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Effects of pine afforestation on native biota and conservation evaluation of afforestable grasslands in motane areas of South Africa
Spine title: Conservation evaluation.
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | en_ZA |
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Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
2012
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| _version_ | 1867614042840891392 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Armstrong, Adrian J. |
| author2 | Van Hensbergen, H. J. |
| author_browse | Armstrong, Adrian J. Van Hensbergen, H. J. |
| author_facet | Van Hensbergen, H. J. Armstrong, Adrian J. |
| author_sort | Armstrong, Adrian J. |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | Stellenbosch University |
| description | Spine title: Conservation evaluation. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/55112 |
| institution | Stellenbosch University (South Africa) |
| language | en_ZA |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:45:45.384Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| publishDate | 2012 |
| publishDateRange | 2012 |
| publishDateSort | 2012 |
| publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| publisherStr | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| spelling | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/55112 Effects of pine afforestation on native biota and conservation evaluation of afforestable grasslands in motane areas of South Africa Armstrong, Adrian J. Van Hensbergen, H. J. Stellenbosch University. Faculty of AgriSciences. Department of Conservation Ecology and Entomology. Afforestation -- Environmental aspects -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Pine -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Grasslands -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Forests and forestry -- Environmental aspects -- Standards -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Forest influences -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Biotic communities -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Biodiversity -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Forest ecology -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Dissertations -- Nature conservation UCTD Spine title: Conservation evaluation. Dissertations (D. Phil.) -- University of Stellenbosch, 1996. ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Pine (Pinus spp.) afforestation generally results in a reduction in the species richness of the native biotic assemblages and in the abundance of species of the original habitat. The biotic assemblage changes in the planted area with the aging of the pines, the bird assemblage from one dominated by species of the original habitat to another dominated by those of a wooded habitat. Wooded-habitat specialists, however, are not generally found in pine plantations. Recovery of the animal and plant assemblages after clearfelling may take many years in the fynbos biome. Vertebrate mediated pollination appears to be disrupted in pine plantations. Plants pollinated by vertebrates and their bird and rodent pollinators are scarce in, or absent from, mature plantations. The proportion of plant species with seeds dispersed by vertebrates increases under plantations, probably due to the pines providing perches for avian frugivores. Native habitat remnants surrounded by pine plantations should be considered as "islands" in an "inhospitable sea", and managed to maintain their biotic complements and ecological processes. Large-scale afforestation with pines is occurring in high rainfall montane grasslands. Evaluations of these grassland for wildlife conservation prior to afforestation have not been done. Grasshoppers, butterflies, birds and small mammals are some key taxa to sample in montane grasslands. Sampling of these four taxa along a gradient of land types was found to be a suitable methodology for a single researcher in conservation evaluations of these grasslands. The land types were defined by altitude, geology and rainfall. Sampling as done at five sites, determined by aspect and topography, on each land type, on four days at each site. Differences in conservation value between land types and between sampling site types in the Maclear district were demonstrated, but rankings differed according to the criterion used. High-altitude land types and low-altitude Protea savanna were most valuable for conserving endemic species. Low-allitude land types with a Molteno sandstone lithology and a high-altitude land type with a Clarens sandstone lithology had the highest conservation values for total numbers of grasshopper genera and species of butterflies and birds. North slopes and crests were important for grasshoppers, valleys and north slopes for butterflies, and valleys and south slopes for small mammals in the district. Taxon richness "hotspots" were not coincident at both the land type and sampling site scales. Nor were the taxon richness and endemicity "hotspots" coincident at the larger scale. Adequately-large areas of all the land types are required to protect the complement of species or all taxa in the afforestable part of the Maclear district. However, incidental observations 111d1ca1ed that a set of five land types may be sufficient. Sub~tituting the highaltitudc, low rainfall, basalt land type for the low-altitude, high rainfall, Molteno sandstone one in this set would protect all the montane endemic species. Most of the afforested farms had high or medium predicted conservation values before afforestation. Nature reserves, necessary for the long-term survival of larger species and some endemics in afforestable regions, should be determined before afforestation begins. Indication of which parts of the Maclear district are most suitable for reservation are given. AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Oor die algemeen veroorsaak bebossing met denne (Pinus spp.) 'n afname in spesierykheid van die natuurlike biota sowel as 'n afname in die volopheid van spesies van die oorspronklike habitat. Met die veroudering van denn-opstande verander die samestelling van die biotiese groepe binne 'n vak, byvoorbeeld die voëls van die oorspronklike habitat word met dié wat beboste areas oorheers, vervang. Boshabitat-spesialiste kom oor die algemeen egter nie in denneplantasies voor nie. In die fynbosbioom kan die hervestiging van dier- en plantgroepe na kaalkap etlike jare neem. Bestuiwing deur werweldiere word blykbaar in denneplantasies ontwrig. Plante wat deur werweldiere bestuif word, sowel as hulle voël- en knaagdier-bestuiwers, is of skaars of afwesig in volwasse plantasies. Plantspesies met sade wat deur werweldiere versprei word, kom proporsioneel meer in plantasies voor, waarskynlik as gevolg van denneboomtakke wat as sitplekke vir vrugtevretende voëls dien. Oorblyfsels van natuurlike habitat wat deur denneplantasies omring is, behoort as "eilande" in 'n "onherbergsame see" beskou te word. Hulle behoort bestuur le word met die oog op die behoud van hulle biotiese komponente en ekologiese prosesse. Grootskaalse bebossing met denne geskied tans hoofsaaklik in bergagtige gebiede met hoë reënval. Tot dusver is daar nog geen pogings aangewend om hierdie graslande voor bebossing vir natuurbewaring te evalueer nie. Sprinkane, skoenlappers, voëls en klein soogdiere kan as sleuteltaksa gebruik word om berggraslande te bemonster. Daar is gevind dat bemonstering van dit vier taxa oor 'n gradiënt van landtipes 'n geskikte metode is vir 'n enkele navorser om bewaringsevaluerings in hierdie graslande uit te voer. Die landtipes is volgens hoogte bo seespeel, geologie en reënval gedefinieer. Vyf terreine, bepaal volgens aspek en topografie, is vir vier dae op elke landtipe ondersoek. Verskille in bewaringsstatus tussen landtipes en tussen monsters van terreintipes in die Maclear distrik is vasgestel, maar die rangordes verskil volgens die kriterium wat gebruik is. Hoogliggende landlipes en laagliggende Protea-savanna is die waardevolste vir die bewaring van endemiese spesies. Laagliggende landtipes met Molteno-sandsteen litologie en 'n hoogliggende landtipe met Clarens-sandsteen litologie het die hoogste bewaringswaarde gemeet aan die geheelgetalle van sprinkaangenera en van skoenlapper- en voëlspesies. In hierdie gebied is noordelike hellings en heuwelkruine belangrik vir sprinkane, valleie en noordelike hellings vir skoenlappers en valleie en suidelike hellings vir klein soogdiere. Sentra van taksonrykheid het nie ooreengestem op die skale van sowel landtipes en bemonsteringspersele nie. Sentra van taksonrykheid en van hoë endemisiteit het ook nie ooreengestem op die groter skaal nie. Areas van voldoende grootte van alle landtipes sal nodig wees om die spesies van alle taksa wat in die bebosbare dele van die Maclear distrik voorkom, te beskerm. Toevallige waarnemings dui daarop dat die reservering van 'n stel van die vyf landtipes voldoende behoort te wees. As die laagliggende, Molteno-sandsteen met hoë reënval-landtipe met die hoogliggende, basalt landtipe met lae reënval in hierdie stel vervang word, sal alle spesies endemies tot bergagtige gebiede beskerm word. Die studie voorspel dat die meerderheid van die beboste plase in die gebied, 'n hoë tot medium bewaringstatus voor bebossing getoon het. Die plasing van natuurreservate, noodsaaklik vir die langtermyn oorlewing van groter, en van sommige endemiese, spesies in bebosbare gebiede, behoort voor die aanvang van bebossing bepaal te word. Aanduidings word gegee van die dele in die Macleardistrik wat die mees geskik is vir reservering. Doctoral 2012-08-27T11:36:53Z 2012-08-27T11:36:53Z 1996 Thesis http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/55112 en_ZA Stellenbosch University 196 pages : illustrations. application/pdf Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| spellingShingle | Afforestation -- Environmental aspects -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Pine -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Grasslands -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Forests and forestry -- Environmental aspects -- Standards -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Forest influences -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Biotic communities -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Biodiversity -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Forest ecology -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Dissertations -- Nature conservation UCTD Armstrong, Adrian J. Effects of pine afforestation on native biota and conservation evaluation of afforestable grasslands in motane areas of South Africa |
| title | Effects of pine afforestation on native biota and conservation evaluation of afforestable grasslands in motane areas of South Africa |
| title_full | Effects of pine afforestation on native biota and conservation evaluation of afforestable grasslands in motane areas of South Africa |
| title_fullStr | Effects of pine afforestation on native biota and conservation evaluation of afforestable grasslands in motane areas of South Africa |
| title_full_unstemmed | Effects of pine afforestation on native biota and conservation evaluation of afforestable grasslands in motane areas of South Africa |
| title_short | Effects of pine afforestation on native biota and conservation evaluation of afforestable grasslands in motane areas of South Africa |
| title_sort | effects of pine afforestation on native biota and conservation evaluation of afforestable grasslands in motane areas of south africa |
| topic | Afforestation -- Environmental aspects -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Pine -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Grasslands -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Forests and forestry -- Environmental aspects -- Standards -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Forest influences -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Biotic communities -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Biodiversity -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Forest ecology -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Dissertations -- Nature conservation UCTD |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/55112 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT armstrongadrianj effectsofpineafforestationonnativebiotaandconservationevaluationofafforestablegrasslandsinmotaneareasofsouthafrica |