The influence of biotope on invertebrate assemblages in lentic environments: A study of two perennial alkaline wetlands in the Western Cape, South Africa

Bird, Matthew S.; Day, Jenny A.; Malan, Heather L.

doi:10.1016/j.limno.2014.05.002

Cited by 9 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 51 publications

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“…Fluctuating conductivity as a proxy for salinity [ 66 ] determines overall aquatic beetle and bug species richness, and shapes aquatic bug assemblages, as high salinity interferes with metabolic capabilities and water retention in aquatic insects [ 67 ]. Here, only aquatic beetle diversity in natural ponds showed a response to water pH, suggesting that most of our aquatic beetles have a strong preference for slightly alkaline waters, related to their physiology and development [ 68 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Artificial reservoirs complement natural ponds to improve pondscape resilience in conservation corridors in a biodiversity hotspot

2018

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Natural ponds are rich in biodiversity, contributing greatly to regional aquatic biodiversity. Artificial reservoirs used for irrigation can be significant additional features of the landscape. They infill the local natural pondscape, and are attractors for aquatic insects. Here, we determine the extent to which artificial reservoirs represent the local natural pond biota, and how they contribute to the pondscape in conservation corridors used to mitigate the impact of plantation forestry in a global biodiversity hotspot. We did this by: 1) identifying the environmental factors, including plants, that drive dragonfly, water beetle, and water bug species richness, diversity and composition, and 2) determining the value of natural ponds vs. artificial reservoirs for maintaining the population size and expanding the area of occupancy for dragonflies, beetles and bugs in conservation corridors. While vegetation cover was central for maintaining species richness and composition of the assemblages in general, many other environmental variables are necessary to encourage the full suite of local diversity. Artificial reservoirs are attractive habitats to many species, overall increasing area of occupancy for 75% of them (ranging from 62–84% for different taxa). These reservoirs provide complementary alternative habitats to natural ponds, leading to improved ecological resilience across the pondscape. We conclude that maintaining a diverse and heterogeneous pondscape is important for conserving local aquatic insect diversity, and that artificial reservoirs increase the local area of occupancy for a range of pond insects in conservation corridors, and improve the biodiversity value of these pondscapes.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Artificial reservoirs complement natural ponds to improve pondscape resilience in conservation corridors in a biodiversity hotspot

2018

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“…These habitats are naturally variable with regard to depth, vegetation structure and physico‐chemical features (Boven and Brendonck , Bird and Day , Bird et al. ) and are now often modified by anthropogenic disturbances (Allan et al. , Marty , Hernandez et al.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Emergent effects of structural complexity and temperature on predator–prey interactions

et al. 2016

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. 2016. Emergent effects of structural complexity and temperature on predator-prey interactions. Ecosphere 7(2): e01239. 10. 1002/ecs2.1239 Abstract. Ephemeral aquatic environments are important habitats for a variety of species. They are highly variable with regards to vegetation structure and physico-chemical features that potentially mediate outcomes of biotic interactions. Multiple environmental variables and their emergent impacts on the relationship between prey consumption rate by a predator and prey density (functional response), however, are rarely assessed. Here, we investigated the combined effects of temperature and habitat complexity on the functional response of the freshwater predatory notonectid Enithares sobria on the cladoceran prey organism Daphnia longispina. A Type II functional response was observed for E. sobria predating on D. longispina and while temperature and habitat complexity had no effect on the response type, these environmental variables interacted with consequences for the magnitude of the functional responses. Overall, structural complexity favored the predator as greater consumption was observed in the most complex habitat treatment. Temperature effects were also evident although these effects were not unidirectional with regard to treatment factor gradients as predators were the most successful at intermediary temperatures. Furthermore, there was a complex interplay between habitat complexity and temperature, with attack rates being greatest at low and high complexities within intermediate temperatures, while at zero complexity attack rates were greatest at the lowest temperature. The effect of habitat on handling times was only evident in the low temperature treatments which decreased steadily with each increase in complexity. Through the application of functional responses the synergistic effects of multiple environmental drivers on predator-prey interaction outcomes have been highlighted, adding insight into how interactions among species may be affected by natural or artificially induced environmental variability.

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Impacts of terrestrial habitat transformation on temporary wetland invertebrates in a sclerophyllous Sand fynbos landscape

Bird

Day

2016

Hydrobiologia

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The influence of biotope on invertebrate assemblages in lentic environments: A study of two perennial alkaline wetlands in the Western Cape, South Africa

Cited by 9 publications

References 51 publications

Artificial reservoirs complement natural ponds to improve pondscape resilience in conservation corridors in a biodiversity hotspot

Artificial reservoirs complement natural ponds to improve pondscape resilience in conservation corridors in a biodiversity hotspot

Emergent effects of structural complexity and temperature on predator–prey interactions

Impacts of terrestrial habitat transformation on temporary wetland invertebrates in a sclerophyllous Sand fynbos landscape

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