Ecological Echoes: Plant Science
Welcome to Ecological Echoes, a channel dedicated to exploring plant ecology, restoration science, and ecological dynamics—with a focus on South African ecosystems. Hosted by Prof. Alastair Potts, this channel showcases field experiments, ecological observations, and research insights to deepen our understanding of how plants shape landscapes and respond to environmental change.
Key topics include:
🌱 Plant ecology & biodiversity – How plant species interact and adapt in diverse ecosystems
🔥 Disturbance ecology – The role of fire, drought, and human impacts on vegetation
🌿 Restoration science – Strategies for ecosystem recovery, including thicket biome restoration
📡 Citizen science & technology – Using drones, camera traps, and remote sensing in ecological research
Whether you're a scientist, student, land manager, or nature enthusiast, Ecological Echoes provides engaging, research-driven content on the fascinating world of plants and their environments.
Field observations in a "thicket-wide plot" (Y0039) - substrate impacting growth of spekboom
Musings at a the "Mission Impossible" restoration site in the Baviaanskloof - rooted vs unrooted
Report from visit to thicket-wide plot experiment: P0076
Rooting niches between succulent CAM and C3 trees in the Albany Succulent Thicket, South Africa
The loss of the soil A-horizon in degraded Subtropical Succulent Thicket
A chat with Prof. Cathy Clarke about soils in the Subtropical Thicket
Prof Tim Gallagher discussing soil gas sampling and soil processes in Thicket
Video of device to test plant-shoot level flammability available from smc.org.za
Calcium oxalate in spekboomveld (arid subtropical thicket)
The impacts of the recent multi-year drought linger on in the subtropical thicket of the EasternCape
Timelapse post-fire in dune fynbos (Gqeberha): 3.5 years in 90 seconds
Birds eye view across semi-degraded and degraded thicket
Postfire video in the van Stadens Wildflower reserve: how seeds avoid the fire in Proteaceae cones
Post-fire video in the van Staden Wildflower Nature Reserve: thoughts on Proteaceae dispersal
Another spekboom restoration monitoring station setup
Time lapse of setting up a spekboom restoration experiment monitored by a trail camera
The crazy places my little Panda 4x4 takes me
Field notes on how a Pappea capensis tree was responding to the drought
Why are Boscia oleiodes bare stemmed?
Some musings about if vegetation is degraded thicket or degraded Nama-Karoo shrubland
Looking at xylem in an old spekboom
A video comparing unbrowsed restored spekboom, and overbrowsed remnant spekboom
Thinking out loud in a Thicket Wide plot in the Steytlerville flats
Thoughts on browsing of remnant spekboom clumps
Reviewing an overbrowsed restored spekboom plot
Seeing Thicket for the Forest — Thicket Forum 2023 presentation