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Flamingo foraging activity as a driver of spatial heterogeneity in Langebaan Lagoon, South Africa
Numerous studies have attempted to quantify the effect of epifaunal predation and its co-occurring disturbance on macrofaunal communities with the aid of exclosure experiments. However, no attention has been paid to the possible impacts of different foraging methods used by flamingos on benthic comm...
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
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Department of Biological Sciences
2014
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| _version_ | 1867613966921891840 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Payne, Robyn |
| author2 | Pillay, Deena |
| author_browse | Payne, Robyn Pillay, Deena |
| author_facet | Pillay, Deena Payne, Robyn |
| author_sort | Payne, Robyn |
| collection | Thesis |
| description | Numerous studies have attempted to quantify the effect of epifaunal predation and its co-occurring disturbance on macrofaunal communities with the aid of exclosure experiments. However, no attention has been paid to the possible impacts of different foraging methods used by flamingos on benthic communities. Multivariate and univariate analyses were carried out in order to determine the effects of two different flamingo feeding strategies (pit and channel foraging) on sediment penetrability and macrofaunal community structure in Langebaan Lagoon. The two foraging strategies appear only to differ with regards to prey removal and recolonisation. The more energy intensive, pitforming foraging enables the flamingo to obtain higher quantities of Urothoe grimaldii in addition to bivalves, while promoting recolonisation by opportunists. On the other hand, channel-foraging enables the attainment of various polychaete and nematode species. These small-scale differences, as well as the spatial (and possibly temporal) variation in structures generate habitat complexity. Thus, this preliminary study supports the notion that flamingo foraging activity is a key driver of spatial heterogeneity in Langebaan Lagoon and highlights the need for further research. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/7644 |
| institution | University of Cape Town (South Africa) |
| language | eng |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:44:33.215Z |
| 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:11427/7644 Flamingo foraging activity as a driver of spatial heterogeneity in Langebaan Lagoon, South Africa Payne, Robyn Pillay, Deena Numerous studies have attempted to quantify the effect of epifaunal predation and its co-occurring disturbance on macrofaunal communities with the aid of exclosure experiments. However, no attention has been paid to the possible impacts of different foraging methods used by flamingos on benthic communities. Multivariate and univariate analyses were carried out in order to determine the effects of two different flamingo feeding strategies (pit and channel foraging) on sediment penetrability and macrofaunal community structure in Langebaan Lagoon. The two foraging strategies appear only to differ with regards to prey removal and recolonisation. The more energy intensive, pitforming foraging enables the flamingo to obtain higher quantities of Urothoe grimaldii in addition to bivalves, while promoting recolonisation by opportunists. On the other hand, channel-foraging enables the attainment of various polychaete and nematode species. These small-scale differences, as well as the spatial (and possibly temporal) variation in structures generate habitat complexity. Thus, this preliminary study supports the notion that flamingo foraging activity is a key driver of spatial heterogeneity in Langebaan Lagoon and highlights the need for further research. 2014-09-22T12:00:26Z 2014-09-22T12:00:26Z 2013 Bachelor Thesis Honours BSc http://hdl.handle.net/11427/7644 eng application/pdf Department of Biological Sciences Faculty of Science University of Cape Town |
| spellingShingle | Payne, Robyn Flamingo foraging activity as a driver of spatial heterogeneity in Langebaan Lagoon, South Africa |
| thesis_degree_str | Bachelor's / Honours |
| title | Flamingo foraging activity as a driver of spatial heterogeneity in Langebaan Lagoon, South Africa |
| title_full | Flamingo foraging activity as a driver of spatial heterogeneity in Langebaan Lagoon, South Africa |
| title_fullStr | Flamingo foraging activity as a driver of spatial heterogeneity in Langebaan Lagoon, South Africa |
| title_full_unstemmed | Flamingo foraging activity as a driver of spatial heterogeneity in Langebaan Lagoon, South Africa |
| title_short | Flamingo foraging activity as a driver of spatial heterogeneity in Langebaan Lagoon, South Africa |
| title_sort | flamingo foraging activity as a driver of spatial heterogeneity in langebaan lagoon south africa |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/11427/7644 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT paynerobyn flamingoforagingactivityasadriverofspatialheterogeneityinlangebaanlagoonsouthafrica |