CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2013
| Author | Djock, Emily Anne |
|---|---|
| Title | Insect monitoring and inventorying in Table Mountain National Park, South Africa: a case study of the ant community and invasive Argentine ant |
| Summary | To date, insect conservation has been disproportionally prioritized in South African protected areas. Inclusion of insect monitoring and inventorying in these areas can serve to bolster conservation of both the subject taxa as well as the ecosystem in whole. The feasibility of incorporating this approach is explored with a close look at Table Mountain National Park (TMNP) within the Cape Floristic Region. The Argentine ant (Linepithema humile) is a prolific invasive alien species here and has potential to impact the indigenous ant community and in turn, the endemic and biodiverse fynbos habitat. As such, the ant community is surveyed in both fynbos and clear-felled pine plantation sites to understand where this invasive ant thrives and how the ant community responds. Patterns of disturbance and recovery are analyzed with a focus on developing a threshold of potential concern (TPC) for the Argentine ant. Although the long-term impact of the Argentine ant is not confirmed through this study, useful ant indicators are identified in both the disturbed (e.g. Lepisiota capensis and the Argentine ant) and undisturbed habitats (e.g. Camponotus maculatus). A guideline for a TPC and a more robust ant-monitoring scheme are ultimately proposed. The challenges to insect studies involve time, cost, and logistical limitations. This can be remedied in part with the application of community-based monitoring and citizen-science. The Iimbovane Outreach Project leads ant-monitoring exercises with local schools in the Western Cape, South Africa. The opportunity here is to increase collaboration between initiatives such as this and the park managers in TMNP. |
| Supervisor | Anthony, Brandon; Picker, Mike |
| Department | Environment Sciences and Policy MSc |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2013/djock_emily.pdf |
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