Vegetation dynamics in savannas are largely determined by water availability as well as soil nutrient dynamics. Species composition differs significantly from nutrient-rich soils to nutrient-poor soils, where the former is dominated by fine-leafed palatable woody species and the latter by broad-leafed and less palatable ones. Whilst this typically occurs at a landscape or catena scale, it is also interestingly observed at a localised and micro scale in areas such as wetlands and termite mounds. Wetlands are important edaphic contrasts in savannas and are paradoxically prevalent in the semi-arid to arid regions. In Southern Africa endorheic (inward draining) wetlands, known as pans, are particularly ubiquitous in arid regions but are not well studied compared to other wetland types. These wetlands were the focus of this study, which took place in the semi-arid savanna of the Limpopo plains, South Africa. The key research aims of this study were to determine how the pans differed from the surrounding terrestrial savanna landscape with respect to soil texture and chemistry, woody plant density and vegetation species composition. Top and sub soil samples were analysed to a depth of 30 and 60 cm and vegetation transects were carried out across three identified ‘hydro-ecological’ zones, i.e. the pan centre, the wooded wetland zone around the pan and representative terrestrial savanna habitat. In addition, drone aerial imagery was utilised to accurately determine woody species density and visually understand habitat changes. As hypothesised, the physiochemical properties of the soils differed along the study gradient from terrestrial to wetland, where in general the soil fertility, clay content and water holding capacity increased. The high clay content of the pans facilitates the surface pooling of rainwater and the possible maintenance of wetland conditions in these depressions which were found to be localised soil nutrient hotspots. The wooded wetland and terrestrial areas differed from each other in woody species composition where the terrestrial areas were largely dominated by broad leafed tree and shrub species and the wooded wetland areas had few to no broad-leafed species present but rather a dominance of fine-leafed Senegalia/Vachelia species. In addition, the Senegalia/Vachelia dominated habitat had a higher tree density than the surrounding bushveld, forming closed canopy patches in some areas. This change in vegetation and soil dynamics are important in savanna ecology as these habitats function quite differently from each other with respect to nutrient cycling, herbivore behaviour and biodiversity. It was concluded that these pans are nutrient-rich hotspots, likely playing an important ecological role in the savanna landscape. Furthermore, as they are likely to be key water sources and preferential forage sites, they could be the first to show signs of degradation and be useful indicators for land managers. These pans should be highlighted as sensitive habitats with regional conservation significance, which are deserving of adequate protection from surrounding threats such as mining.

稀树草原的植被动态很大程度上取决于水的可利用性以及土壤养分的动态。从富含养分的土壤到缺乏养分的土壤，物种组成有很大的不同，前者主要由细叶可口的木本物种主导，而后者则由阔叶而不可口的木本物种主导。尽管这通常发生在景观或连环尺度上，但有趣的是，还可以在湿地和白蚁丘等地区以局部和微观尺度观察到它。湿地在热带稀树草原上是重要的深层对比，在半干旱到干旱地区普遍存在。在南部非洲，内生的（内向排水）湿地，称为平底锅，在干旱地区尤为普遍，但与其他湿地类型相比，尚未得到很好的研究。这些湿地是这项研究的重点，它发生在南非林波波平原的半干旱大草原上。这项研究的主要研究目标是确定平底锅在土壤质地和化学，木本植物密度和植被物种组成方面与周围的热带稀树草原景观有何不同。分析了顶面和地下土壤样品的深度为30和60 cm，并在三个确定的“水生态”区（即盆中心，盆周围的树木繁茂的湿地区和代表性的热带稀树草原栖息地）进行了样带研究。此外，无人机航拍图像可用于准确确定木本物种的密度并从视觉上了解栖息地的变化。根据假设，从陆地到湿地，土壤的理化特性沿研究梯度不同，在一般情况下，土壤肥力，粘土含量和持水量增加。平底锅中的高粘土含量有利于雨水的表面沉积，并有助于在这些洼地中维持湿地条件，这些洼地被发现是局部的土壤养分热点。树木繁茂的湿地和陆地区域在木本植物种类组成上彼此不同，其中陆地区域主要由阔叶树种和灌木树种主导，树木繁茂的湿地地区几乎没有阔叶树种，甚至没有阔叶树种，而占主导地位的是细叶树种。Senegalia / Vachelia种。此外，Senegalia / Vachelia占主导地位的栖息地的树木密度高于周围的灌木丛，在某些地区形成了封闭的树冠斑块。植被和土壤动力学的这种变化在热带稀树草原生态中很重要，因为这些生境在养分循环，食草动物行为和生物多样性方面的功能截然不同。结论是这些锅是营养丰富的热点，可能在热带稀树草原景观中发挥重要的生态作用。此外，由于它们很可能是关键的水源和偏爱的牧草场所，因此它们可能是第一个显示退化迹象的土地，并且是土地管理者的有用指标。应将这些平底锅突出显示为具有重要区域保护意义的敏感生境，这些生境应得到足够的保护，以免受采矿等周围威胁的侵害。