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Changes in food web structure and energy flow in kelp forest ecosystems on the south-west coast of South Africa following the invasion of Jasus lalandii
In the early 1990s the west coast rock lobster Jasus lalandii underwent an eastward shift in distribution into an area known as East of Cape Hangklip where they had previously been rare. This shift has also been termed an invasion and resulted in a complete change in the benthic community structure,...
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
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Department of Biological Sciences
2020
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| _version_ | 1867614370031206400 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Steyn, Clara |
| author2 | Shannon, Lynne |
| author_browse | Shannon, Lynne Steyn, Clara |
| author_facet | Shannon, Lynne Steyn, Clara |
| author_sort | Steyn, Clara |
| collection | Thesis |
| description | In the early 1990s the west coast rock lobster Jasus lalandii underwent an eastward shift in distribution into an area known as East of Cape Hangklip where they had previously been rare. This shift has also been termed an invasion and resulted in a complete change in the benthic community structure, changing from one state dominated by herbivores and encrusting algae, to another state dominated by lobsters, sessile species, kelp and understory foliose algae. Using the trophic modelling software Ecopath with Ecosim, baseline models of the pre- and Post-invasion systems were created to better understand trophic pathways between the two different states and assess how fishing pressure may have driven the shift in ecosystem state. Using the baseline models, different fishing management strategies were tested to see whether the post lobster-invaded ecosystem could be shifted back or close to the pre-invasion state. Baseline models that were developed to describe the shift in ecosystem state reflected an increase in the presence of kelp, sessile species and lobsters, and the decline of encrusting algae and herbivores. Furthermore, the baseline models reflect the Postinvasion system as more productive and less diverse than the pre-invasion system. Simulations using an Ecosim model showed that, with a reduction in fishing pressure on reef fish and abalone and a simulated increase in fishing pressure on rock lobster, reef fish and adult abalone recovered to pre-invasion levels, whereas juvenile abalone and urchin biomass did not recover, likely due to the difficulty in capturing non-trophic interactions in the trophic models. Further functional groups such as sessile species, turf and foliose algae, also did not return to the pre-invasion state. This study concluded that a reduction in fishing pressure on abalone and reef fish, and the removal of rock lobster through increased fishing pressure, would allow the post-invasion ecosystem to partially recover to the pre-invasion state, but not completely, suggesting a hysteresis effect. Further exploration of management strategies through model simulations is needed, including those that can account for non-trophic links. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/30837 |
| institution | University of Cape Town (South Africa) |
| language | eng |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:50:57.650Z |
| license_str | Not specified — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| publishDate | 2020 |
| publishDateRange | 2020 |
| publishDateSort | 2020 |
| publisher | Department of Biological Sciences |
| publisherStr | Department of Biological Sciences |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| spelling | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/30837 Changes in food web structure and energy flow in kelp forest ecosystems on the south-west coast of South Africa following the invasion of Jasus lalandii Steyn, Clara Shannon, Lynne Blamey, Laura Biological Sciences In the early 1990s the west coast rock lobster Jasus lalandii underwent an eastward shift in distribution into an area known as East of Cape Hangklip where they had previously been rare. This shift has also been termed an invasion and resulted in a complete change in the benthic community structure, changing from one state dominated by herbivores and encrusting algae, to another state dominated by lobsters, sessile species, kelp and understory foliose algae. Using the trophic modelling software Ecopath with Ecosim, baseline models of the pre- and Post-invasion systems were created to better understand trophic pathways between the two different states and assess how fishing pressure may have driven the shift in ecosystem state. Using the baseline models, different fishing management strategies were tested to see whether the post lobster-invaded ecosystem could be shifted back or close to the pre-invasion state. Baseline models that were developed to describe the shift in ecosystem state reflected an increase in the presence of kelp, sessile species and lobsters, and the decline of encrusting algae and herbivores. Furthermore, the baseline models reflect the Postinvasion system as more productive and less diverse than the pre-invasion system. Simulations using an Ecosim model showed that, with a reduction in fishing pressure on reef fish and abalone and a simulated increase in fishing pressure on rock lobster, reef fish and adult abalone recovered to pre-invasion levels, whereas juvenile abalone and urchin biomass did not recover, likely due to the difficulty in capturing non-trophic interactions in the trophic models. Further functional groups such as sessile species, turf and foliose algae, also did not return to the pre-invasion state. This study concluded that a reduction in fishing pressure on abalone and reef fish, and the removal of rock lobster through increased fishing pressure, would allow the post-invasion ecosystem to partially recover to the pre-invasion state, but not completely, suggesting a hysteresis effect. Further exploration of management strategies through model simulations is needed, including those that can account for non-trophic links. 2020-01-29T14:43:02Z 2020-01-29T14:43:02Z 2019 2020-01-29T08:25:47Z Master Thesis Masters MSc http://hdl.handle.net/11427/30837 eng application/pdf Department of Biological Sciences Faculty of Science |
| spellingShingle | Biological Sciences Steyn, Clara Changes in food web structure and energy flow in kelp forest ecosystems on the south-west coast of South Africa following the invasion of Jasus lalandii |
| thesis_degree_str | Master's |
| title | Changes in food web structure and energy flow in kelp forest ecosystems on the south-west coast of South Africa following the invasion of Jasus lalandii |
| title_full | Changes in food web structure and energy flow in kelp forest ecosystems on the south-west coast of South Africa following the invasion of Jasus lalandii |
| title_fullStr | Changes in food web structure and energy flow in kelp forest ecosystems on the south-west coast of South Africa following the invasion of Jasus lalandii |
| title_full_unstemmed | Changes in food web structure and energy flow in kelp forest ecosystems on the south-west coast of South Africa following the invasion of Jasus lalandii |
| title_short | Changes in food web structure and energy flow in kelp forest ecosystems on the south-west coast of South Africa following the invasion of Jasus lalandii |
| title_sort | changes in food web structure and energy flow in kelp forest ecosystems on the south west coast of south africa following the invasion of jasus lalandii |
| topic | Biological Sciences |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/11427/30837 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT steynclara changesinfoodwebstructureandenergyflowinkelpforestecosystemsonthesouthwestcoastofsouthafricafollowingtheinvasionofjasuslalandii |