex
• Tsitsikamma National Park

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Climate

Temperature

• Temperature
  • high summer temperatures seldom exceed 25°C, except in the interior valleys
  • in the winter months there are cold fronts

Rainfall

• Rainfall
  • annual rainfall: 300 mm and 2'000 mm
  • some sites in the southwest receive as much as 3'000 mm
  • west of Cape Agulhas, rainfall is concentrated in the winter months
  • east of Cape Agulhas rainfall occurs throughout the year, with spring and autumn receiving the most

Western Mountains

• exclusively in the winter months
• great variation: from as little as 200 mm (along the Succulent Karoo ecoregion border in the northeast) to 3,000 mm (on the upper slopes facing the coast in the south)

South Coastal Mountains

• extreme west: most rain falls in the winter months
• elsewhere rain falls year-round
• annual rainfall: 800 mm - 1'500 mm
• along the inland foothills (fringing the Little Karoo) less than 400 mm has been recorded

Interior Mountains

• annual rainfall
  • 500 mm - 750 mm
  • interior foothills may receive as little as 200 mm; upper slopes as much as 1,000 mm.
  • extreme west: forms part of the winter-rainfall zone
  • extreme east: rainfall is bimodal with spring and autumn peaks, receiving rain throughout the year.

Little Karoo Inselbergs

• annual rainfall
  • averages about 400 mm - 750 mm
  • northern foothills may receive as little as 200 mm
  • rain may fall at any time of the year, except in the extreme east where the distribution is bimodal

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Geology

• series of sedimentary strata
• some alternating quartzitic sandstones (Table Mountain and the Witteberg Groups)
• some alternating fine-grained shales (Bokkeveld Group)
• scattered outcrops of Precambrian granite, especially along the West Coast

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Vegetation

This ecoregion and the Lowland Fynbos and Renosterveld have about 7,000 species. Fynbos covers 54% of the region. Renosterveld is dominated by the renosterbos (Elytropappus rhinocerotis, Asteraceae) and covers 46% of this region.

Fynbos

Fynbos are hard-leaved, evergreen, and fire-prone shrubland and make up four major plant types:

• restioids: evergreen reedlike plants unique to fynbos
• ericoids:
  • heathlike small-leafed shrubs from 0.5 m to 2 m tall
  • 526 of the world’s 740 Erica species are found here
• proteoids (Proteaceae):
  • tallest fynbos shrubs; 2m - 4m; commonly found on the deep and fertile soils at the base of mountains
  • 69 of the world’s 112 protea species are found here
• geophytes: bulblike plants which are very visible after fires

Trees

Trees are rare in fynbos. The Clanwilliam cedar (Widdringtonia nodiflora) is restricted to this ecoregion, found only in the Cedarberg Mountains.

Renosterveld

Renosterveld makes up the cross-over region between fynbos and succulent Karoo. It is found in the western and interior mountain regions where the annual rainfall is between 250 mm (interspersed with succulent Karoo) and 650 mm (interspersed with fynbos).

Renosterveld grows in fine-grained and relatively fertile soils associated with shale bands, mountain basins, and footslopes.

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Mammals

There are not many unique mamals to the area, but 127 of southern Africa’s 280 mammal species have been recorded in the Montane Fynbos and Renosterveld ecoregion.

• Cape mountain zebra (Equus zebra zebra)
• Endemic rodents
  • Cape spiny mouse (Acomys subspinosus)
  • Cape golden mole (Chrysochloris asiatica)
  • Cape molerat (Georychus capensis)
  • Verraux’s mouse (Myomyscus verrauxii)
  • Cape gerbil (Tatera afra)

Common mammals

• Cape grysbok (Raphicerus melanotis)
• common duiker (Sylvicapra grimmia)
• klipspringer (Oreotragus oreotragus)
• leopard (Panthera pardus)
• chacma baboon (Papio ursinus)
• honey badger (Mellivora capensis)
• aardvark (Orycteropus after)
• rock hyraxes (Procavia capensis)
• Small herbivores, especially rodents, are numerous -- they eat seeds, one of the few readily abundant and nutritious food sources in fynbos

Extinct mammals

• blue antelope (Hippotragus leucophaeus) was hunted to extinction by 1800
• quagga (Equus burchelii quagga) was hunted to extinction the 1850s

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Birds

Bird diversity is low with 288 species recorded (excluding seabirds). Birds pollinate approximately 430 fynbos species.

• Endemic:
  • forest canary ( Serinus scotops)
  • Victorin’s warbler (Bradipterus victorini)
  • Cape rock-jumper (Chaetops frenatus)
  • orange-breasted sunbird (Nectarina violacea)
  • Cape sugarbird (Promerops cafer)
  • Cape siskin (Serinus totta)

About one third of the birds are not native to fynbos and do not utilize fynbos resources in any way. These birds have arrived within the last 100 years, and many in the last 50 years, as a result of habitat transformation.

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Amphibians

38 species present in both fynbos and renosterveld ecoregions are endemic

Reptiles

109 reptile species, 19 (17.4 percent) of which are endemic. There are more Tortoise species than anywhere else in the world.

Butterflies

The mountain pride butterfly (Meneris tulbaghia) pollinates visits only red flowers and is the exclusive pollinator of at least 15 species of plants.

Bugs

Some bugs are found only here and probably evolved before the great tetonic shifts.

• freshwater crustaceans (Phreatoicidea, Paramelitidae and the unique, cave-dwelling Spelaeogrypus lepidops)
• harvestmen (the endemic Triaenonychidae)
• flies (Pachybates, Trichantha, and Peringueyomina)
• Megaloptera, Dermaptera, bugs of the tribe Cephalelini
• caddisflies (Trichoptera)
• various beetles, notable stagbeetles (Lucanidae) of the genus Colophon

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