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Dietary shifts in pollen-feeding lacewings (Nemopteridae) in relation to vegetation, biome and phylogeny

Includes bibliographical references.

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Chirango, Yolanda
Other Authors: Gillson , Lindsey
Format: Thesis
Language:English
Published: Department of Biological Sciences 2015
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access_status_str Open Access
author Chirango, Yolanda
author2 Gillson , Lindsey
author_browse Chirango, Yolanda
Gillson , Lindsey
author_facet Gillson , Lindsey
Chirango, Yolanda
author_sort Chirango, Yolanda
collection Thesis
description Includes bibliographical references.
format Thesis
id oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/12727
institution University of Cape Town (South Africa)
language eng
last_indexed 2026-06-10T12:34:25.395Z
license_str Not specified — see source repository
provenance_str_mv Harvested via OAI-PMH from UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository
publishDate 2015
publishDateRange 2015
publishDateSort 2015
publisher Department of Biological Sciences
publisherStr Department of Biological Sciences
record_format dspace
source_str UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository
spelling oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/12727 Dietary shifts in pollen-feeding lacewings (Nemopteridae) in relation to vegetation, biome and phylogeny Chirango, Yolanda Gillson , Lindsey Picker, Mike Includes bibliographical references. The spoon-winged and threadwinged lacewings are a diverse nemopterid family that have flourished in the winter rainfall region of South Africa. Their diversity is thought to be linked to the radiation of Aizoaceae, a member of the Ruchioideae subfamily that radiated at the same time as the recently diversified nemopterids in the Succulent Karoo. Phylogenetic data supported this assertion, and seperated the family into two distinct lineages, a recently diversified Aizoaceae-dependent Succulent Karoo lineage and a basal Aizoaceae-independent Fynbos lineage. This study aimed to determine if the nemopterid diet is phylogenetically contrained or if diet was mearely a reflection of plant availability. This was investigated by carrying out a dietary analysis of the gut contents of nemopterids from different biomes, vegetation and localities. It was hypothesised that diet would be phylogenetically constrained and dietary grouping would reflect phylogeny. In addition, the derived nemopterid lineage thought to have co-evolved with Aizoaceae, (Palmipenna, Nemopterella, Nemia, and Knersvlaktia) would reflect this in its diet. The older lineage (Nemeura, Sicyoptera, Semirhynchia, and Derhynchia) was hypothesised to have its phylogenetic grouping reflected in its diet by having very little to no Aizoaceae in its diet. The results showed that dietary groupings did not reflect phylogenetic groupings and dietary similarities were shared across most genera, including subfamilies, with Lauhervasia, a member of the Crocinae subfamily sharing 80% of its pollen sources with Semirhynchia, of the Nemopterinae subfamily. Aizoaceae reliance was only consistantly present in Nemia, which belonged to the phylogenetic lineage expected to rely on Aizoacea. All the members of the phylogenetic lineage not expected to rely on Aizoaceae, did not have any Aizoaceae in their diet. The diet of the nemopterids was very diverse across all vegetation types and biomes. The study suggests that spoon-winged and threadwinged lacewings are generalist pollinators and recent diversification was most likely linked to their ability to utilise the large range of available resources and not linked to a single plant family that radiated around the same time. 2015-05-04T07:14:07Z 2015-05-04T07:14:07Z 2014 Bachelor Thesis Honours BSc (Hons) http://hdl.handle.net/11427/12727 eng application/pdf Department of Biological Sciences Faculty of Science University of Cape Town
spellingShingle Chirango, Yolanda
Dietary shifts in pollen-feeding lacewings (Nemopteridae) in relation to vegetation, biome and phylogeny
thesis_degree_str Bachelor's / Honours
title Dietary shifts in pollen-feeding lacewings (Nemopteridae) in relation to vegetation, biome and phylogeny
title_full Dietary shifts in pollen-feeding lacewings (Nemopteridae) in relation to vegetation, biome and phylogeny
title_fullStr Dietary shifts in pollen-feeding lacewings (Nemopteridae) in relation to vegetation, biome and phylogeny
title_full_unstemmed Dietary shifts in pollen-feeding lacewings (Nemopteridae) in relation to vegetation, biome and phylogeny
title_short Dietary shifts in pollen-feeding lacewings (Nemopteridae) in relation to vegetation, biome and phylogeny
title_sort dietary shifts in pollen feeding lacewings nemopteridae in relation to vegetation biome and phylogeny
url http://hdl.handle.net/11427/12727
work_keys_str_mv AT chirangoyolanda dietaryshiftsinpollenfeedinglacewingsnemopteridaeinrelationtovegetationbiomeandphylogeny