Global Geomorphology
- Author
- Summerfield, M.
- Year
- 1999
- Pages
- 537
- Summary
- The dominant native woody species forming early successional vegetation on formerly forested sites in lowland New Zealand were k?nuka (Kunzea ericoides) and m?nuka (Leptospermum scoparium) (Myrtaceae). These have been replaced extensively by gorse (Ulex europaeus, Fabaceae), a naturalised species in New Zealand. Because gorse typically gives way to native broadleaved (angiosperm) forest in about 30 years, it is often considered desirable for facilitating native forest restoration. We tested three hypotheses, derived from the New Zealand literature, on gorse and k?nuka: (1) k?nuka stands have a different species composition and greater species richness than gorse stands at comparable successional stages; (2) differences between gorse and k?nuka stands do not lessen over time; and (3) several native plant taxa are absent from or less common in gorse than in k?nuka stands. We sampled 48 scrub or low-forest sites in two regions, Wellington and Nelson. Sites were classified into one of four predefined categories
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