Biodiversity survey towards conservation of subtidal reef habitats in KwaZulu Natal : biogeography and depth patterns

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dc.contributor.advisorHarris, Jean Men_ZA
dc.contributor.advisorBranch, George Men_ZA
dc.contributor.authorLawrence, Cloverleyen_ZA
dc.date.accessioned2016-01-15T14:14:44Z
dc.date.available2016-01-15T14:14:44Z
dc.date.issued2005en_ZA
dc.descriptionIncludes bibliographical references (pages 49-58).en_ZA
dc.description.abstractSubtidal reef communities in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), South Africa are poorly known. This lack of knowledge is problematic as the biodiversity of these reefs may be severely impacted and inadequately conserved. This study documents and describes subtidal benthic communities occurring on reefs at four depth categories along the whole length of the coast. A distinct difference between northern reefs from those in the south and central parts of the province emerged with substantiating evidence of a discrete biogeographic separation at Cape St Lucia. Pairwise ANOSIM tests found no significant differences in community composition of reefs along a depth range of 10 m to 30 m at nine localities in KZN. However, differences among localities were significant at both regional (R = 0.607, P = 0.1%) and local (R = (1.792, P = 0.1%) scales. In the north, trends in species assemblages and functional groupings revealed a higher percentage cover of fauna (mainly corals) at shallower depths and a greater coverage of algae on deeper reefs. In the southern localities algae dominated shallower reefs while filter-feeding epifauna were more prevalent at deeper depths. Species richness, evenness and diversity were highest at 10m in the northern coral-dominated region while in the central/south region diversity peaked in the intermediate depth zone (15 - 25 m). Appropriate measures to conserve representative habitats in each biogeographic zone are necessary. Further research to assess biodiversity at a finer scale, as well as the establishment oflong-term monitoring to quantify natural variability and human effects, are required.en_ZA
dc.identifier.apacitationLawrence, C. (2005). <i>Biodiversity survey towards conservation of subtidal reef habitats in KwaZulu Natal : biogeography and depth patterns</i>. (Thesis). University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Science ,Percy FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/11427/16394en_ZA
dc.identifier.chicagocitationLawrence, Cloverley. <i>"Biodiversity survey towards conservation of subtidal reef habitats in KwaZulu Natal : biogeography and depth patterns."</i> Thesis., University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Science ,Percy FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/16394en_ZA
dc.identifier.citationLawrence, C. 2005. Biodiversity survey towards conservation of subtidal reef habitats in KwaZulu Natal : biogeography and depth patterns. University of Cape Town.en_ZA
dc.identifier.ris TY - Thesis / Dissertation AU - Lawrence, Cloverley AB - Subtidal reef communities in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), South Africa are poorly known. This lack of knowledge is problematic as the biodiversity of these reefs may be severely impacted and inadequately conserved. This study documents and describes subtidal benthic communities occurring on reefs at four depth categories along the whole length of the coast. A distinct difference between northern reefs from those in the south and central parts of the province emerged with substantiating evidence of a discrete biogeographic separation at Cape St Lucia. Pairwise ANOSIM tests found no significant differences in community composition of reefs along a depth range of 10 m to 30 m at nine localities in KZN. However, differences among localities were significant at both regional (R = 0.607, P = 0.1%) and local (R = (1.792, P = 0.1%) scales. In the north, trends in species assemblages and functional groupings revealed a higher percentage cover of fauna (mainly corals) at shallower depths and a greater coverage of algae on deeper reefs. In the southern localities algae dominated shallower reefs while filter-feeding epifauna were more prevalent at deeper depths. Species richness, evenness and diversity were highest at 10m in the northern coral-dominated region while in the central/south region diversity peaked in the intermediate depth zone (15 - 25 m). Appropriate measures to conserve representative habitats in each biogeographic zone are necessary. Further research to assess biodiversity at a finer scale, as well as the establishment oflong-term monitoring to quantify natural variability and human effects, are required. DA - 2005 DB - OpenUCT DP - University of Cape Town LK - https://open.uct.ac.za PB - University of Cape Town PY - 2005 T1 - Biodiversity survey towards conservation of subtidal reef habitats in KwaZulu Natal : biogeography and depth patterns TI - Biodiversity survey towards conservation of subtidal reef habitats in KwaZulu Natal : biogeography and depth patterns UR - http://hdl.handle.net/11427/16394 ER - en_ZA
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11427/16394
dc.identifier.vancouvercitationLawrence C. Biodiversity survey towards conservation of subtidal reef habitats in KwaZulu Natal : biogeography and depth patterns. [Thesis]. University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Science ,Percy FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, 2005 [cited yyyy month dd]. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/11427/16394en_ZA
dc.language.isoengen_ZA
dc.publisher.departmentPercy FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithologyen_ZA
dc.publisher.facultyFaculty of Scienceen_ZA
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Cape Town
dc.subject.otherConservation Biologyen_ZA
dc.titleBiodiversity survey towards conservation of subtidal reef habitats in KwaZulu Natal : biogeography and depth patternsen_ZA
dc.typeMaster Thesis
dc.type.qualificationlevelMasters
dc.type.qualificationnameMScen_ZA
uct.type.filetypeText
uct.type.filetypeImage
uct.type.publicationResearchen_ZA
uct.type.resourceThesisen_ZA
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