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Effects of pruning on the concentration of trace elements in Colophospermum mopane leaves
Author(s) -
Makhado Rudzani A.,
Potgieter Martin J.,
LuusPowell Wilmien J.,
Mapaure Isaac
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
african journal of ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.499
H-Index - 54
eISSN - 1365-2028
pISSN - 0141-6707
DOI - 10.1111/aje.12396
Subject(s) - selenium , zinc , manganese , cadmium , chemistry , trace element , environmental chemistry , horticulture , botany , trace (psycholinguistics) , biology , organic chemistry , philosophy , linguistics
Despite the nutritional value of Colophospermum mopane to browser's diets, there is still insufficient knowledge on the effect of browsers on concentrations of these trace elements. A field experiment was conducted in Musina Nature Reserve, Limpopo Province, South Africa, to determine the effect of pruning on the concentration of trace elements in mopane leaves. Samples were analysed for iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), boron (B), molybdenum (Mo), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), cobalt (Co), fluoride (F) and selenium (Se) using the inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry technique. The effect of pruning was tested using the two‐tailed t ‐test: two‐sample assuming equal variance and two‐tailed Mann–Whitney U ‐test. Results showed that the concentration of trace elements in the control and pruned trees varies slightly through the year. Fe, Mn, Mo, Cu, Zn and Se are higher during leaf flush, but declined as the leaves matured and aged. This study concluded that simulated browsing had no significant effect on the concentration of trace elements in the mopane leaves. Seasonal variation in the amount of trace elements has implications on the distribution of browsers in the mopane woodland.