Millipede communities in rehabilitating coastal dune forests in northern KwaZulu/Natal, South Africa

Aarde, Rudi J. van; Ferreira, Sam M.; Kritzinger, J. J.

doi:10.1111/j.1469-7998.1996.tb05424.x

Cited by 15 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…Previous studies of soil and litter fauna development in re‐vegetated sites have reported an initial colonisation by species tolerant of harsh environmental conditions (e.g. Fox & Fox, 1982; Andersen, 1993; van Aarde et al. , 1996; Dunger et al.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of shading and mulch depth on the colonisation of habitat patches by arthropods of rainforest soil and litter

Nakamura

Catterall

Burwell

et al. 2009

Insect Conserv Diversity

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Abstract. 1. Development of foliage cover and a layer of leaf litter are two factors considered important for the successful recolonisation of soil and litter arthropods during the early stages of rainforest restoration; however, this needs to be tested explicitly.2. We employed a manipulative field experiment to assess the effects of shading and litter depth on colonisation patterns of soil and litter arthropods in created habitat patches at five replicated sites within pasture adjacent to rainforest remnants on the Maleny plateau of subtropical eastern Australia.3. Habitat patches were created by adding sterilised mulch at two depths (shallow 3-5 cm, deep 10-15 cm) under three levels of shading (none, 50%, 90%). Responses of arthropods to treatments were analysed at two levels of taxonomic resolution: 'ordinal-sorted arthropods' (all arthropods sorted to order ⁄ class) and ant species (Hymenoptera: Formicidae).4. Shading, at both 50% and 90%, encouraged colonisation by arthropods characteristic of rainforest. Colonisation by pasture-associated arthropods declined progressively with increased shading. Effects of mulch depth were significant only for rainforest-associated ant species, which responded positively to shallow mulch within shaded plots.5. The results confirm that canopy cover is indeed one of the primary attributes influencing colonisation patterns of arthropods in restored vegetation. More widely spaced plantings may facilitate some colonisation by rainforest arthropods. However, in order to suppress invasion by pasture-associated arthropods, it may be necessary to establish a fully closed canopy.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of shading and mulch depth on the colonisation of habitat patches by arthropods of rainforest soil and litter

Nakamura

Catterall

Burwell

et al. 2009

Insect Conserv Diversity

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“…For millipedes the differences in the width of edges between sampled sites may be due to increasing variation in the physiognomic structure with an increase in regeneration age, implying increases in structural heterogeneity and soil organic content (see van Aarde et al 1998). This is not surprising, however, because the rehabilitating area is considered to be following a pathway of secondary succession (van Aarde et al 1996a). During secondary succession the structural heterogeneity of a site will increase due to the formation of subcanopy layers and increasing gap formation (Bierregaard et al 1992).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Sampling of millipedes consisted of searching through litter and shrub strata and observing the tree strata for millipedes. Sampling was conducted from 28 October to 28 November 1997 from dawn to 1100 hr, this representing the peak period of millipede activity (van Aarde et al 1996a). Sampling of transects continued until the coefficient of variation of density estimates reached a plateau.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The edge influence was addressed by using multivariate techniques to determine whether edge and core assemblages can be distinguished for the bird, millipede, and rodent assemblages in different seral stages. These taxa were selected because recent studies have been undertaken on their development during dune rehabilitation in the study sites selected for the present study (Ferreira 1993; Kritzinger 1996; van Aarde et al 1996a). Furthermore, they represent different levels in the coastal dune food web and have different functions in the ecosystems.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Roads as Ecological Edges for Rehabilitating Coastal Dune Assemblages in Northern KwaZulu‐Natal, South Africa

Weiermans

Aarde

2003

Restoration Ecology

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Post‐mining coastal dune rehabilitation north of Richards Bay, KwaZulu‐Natal started 20 years before field work for the present study commenced. This resulted in the development of a known age sere of coastal dune forest succession. These rehabilitating areas are fragmented by roads that may act as ecological edges. To establish whether roads affect regenerating bird, millipede, and rodent assemblages, multivariate techniques were applied to test for existence of edge and core assemblages within seral stages representative of the coastal dune forest successional sere. Edge and core assemblages were identified for both the bird and millipede communities but not for the rodent community. Low rodent numbers may have concealed edge effects, but the absence of edge and core assemblages could also be ascribed to the absence of a forest core. In the bird community species composition, richness, density, and total number of species contributed to the identification of edge and core assemblages. Within seral stages the species composition of millipedes differed between the edge and core assemblages. However, if the site was the same age the number of species in edge and core assemblages was similar. The generality of the edge concept should be approached with caution when dealing with taxa comprising species with such diverse natural histories as in the present study. It should also be kept in mind that some species require forest interiors for survival.

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“…Earlier studies across the successional sere of rehabilitating coastal vegetation suggested age-related convergence towards old-growth dune forest in both compositional and structural properties of tree, herb, millipede and bird assemblages (van Aarde et al 1996b;1996c;Kritzinger and van Aarde 1998;Redi et al 2005;Wassenaar et al 2005). By contrast, trends in small mammal and dung beetle assemblages were contradictory in suggesting either convergence or non-convergence (Ferreira and van Aarde 1997;Davis et al 2003;Wassenaar et al 2005).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Is microclimate-driven turnover of dung beetle assemblage structure in regenerating coastal vegetation a precursor to re-establishment of a forest fauna?

et al. 2012

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We questioned the capability of post-mining rehabilitation and successional changes in coastal vegetation to achieve restoration of dune forest, dung beetle assemblages in the Maputaland Centre of Endemism, South Africa.A repeat 2010 study of structural turnover between dung beetle assemblages across a 33 year successional sere of rehabilitating vegetation and old-growth forest (>73 years) produced comparable results to an earlier study across the 23 year chronosequence of 2000. Despite overlap, three structural patterns along the 33 year chronosequence were associated with specific stages of vegetation succession and their characteristic microclimates as in 2000.Although species biased to unshaded habitat dominated the earliest succession, there was rapid re-establishment of dominance by shade-associated forest species. In concert with progression from unshaded, post-mining vegetation to strongly shaded, early successional, Acacia shrub-woodland, there was an initial increase in similarity of the dung beetle fauna (species-poor, low abundance) to that in strongly-shaded forest (also species-poor, low abundance).However, in concert with decreasing shade cover in late successional woodland, the dung beetle fauna became species-rich with high abundance so that the early successional trajectory of increasing similarity to forest fauna either levelled off to a plateau (species in 2000; abundance in 2010) or declined (species in 2010, abundance in 2000). It remains to be seen if gaps forming in the oldest Acacia woodland permit forest tree saplings of the exposed understorey to recreate a forest canopy that would be tracked by dung beetles to re-establish a typically speciespoor, deep shade, forest assemblage with low abundance.

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Millipede communities in rehabilitating coastal dune forests in northern KwaZulu/Natal, South Africa

Cited by 15 publications

References 8 publications

Effects of shading and mulch depth on the colonisation of habitat patches by arthropods of rainforest soil and litter

Effects of shading and mulch depth on the colonisation of habitat patches by arthropods of rainforest soil and litter

Roads as Ecological Edges for Rehabilitating Coastal Dune Assemblages in Northern KwaZulu‐Natal, South Africa

Is microclimate-driven turnover of dung beetle assemblage structure in regenerating coastal vegetation a precursor to re-establishment of a forest fauna?

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