| Summary: | Includes abstract. === Includes bibliographical references. === Ecosystem nutrient availability depends on the balance between rates of nutrient inputs and losses. Nutrients may be lost through fire and displacement of ash, herbivory, leaching and volatilization. The main pathways through which nutrients may be acquired are weathering of rock and atmospheric deposition. Symbiotic and free-living diazotrophic bacteria and blue green algae also contribute N. In ecosystems with limited occurrence of N₂-fixation and occurring on low-nutrient bedrock, atmospheric deposition is the most significant source of nutrients. Nutrients from atmospheric deposition may be of natural or anthropogenic origin, and can be “wet-deposited” dissolved in precipitation and “dry-deposited” when aerosols settle out of the atmosphere onto plant and soil surfaces. Studies on nutrient cycling around the world suggest that nutrient deposition can provide substantial amounts of nutrients to coastal ecosystems, although mineral weathering of rocks can also a significant source. Limited prior work on deposition in coastal areas of South Africa suggests that nutrient deposition could be an important component of nutrient budgets in the Cape Floristic Region. The west coast of South Africa borders a section of the Atlantic Ocean that is highly productive and characterized by strong seasonal winds, rough waters and strong wave action. This area is home to the Strandveld vegetation, which grows on marine-derived soils. Based on this, I hypothesized that marine aerosol deposition is a significant source of nutrients for the vegetation in west coast South Africa. To test this hypothesis, I examined the spatial and temporal characteristics of atmospheric deposition as well as the climatic and ecological characteristics of the area.
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