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Predation/disturbance effects of greater flamingos (Phoenicopterus ruber) on the benthic communities of two Southern African lagoons

Bibliography: leaves 69-74.

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Main Author: Glassom, D
Other Authors: Branch, George M
Format: Thesis
Language:English
Published: Department of Biological Sciences 2014
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access_status_str Open Access
author Glassom, D
author2 Branch, George M
author_browse Branch, George M
Glassom, D
author_facet Branch, George M
Glassom, D
author_sort Glassom, D
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description Bibliography: leaves 69-74.
format Thesis
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institution University of Cape Town (South Africa)
language eng
last_indexed 2026-06-10T12:33:40.116Z
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
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source_str UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository
spelling oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/9673 Predation/disturbance effects of greater flamingos (Phoenicopterus ruber) on the benthic communities of two Southern African lagoons Glassom, D Branch, George M Zoology Bibliography: leaves 69-74. Greater Flamingos, Phoenicopterus ruber, were excluded from intertidal areas of two lagoons and subtidal areas of one of these on the Namibian coastline. Macrofaunal and meiofaunal numbers increased at all exclusion sites, but taxon-specific responses were variable. Both intertidal sites were polychaete dominated; subtidally amphipods formed dense tube mats that covered the substrate. All except one macrofaunal species showed significant response to caging. Relative to controls, macrofaunal numbers increased approximately three times inside subtidal exclosures, and one and a half times intertidally, but diversity indices were similar between treatments. There was some evidence that amensalistic interactions developed between macrofauna within exclosures. Intertidally at Walvis Bay rneiofauna showed little response to flamingo exclusion, but subtidally all groups showed statistically significant responses to treatments. At Sandwich Harbour, foraminifera and ostracod abundance changed significantly. Bacterial counts were lower in exclusions at all sites, but significantly so only at Sandwich Harbour, which was the only site where chlorophyll concentrations did not change significantly. Sediment particle size composition was unaffected at all sites. Eh and organic content of sediments changed least subtidally; pH was affected by the treatment at both Walvis Bay sites, but not at Sandwich Harbour. Partial cages, used as cage controls, indicated that results were not artefacts caused by caging. Overall, it was clear that P. ruber was important in structuring communities in the areas studied. In the absence of P. ruber, physical disturbance may be the most important force structuring benthic communities. 2014-11-15T19:43:53Z 2014-11-15T19:43:53Z 1992 Master Thesis Masters MSc http://hdl.handle.net/11427/9673 eng application/pdf Department of Biological Sciences Faculty of Science University of Cape Town
spellingShingle Zoology
Glassom, D
Predation/disturbance effects of greater flamingos (Phoenicopterus ruber) on the benthic communities of two Southern African lagoons
thesis_degree_str Master's
title Predation/disturbance effects of greater flamingos (Phoenicopterus ruber) on the benthic communities of two Southern African lagoons
title_full Predation/disturbance effects of greater flamingos (Phoenicopterus ruber) on the benthic communities of two Southern African lagoons
title_fullStr Predation/disturbance effects of greater flamingos (Phoenicopterus ruber) on the benthic communities of two Southern African lagoons
title_full_unstemmed Predation/disturbance effects of greater flamingos (Phoenicopterus ruber) on the benthic communities of two Southern African lagoons
title_short Predation/disturbance effects of greater flamingos (Phoenicopterus ruber) on the benthic communities of two Southern African lagoons
title_sort predation disturbance effects of greater flamingos phoenicopterus ruber on the benthic communities of two southern african lagoons
topic Zoology
url http://hdl.handle.net/11427/9673
work_keys_str_mv AT glassomd predationdisturbanceeffectsofgreaterflamingosphoenicopterusruberonthebenthiccommunitiesoftwosouthernafricanlagoons