Joshua van Schalkwyk

Joshua van Schalkwyk is interested in the evolutionary links between plant physiology and ecology, specifically the relationships between plants that use different photosynthetic pathways (C3 and C4) in an ecological context. His research is concerned with delineating the contemporary and historical transition zone (ecotone) between lower altitude, C4 dominated, grasslands and higher altitude, C3 dominated grasslands using phytolith deposits in soils as a palaeoecological proxy. Building a record of this relationship in a competitive ecological environment is important in developing our understanding of how fluctuations in climate and other conditions may affect certain plant communities. The research will be conducted in the Garden Castle Nature Reserve within the UKhahlamba –Drakensberg Mountain Range