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Evaluating Insect Turnover Through the Zeta Diversity Framework to Determine Corridor Effectiveness for Biodiversity Conservation in South African Plantation Forestry
Thesis (MSc)--Stellenbosch University, 2026.
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
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Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
2026
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| _version_ | 1867614079201312768 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Lategan, Trevor Daniel |
| author2 | Kietzka, Gabi |
| author_browse | Kietzka, Gabi Lategan, Trevor Daniel |
| author_facet | Kietzka, Gabi Lategan, Trevor Daniel |
| author_sort | Lategan, Trevor Daniel |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | Stellenbosch University |
| description | Thesis (MSc)--Stellenbosch University, 2026. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/136218 |
| institution | Stellenbosch University (South Africa) |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:46:20.037Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| publishDateRange | 2026 |
| publishDateSort | 2026 |
| publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| publisherStr | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| spelling | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/136218 Evaluating Insect Turnover Through the Zeta Diversity Framework to Determine Corridor Effectiveness for Biodiversity Conservation in South African Plantation Forestry Lategan, Trevor Daniel Kietzka, Gabi Hui, Cang Pryke, James Stellenbosch University. Faculty of AgriSciences. Dept. of Conservation Ecology and Entomology. Thesis (MSc)--Stellenbosch University, 2026. Lategan, T. D. 2026. Evaluating Insect Turnover Through the Zeta Diversity Framework to Determine Corridor Effectiveness for Biodiversity Conservation in South African Plantation Forestry. Unpublished masters thesis. Stellenbosch: Stellenbosch University [online]. Available: https://scholar.sun.ac.za/items/d2f01abc-54c1-4415-ae73-a649e08f6da6 The presence of commercial timber plantations in globally significant biodiversity hotspots, such as the Maputaland-Pondoland-Albany region in South Africa, necessitates land management strategies that effectively balance commercial production with ecological integrity. In the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands, conservation corridors embedded within the plantation matrix are implemented to mitigate habitat fragmentation and biodiversity loss. Verifying the ecological success of these interventions is critical, yet accurately quantifying their impact remains a complex challenge. While previous research has established the high biodiversity value of these corridors, applying multi-site frameworks provides deeper insight into the distinct drivers shaping rare1 versus common2 species assemblages across the plantation matrix. This study evaluates the efficacy of these corridors using a long-term dataset (2007–2022) comprising 548 distinct insect3 taxa across eight orders, sampled from 15 sites representing both plantation blocks and conservation corridors. Applying the zeta diversity framework and Multi-Site Generalized Dissimilarity Modelling (MS-GDM), this research moves beyond standard richness assessments to partition the drivers of community turnover for rare versus widespread species. The results demonstrate that conservation corridors function as important biodiversity reservoirs, supporting significantly higher taxonomic richness and harboring more than twice the number of unique taxa compared to plantation stands. Zeta diversity analyses revealed steep declines in shared species with increasing site order, indicating a community structure characterized by high turnover and driven largely by rare, patch-specific taxa. Crucially, distance-decay analyses showed no significant relationship between geographic separation and community similarity for either rare or common taxa. This absence of spatial decay implies that plantation stands do not function as absolute barriers to species distribution. Consequently, geographic isolation does not appear to be a primary driver of diversity, meaning community assembly is governed primarily by shared environmental gradients and stochastic processes rather than spatial constraints. MS-GDM further revealed that narrow-ranged species were structured primarily by climatic gradients, whereas widespread species were influenced predominantly by sampling effort and habitat structure, highlighting the importance of ongoing biodiversity monitoring. These findings show that commercial forestry and biodiversity conservation are not mutually exclusive; well-managed corridors prevent ecological isolation and enable the persistence of diverse insect assemblages within production landscapes. Methodologically, this study validates the zeta diversity framework as a powerful diagnostic tool for sustainable agriculture, offering a more complete understanding of landscape dynamics than traditional metrics. Ultimately, this research supports the retention and management of conservation corridors as a scalable, nature-based solution that aligns with the principles of Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) and global sustainability goals, securing ecosystem resilience in intensively managed production systems. Masters 2026-04-28T10:09:55Z 2026-04-28T10:09:55Z 2026-03 Thesis https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/136218 en Stellenbosch University 57 pages : ill. application/pdf Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| spellingShingle | Lategan, Trevor Daniel Evaluating Insect Turnover Through the Zeta Diversity Framework to Determine Corridor Effectiveness for Biodiversity Conservation in South African Plantation Forestry |
| title | Evaluating Insect Turnover Through the Zeta Diversity Framework to Determine Corridor Effectiveness for Biodiversity Conservation in South African Plantation Forestry |
| title_full | Evaluating Insect Turnover Through the Zeta Diversity Framework to Determine Corridor Effectiveness for Biodiversity Conservation in South African Plantation Forestry |
| title_fullStr | Evaluating Insect Turnover Through the Zeta Diversity Framework to Determine Corridor Effectiveness for Biodiversity Conservation in South African Plantation Forestry |
| title_full_unstemmed | Evaluating Insect Turnover Through the Zeta Diversity Framework to Determine Corridor Effectiveness for Biodiversity Conservation in South African Plantation Forestry |
| title_short | Evaluating Insect Turnover Through the Zeta Diversity Framework to Determine Corridor Effectiveness for Biodiversity Conservation in South African Plantation Forestry |
| title_sort | evaluating insect turnover through the zeta diversity framework to determine corridor effectiveness for biodiversity conservation in south african plantation forestry |
| url | https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/136218 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT lategantrevordaniel evaluatinginsectturnoverthroughthezetadiversityframeworktodeterminecorridoreffectivenessforbiodiversityconservationinsouthafricanplantationforestry |