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Blattodea as potential indicators of Peninsula Granite Fynbos restoration following the clear-felling of pine plantations
Alien plant invasions pose a major threat to the biodiversity of the Cape Peninsula; currently facilitating the transformation of native vegetation and alien invertebrate invasions. This threat provided a motive for the removal of alien pine plantations from the lower slopes of Table Mountain, with...
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
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Department of Biological Sciences
2014
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| _version_ | 1867613151129763840 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Dyer, Alexei |
| author_browse | Dyer, Alexei |
| author_facet | Dyer, Alexei |
| author_sort | Dyer, Alexei |
| collection | Thesis |
| description | Alien plant invasions pose a major threat to the biodiversity of the Cape Peninsula; currently facilitating the transformation of native vegetation and alien invertebrate invasions. This threat provided a motive for the removal of alien pine plantations from the lower slopes of Table Mountain, with the aim of restoring the currently endangered Peninsula Granite Fynbos vegetation. Despite some indication that native fynbos vegetation is recovering, the recovery of native invertebrate communities and their associated ecosystem function remains uncertain. Epigaeic invertebrates are easily sampled, highly abundant, responding rapidly to changes in habitat condition. This study investigates the potential of Blattodea species to be employed as ecological indicators of Peninsula Granite Fynbos restoration, along a chronosequence of recently-felled pine stands. Within 10 years of clear-felling, Blattodea communities inhabiting recovering fynbos do not appear to be very distinct in terms of species richness or composition from those inhabiting undisturbed Peninsula Granite Fynbos, indicating restoration progress. Despite the presence of endemic species among both habitat types, the abundance of the invasive Portuguese millipede (Ommatoiulus moreletii) at clear-felled sites suggests that the ecological footprint of pine still persists. The influence of pine could be reduced by implementing the follow-up clearance of alien trees and pine debris. Although an ecological indicator species was identified, its robustness needs to be tested under a range of spatial and temporal conditions. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/7628 |
| institution | University of Cape Town (South Africa) |
| language | eng |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:31:34.243Z |
| license_str | Not specified — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| publishDate | 2014 |
| publishDateRange | 2014 |
| publishDateSort | 2014 |
| 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:11427/7628 Blattodea as potential indicators of Peninsula Granite Fynbos restoration following the clear-felling of pine plantations Dyer, Alexei Alien plant invasions pose a major threat to the biodiversity of the Cape Peninsula; currently facilitating the transformation of native vegetation and alien invertebrate invasions. This threat provided a motive for the removal of alien pine plantations from the lower slopes of Table Mountain, with the aim of restoring the currently endangered Peninsula Granite Fynbos vegetation. Despite some indication that native fynbos vegetation is recovering, the recovery of native invertebrate communities and their associated ecosystem function remains uncertain. Epigaeic invertebrates are easily sampled, highly abundant, responding rapidly to changes in habitat condition. This study investigates the potential of Blattodea species to be employed as ecological indicators of Peninsula Granite Fynbos restoration, along a chronosequence of recently-felled pine stands. Within 10 years of clear-felling, Blattodea communities inhabiting recovering fynbos do not appear to be very distinct in terms of species richness or composition from those inhabiting undisturbed Peninsula Granite Fynbos, indicating restoration progress. Despite the presence of endemic species among both habitat types, the abundance of the invasive Portuguese millipede (Ommatoiulus moreletii) at clear-felled sites suggests that the ecological footprint of pine still persists. The influence of pine could be reduced by implementing the follow-up clearance of alien trees and pine debris. Although an ecological indicator species was identified, its robustness needs to be tested under a range of spatial and temporal conditions. 2014-09-22T12:00:12Z 2014-09-22T12:00:12Z 2013 Bachelor Thesis Honours BSc http://hdl.handle.net/11427/7628 eng application/pdf Department of Biological Sciences Faculty of Science University of Cape Town |
| spellingShingle | Dyer, Alexei Blattodea as potential indicators of Peninsula Granite Fynbos restoration following the clear-felling of pine plantations |
| thesis_degree_str | Bachelor's / Honours |
| title | Blattodea as potential indicators of Peninsula Granite Fynbos restoration following the clear-felling of pine plantations |
| title_full | Blattodea as potential indicators of Peninsula Granite Fynbos restoration following the clear-felling of pine plantations |
| title_fullStr | Blattodea as potential indicators of Peninsula Granite Fynbos restoration following the clear-felling of pine plantations |
| title_full_unstemmed | Blattodea as potential indicators of Peninsula Granite Fynbos restoration following the clear-felling of pine plantations |
| title_short | Blattodea as potential indicators of Peninsula Granite Fynbos restoration following the clear-felling of pine plantations |
| title_sort | blattodea as potential indicators of peninsula granite fynbos restoration following the clear felling of pine plantations |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/11427/7628 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT dyeralexei blattodeaaspotentialindicatorsofpeninsulagranitefynbosrestorationfollowingtheclearfellingofpineplantations |