an assessment of rehabilitation success in an african grassland using ants as bioindicators

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ID: 250142
2016
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Abstract
Many studies that evaluate rehabilitation make use of invertebrate bioindicators. Invertebrates, especially ants, make useful indicators as they are sensitive to environmental change. We compared ant assemblages in rehabilitated and control sites in the Rietvlei Nature Reserve, a protected area important for grassland conservation in South Africa. Pitfall traps were used to sample ant assemblages at six control sites and six rehabilitated sites. In addition, environmental and vegetation surveys were conducted at each site. We found that the ant assemblages differed significantly between the control and rehabilitated sites, although there was considerable overlap; the control sites supported a greater species density and higher abundance of ants than the rehabilitated sites. In total, 36 ant species were collected (control sites: 34 species; rehabilitated sites: 26 species). The environmental survey revealed that percentages of bare ground and coarse sand, as well as soil pH, differed significantly between the control and rehabilitated sites. The control and rehabilitated sites also supported significantly different plant assemblages. Three indicator ant species were identified for the control sites: Crematogaster rectinota, Crematogaster amita and Monomorium fastidium. No indicator species were identified for the rehabilitated sites. These results suggest that recovery from the previous agricultural use of the area is still incomplete and highlights the lack of research examining the success of rehabilitation in the grassland biome. Conservation implications: The present study illustrates the need for further research on rehabilitation techniques utilised in the grassland biome. This is of value as the remainder of South African grasslands are considered critically endangered.
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jamison2016koedoe:an Use this key to autocite in the manuscript while using SciMatic Manuscript Manager or Thesis Manager
Authors ;Samantha-Leigh Jamison;Mark Robertson;Ian Engelbrecht;Peter Hawkes
Journal current pharmaceutical design
Year 2016
DOI
10.4102/koedoe.v58i1.1383
URL
https://koedoe.co.za/index.php/koedoe/article/view/1383
Keywords
ants grasslands bioindicators geographical distribution including nature conservation

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