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2026-10-10 Pollinator Diversity and Plant-Pollinator Networks across Urban, Agricultural and Natural Contexts in Two Biodiversity Hotspots in Africa
Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2024.
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
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Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
2025
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| _version_ | 1867613898952146944 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Balogun, Ibukunoluwa Ifedayo |
| author2 | Samways, Michael |
| author_browse | Balogun, Ibukunoluwa Ifedayo Samways, Michael |
| author_facet | Samways, Michael Balogun, Ibukunoluwa Ifedayo |
| author_sort | Balogun, Ibukunoluwa Ifedayo |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | Stellenbosch University |
| description | Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2024. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/133806 |
| institution | Stellenbosch University (South Africa) |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:43:27.297Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| publishDateRange | 2025 |
| publishDateSort | 2025 |
| publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| publisherStr | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| spelling | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/133806 2026-10-10 Pollinator Diversity and Plant-Pollinator Networks across Urban, Agricultural and Natural Contexts in Two Biodiversity Hotspots in Africa Balogun, Ibukunoluwa Ifedayo Samways, Michael Pryke, James Kehinde, Tope Stellenbosch University. Faculty of AgriSciences. Dept. of Conservation Ecology and Entomology. Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2024. Balogun, I. I. 2024. Pollinator Diversity and Plant-Pollinator Networks across Urban, Agricultural and Natural Contexts in Two Biodiversity Hotspots in Africa. Unpublished doctoral thesis. Stellenbosch: Stellenbosch University [online]. Available: https://scholar.sun.ac.za/items/5f0ea697-7cd9-4c04-8315-67ea362f1245 Insect pollinators, important ecosystem service providers for agricultural crops, are declining globally. Further declines are predicted due to factors such as habitat loss associated with urbanization and agricultural intensification. Urban areas in the global North are refuges for some pollinators due to the presence of green spaces with adequate floral and nesting resources for insect pollinators. However, in Africa, where the urban population is predicted to rise to 59% by 2050, little is known about how these greenspaces can ameliorate the effect of urbanization and agricultural intensification on insect pollinators. This is especially important in the wake of urban encroachment into African hotspots such as the Cape Floristic Region (CFR) and Guinea Forest of West Africa (GFH). This study focuses on the effects of urbanization and agricultural intensification on the insect pollinator assemblages in both the CFR and the GFH and how resources in their urban green spaces affect the response of insect pollinators to these factors. Insect pollinators were sampled using direct observation and pan traps. Associated environmental, floral, and nesting variables were measured. Responses of insect pollinators were assessed based on their taxonomic diversity, interactions with plants, and functional traits and diversity. Results indicated similar pollinator diversity between agricultural and natural areas for some taxa and between agricultural areas and urban gardens for other taxa. This highlights a possible complementarity between land use types, and that biodiversity-friendly farms can serve as steppingstone habitats between natural areas and urban gardens. This is due to biodiversity-friendly farms having the necessary floral and nesting resources needed for the sustenance of the insect pollinator assemblage present on the farms. These floral and nesting resources were shown to be important predictors of the taxonomic diversity of insect pollinators. Floral resources typically provide an opportunity for plant-pollinator interactions to occur through the presence of nectar and pollen needed for the feeding of insect pollinators. In addition, the appropriate nesting resources will result in the presence of certain insect pollinators. Hence, this indicates the necessity for incorporating floral and nesting resources into conservation actions for insect pollinators. Apart from biodiversity-friendly farms, the importance of urban gardens for bees was shown here, with bees having a higher number of interactions in gardens and vineyards than in natural areas. Gardens due to the range of floral resources they offer are good habitats for several insect pollinators. Furthermore, they provide novel habitats such as cavities in walls for insect pollinators to nest. Hence, gardens are an important green space in African urban areas. However, the high functional diversity of flowers in gardens due to the high diversity of ornamental plants did not translate into the high functional diversity of bees. Here, beetles had the highest number of interactions in natural areas emphasizing the importance of natural areas for conserving pollination in these landscapes due to their high diversity of non-bee pollinators. This study emphasized the need for good management that makes for diverse floral (especially indigenous) and nesting resources available in urban areas, making African urban areas refuge habitats for insect pollinators. Doctoral 2025-09-10T09:14:39Z 2025-09-10T09:14:39Z 2024-12 Thesis https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/133806 en Stellenbosch University 236 pages : ill. application/pdf Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| spellingShingle | Balogun, Ibukunoluwa Ifedayo 2026-10-10 Pollinator Diversity and Plant-Pollinator Networks across Urban, Agricultural and Natural Contexts in Two Biodiversity Hotspots in Africa |
| title | 2026-10-10 Pollinator Diversity and Plant-Pollinator Networks across Urban, Agricultural and Natural Contexts in Two Biodiversity Hotspots in Africa |
| title_full | 2026-10-10 Pollinator Diversity and Plant-Pollinator Networks across Urban, Agricultural and Natural Contexts in Two Biodiversity Hotspots in Africa |
| title_fullStr | 2026-10-10 Pollinator Diversity and Plant-Pollinator Networks across Urban, Agricultural and Natural Contexts in Two Biodiversity Hotspots in Africa |
| title_full_unstemmed | 2026-10-10 Pollinator Diversity and Plant-Pollinator Networks across Urban, Agricultural and Natural Contexts in Two Biodiversity Hotspots in Africa |
| title_short | 2026-10-10 Pollinator Diversity and Plant-Pollinator Networks across Urban, Agricultural and Natural Contexts in Two Biodiversity Hotspots in Africa |
| title_sort | 2026 10 10 pollinator diversity and plant pollinator networks across urban agricultural and natural contexts in two biodiversity hotspots in africa |
| url | https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/133806 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT balogunibukunoluwaifedayo 20261010pollinatordiversityandplantpollinatornetworksacrossurbanagriculturalandnaturalcontextsintwobiodiversityhotspotsinafrica |