Author: Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :
Book Description
Biotic Interactions and Species Diversification in Southern African Biodiversity Hotspots
Author: What Makes a 'Biodiversity Hotspot' Hot? The Consequences of Trait Variation and Covariation for Individual Plant Performance and Species Coexistence in South African Proteaceae
Author: Kristen NoltingPublisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 0
Book Description
The Cape Floristic Region (CFR) in southwestern South Africa is a 'biodiversity hotspot,' hosting ~9,000 plant species in an area just over 90,000 km2. What is especially extraordinary about the CFR is that diversity here rivals that in many tropical forests, but it is not located in the highly diverse equatorial regions, making it difficult to identify the ecological and evolutionary processes that generate diversity and maintain it today. One way to better understand variation in species diversity across communities is to evaluate the distribution of the traits species' possess. Specifically, trait variation within and across species can indicate how organisms interact with both their abiotic and biotic environments. For my dissertation I take a trait-based approach to identify how trait variation could influence the performance of plants in the CFR, and how traits might mediate ecological interactions so as to minimize competition and promote coexistence. I focus on fynbos communities dominated by plants in the family Proteaceae, a family that represents much of the species diversity and abundance in local communities. I identify functional relationships between plant traits, performance, and fitness in a multivariate framework. I find that within species variation in traits related to performance might minimize fitness inequalities among co-occurring species, and that the covariance structure of traits might be important in leading to this outcome. Lastly, I show that trait differences among neighboring individuals are important for predicting performance in local neighborhoods by possibly minimizing competitive effects and also promoting adaptation to the local environment.
Biotic Diversity in Southern Africa
Author: Brian J. HuntleyPublisher: Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN:
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 410
Book Description
This volume provides full coverage of efforts by southern African scientists and administrators to maintain that regions rich variety of plants, animals, microorganisms, and ecosystems, as well as related endeavors by such major organizations as the World Bank, the Brundtland Commission, the World Health Organization, and the FAO. This extensive text includes easily accessible information on the status of biota and ecosystems, the value of biotic diversity to southern African people, and a variety of approaches to the evaluation, protection, and monitoring of plant and animal life in the region.
Biological Invasions in South Africa
Author: Brian W. van WilgenPublisher: Springer Nature
ISBN: 3030323943
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 972
Book Description
This open access volume presents a comprehensive account of all aspects of biological invasions in South Africa, where research has been conducted over more than three decades, and where bold initiatives have been implemented in attempts to control invasions and to reduce their ecological, economic and social effects. It covers a broad range of themes, including history, policy development and implementation, the status of invasions of animals and plants in terrestrial, marine and freshwater environments, the development of a robust ecological theory around biological invasions, the effectiveness of management interventions, and scenarios for the future. The South African situation stands out because of the remarkable diversity of the country, and the wide range of problems encountered in its varied ecosystems, which has resulted in a disproportionate investment into both research and management. The South African experience holds many lessons for other parts of the world, and this book should be of immense value to researchers, students, managers, and policy-makers who deal with biological invasions and ecosystem management and conservation in most other regions.
Fynbos
Author: Nicky AllsoppPublisher:
ISBN: 0199679584
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 413
Book Description
South Africa's fynbos region has intrigued biologists for centuries. It has achieved iconic status as a locus of megadiversity and therefore a place to study the ecological underpinnings of massive evolutionary radiations. Researchers have made great advances over the past two decades in unravelling the complexities of fynbos ecology and evolution, and the region has contributed significant insights into the adaptive radiations of large lineages, conservation science, pollination biology, invasive plant biology, and palaeoanthropology. Lessons from the fynbos offer much of value for understanding the origin, maintenance, and conservation of diversity anywhere in the world. This book provides the first synthesis of the field for 20 years, bringing together the latest ecological and evolutionary research on the South African global biodiversity hotspots of the Greater Cape Floristic Region - the iconic fynbos and succulent karoo. It explores the historical and modern physical and biological environment of this region, the circumstances and processes which have fostered its remarkable biodiversity, and the role this diversity has played in the emergence of modern humans. It also discusses the challenges of contemporary management and conservation of the region's biodiversity in the face of accelerating global change.
Important Plant Areas in Southern Africa
Author: Tamara Jane SmithPublisher:
ISBN:
Category : Endangered plants
Languages : en
Pages : 68
Book Description
Sustainability of Southern African Ecosystems under Global Change
Author: Graham P. von MaltitzPublisher: Springer Nature
ISBN: 3031109481
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 990
Book Description
Botanical Diversity in Southern Africa
Author: Brian J. HuntleyPublisher:
ISBN:
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 428
Book Description
Biological Invasions in South Africa
Author: Brian W. van WilgenPublisher:
ISBN: 9783030323950
Category : Animals
Languages : en
Pages : 975
Book Description
This open access volume presents a comprehensive account of all aspects of biological invasions in South Africa, where research has been conducted over more than three decades, and where bold initiatives have been implemented in attempts to control invasions and to reduce their ecological, economic and social effects. It covers a broad range of themes, including history, policy development and implementation, the status of invasions of animals and plants in terrestrial, marine and freshwater environments, the development of a robust ecological theory around biological invasions, the effectiveness of management interventions, and scenarios for the future. The South African situation stands out because of the remarkable diversity of the country, and the wide range of problems encountered in its varied ecosystems, which has resulted in a disproportionate investment into both research and management. The South African experience holds many lessons for other parts of the world, and this book should be of immense value to researchers, students, managers, and policy-makers who deal with biological invasions and ecosystem management and conservation in most other regions.
Biological Invasions in South Africa
Author: Brian W. van WilgenPublisher: Springer
ISBN: 9783030323936
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 954
Book Description
This open access volume presents a comprehensive account of all aspects of biological invasions in South Africa, where research has been conducted over more than three decades, and where bold initiatives have been implemented in attempts to control invasions and to reduce their ecological, economic and social effects. It covers a broad range of themes, including history, policy development and implementation, the status of invasions of animals and plants in terrestrial, marine and freshwater environments, the development of a robust ecological theory around biological invasions, the effectiveness of management interventions, and scenarios for the future. The South African situation stands out because of the remarkable diversity of the country, and the wide range of problems encountered in its varied ecosystems, which has resulted in a disproportionate investment into both research and management. The South African experience holds many lessons for other parts of the world, and this book should be of immense value to researchers, students, managers, and policy-makers who deal with biological invasions and ecosystem management and conservation in most other regions.