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Is local plant extinction a product of mutualism breakdown? A case study of the Namaqualand spring flora
A mutualism-centred risk assessment model, proposed by Bond (1993), was used to predict which plant species are vulnerable to extinction in the absence of insect pollinators. The predictions of this model were then compared with actual plant species compositions between adjacent disturbed and undist...
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
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Department of Biological Sciences
2021
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| _version_ | 1867613337983909889 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Smuts, Rowena |
| author2 | Bond, William |
| author_browse | Bond, William Smuts, Rowena |
| author_facet | Bond, William Smuts, Rowena |
| author_sort | Smuts, Rowena |
| collection | Thesis |
| description | A mutualism-centred risk assessment model, proposed by Bond (1993), was used to predict which plant species are vulnerable to extinction in the absence of insect pollinators. The predictions of this model were then compared with actual plant species compositions between adjacent disturbed and undisturbed sites in a Namaqualand flowering community. It was found that autogamous annuals were at the lowest risk of extinction and were consequently abundant in disturbed lands. Geophytes were completely eliminated by ploughing, however, the cause of their local extinction is not necessarily due to mutualism breakdown and may be explained by a lack of seed banks. The model was shown to be useful for predicting distribution patterns for annuals. However, further studies of seed banks, germination cues and colonisation success are necessary to make predictions for the geophytic species. The study illuminated the fact that both plant and associated insect species diversity decline rapidly in disturbed areas and that the elimination of insects, by ploughing, may lead to extensive loss of plant species. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/35432 |
| institution | University of Cape Town (South Africa) |
| language | eng |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:34:32.198Z |
| license_str | Not specified — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| publishDate | 2021 |
| publishDateRange | 2021 |
| publishDateSort | 2021 |
| 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:11427/35432 Is local plant extinction a product of mutualism breakdown? A case study of the Namaqualand spring flora Smuts, Rowena Bond, William Flora A mutualism-centred risk assessment model, proposed by Bond (1993), was used to predict which plant species are vulnerable to extinction in the absence of insect pollinators. The predictions of this model were then compared with actual plant species compositions between adjacent disturbed and undisturbed sites in a Namaqualand flowering community. It was found that autogamous annuals were at the lowest risk of extinction and were consequently abundant in disturbed lands. Geophytes were completely eliminated by ploughing, however, the cause of their local extinction is not necessarily due to mutualism breakdown and may be explained by a lack of seed banks. The model was shown to be useful for predicting distribution patterns for annuals. However, further studies of seed banks, germination cues and colonisation success are necessary to make predictions for the geophytic species. The study illuminated the fact that both plant and associated insect species diversity decline rapidly in disturbed areas and that the elimination of insects, by ploughing, may lead to extensive loss of plant species. 2021-12-07T11:38:01Z 2021-12-07T11:38:01Z 1994 2021-12-07T11:23:37Z Thesis Other BSc http://hdl.handle.net/11427/35432 eng application/pdf Department of Biological Sciences Faculty of Science |
| spellingShingle | Flora Smuts, Rowena Is local plant extinction a product of mutualism breakdown? A case study of the Namaqualand spring flora |
| title | Is local plant extinction a product of mutualism breakdown? A case study of the Namaqualand spring flora |
| title_full | Is local plant extinction a product of mutualism breakdown? A case study of the Namaqualand spring flora |
| title_fullStr | Is local plant extinction a product of mutualism breakdown? A case study of the Namaqualand spring flora |
| title_full_unstemmed | Is local plant extinction a product of mutualism breakdown? A case study of the Namaqualand spring flora |
| title_short | Is local plant extinction a product of mutualism breakdown? A case study of the Namaqualand spring flora |
| title_sort | is local plant extinction a product of mutualism breakdown a case study of the namaqualand spring flora |
| topic | Flora |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/11427/35432 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT smutsrowena islocalplantextinctionaproductofmutualismbreakdownacasestudyofthenamaqualandspringflora |