Pub Date : 2023-09-14DOI: 10.38201/btha.abc.v53.i1.12
Paul Duvel Janse van Rensburg, Hugo Bezuidenhout, Johnnie Van den Berg
Background: South Africa is an important centre of cycad diversity in Africa, however, the country’s cycads face extinction. Among the primary causes is the poaching of plants from the wild, even within protected areas. Objectives: This study examined poaching patterns in a local population of the Endangered Encephalartos eugene-maraisii I.Verd. and how it might affect the population structure, sex ratios, as well as interactions with associated insects. Methods: The population was surveyed in 2008 and 40% of this population was resurveyed between 2021 and 2022. We mapped missing cycads and generated heatmaps. Lastly, we investigated whether the proportion of stems from different size classes, sex ratios and abundance of insect associates varied between areas with a high and low poaching incidence. Results: Poaching, defined as the illegal removal of individuals from the wild, occurred 1.5 times more frequently along the border fence line than areas further away. Medium-sized stems (21–80 cm) are primarily targeted (likely as they can be carried more easily) and low proportions of these stems remain in areas with a high poaching incidence. While E. eugene-maraisii exhibits some resilience against poaching through basal suckering, it takes several decades for suckers to mature and replace harvested stems. No effect on sex ratios were recorded in areas with a high poaching incidence, suggesting poachers have not deliberately selected female or male cycads at this site. No pollinating insects were detected on E. eugene-maraisii, and no seedlings were observed. Conclusion: Cone production may be too rare in diminished populations to support pollinators that utilise cones as brood sites. The presence of insects that use other plant parts, including leaves, dried leaf stalks and cycad trunks, in the larger population suggests that they are more resilient to diminishing host populations. However, these insects were absent in smaller populations, and their abundances were lower in low-density sites and smaller clump sizes of their host in the larger population. This suggests these insects may be vulnerable to the decline of their host populations due to poaching.
{"title":"Impact of poaching on the population structure and insect associates of the Endangered Encephalartos eugene-maraisii from South Africa","authors":"Paul Duvel Janse van Rensburg, Hugo Bezuidenhout, Johnnie Van den Berg","doi":"10.38201/btha.abc.v53.i1.12","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.38201/btha.abc.v53.i1.12","url":null,"abstract":"Background: South Africa is an important centre of cycad diversity in Africa, however, the country’s cycads face extinction. Among the primary causes is the poaching of plants from the wild, even within protected areas. Objectives: This study examined poaching patterns in a local population of the Endangered Encephalartos eugene-maraisii I.Verd. and how it might affect the population structure, sex ratios, as well as interactions with associated insects. Methods: The population was surveyed in 2008 and 40% of this population was resurveyed between 2021 and 2022. We mapped missing cycads and generated heatmaps. Lastly, we investigated whether the proportion of stems from different size classes, sex ratios and abundance of insect associates varied between areas with a high and low poaching incidence. Results: Poaching, defined as the illegal removal of individuals from the wild, occurred 1.5 times more frequently along the border fence line than areas further away. Medium-sized stems (21–80 cm) are primarily targeted (likely as they can be carried more easily) and low proportions of these stems remain in areas with a high poaching incidence. While E. eugene-maraisii exhibits some resilience against poaching through basal suckering, it takes several decades for suckers to mature and replace harvested stems. No effect on sex ratios were recorded in areas with a high poaching incidence, suggesting poachers have not deliberately selected female or male cycads at this site. No pollinating insects were detected on E. eugene-maraisii, and no seedlings were observed. Conclusion: Cone production may be too rare in diminished populations to support pollinators that utilise cones as brood sites. The presence of insects that use other plant parts, including leaves, dried leaf stalks and cycad trunks, in the larger population suggests that they are more resilient to diminishing host populations. However, these insects were absent in smaller populations, and their abundances were lower in low-density sites and smaller clump sizes of their host in the larger population. This suggests these insects may be vulnerable to the decline of their host populations due to poaching.","PeriodicalId":55336,"journal":{"name":"Bothalia","volume":"358 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-09-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"134912631","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-07-17DOI: 10.38201/btha.abc.v53.i1.11
Morné Oosthuysen, W. M. Strauss, M. Somers
Background: Much of the Grassland Biome in South Africa is prone to shrub encroachment, leading to loss of ecosystem services, habitat heterogeneity and species diversity. Burrowing mammals are an important component of grasslands as these animals create microhabitats for other taxa, including smaller mammal species, birds, reptiles and invertebrates. However, our understanding of how shrub encroachment affects burrowing mammals is poor. Objectives: Here we assessed the relationship between burrow abundance and bankrupt bush, Seriphium plumosum, encroachment as well as burrowing mammal diversity in bankrupt bush encroached and non-encroached grasslands. Method: Shrub density, medium and large mammal burrow abundance and density were measured in 24 encroached and 24 non-encroached areas randomly selected in the Telperion Nature Reserve, Mpumalanga, South Africa. In addition, burrowing mammal diversity was assessed using camera traps in a subset of six encroached and six non-encroached areas. Results: Our results show that the abundance and density of medium and large burrows were significantly lower in encroached areas than in non-encroached areas (p = 0.011 and p < 0.001, respectively). The relationship between burrow abundance and bankrupt bush encroachment was negative (rho = -0.456, p = 0.001). However, burrowing mammal diversity had no significant difference between encroached and non-encroached areas. Conclusion: Our data, therefore, suggest that with increasing bankrupt bush encroachment and a decreased abundance in burrowing mammal ecosystem services, a negative effect will occur on burrowing mammal communities, leading to the reduction in species-specific habitat heterogeneity and possibly animal biodiversity.
背景:南非大部分草原生物群系容易受到灌木侵蚀，导致生态系统服务功能丧失、栖息地异质性和物种多样性下降。穴居哺乳动物是草原的重要组成部分，因为这些动物为其他类群创造了微栖息地，包括较小的哺乳动物、鸟类、爬行动物和无脊椎动物。然而，我们对灌木入侵如何影响穴居哺乳动物的了解很少。目的:评价破产灌木被侵占和未被侵占草地中穴居哺乳动物多样性与破产灌木、灰狼、入侵的关系。方法:在南非普马兰加省Telperion自然保护区随机选取24个被侵占区和24个未被侵占区，测量灌木密度、大中型哺乳动物洞穴丰度和密度。此外，在6个被侵犯区和6个非被侵犯区设置了相机陷阱，对穴居哺乳动物的多样性进行了评估。结果:被侵占区中大型洞穴的丰度和密度显著低于未被侵占区(p = 0.011, p < 0.001);洞穴丰度与破产灌木侵蚀呈负相关(rho = -0.456, p = 0.001)。而穴居哺乳动物多样性在被侵占区与非被侵占区差异不显著。结论:随着破产灌木入侵的增加和穴居哺乳动物生态系统服务丰度的降低，穴居哺乳动物群落将受到负面影响，导致物种特异性栖息地异质性降低，并可能导致动物生物多样性降低。
{"title":"The relationship between mammalian burrow abundance and bankrupt bush (Seriphium plumosum) encroachment","authors":"Morné Oosthuysen, W. M. Strauss, M. Somers","doi":"10.38201/btha.abc.v53.i1.11","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.38201/btha.abc.v53.i1.11","url":null,"abstract":"Background: Much of the Grassland Biome in South Africa is prone to shrub encroachment, leading to loss of ecosystem services, habitat heterogeneity and species diversity. Burrowing mammals are an important component of grasslands as these animals create microhabitats for other taxa, including smaller mammal species, birds, reptiles and invertebrates. However, our understanding of how shrub encroachment affects burrowing mammals is poor.\u0000Objectives: Here we assessed the relationship between burrow abundance and bankrupt bush, Seriphium plumosum, encroachment as well as burrowing mammal diversity in bankrupt bush encroached and non-encroached grasslands.\u0000Method: Shrub density, medium and large mammal burrow abundance and density were measured in 24 encroached and 24 non-encroached areas randomly selected in the Telperion Nature Reserve, Mpumalanga, South Africa. In addition, burrowing mammal diversity was assessed using camera traps in a subset of six encroached and six non-encroached areas.\u0000Results: Our results show that the abundance and density of medium and large burrows were significantly lower in encroached areas than in non-encroached areas (p = 0.011 and p < 0.001, respectively). The relationship between burrow abundance and bankrupt bush encroachment was negative (rho = -0.456, p = 0.001). However, burrowing mammal diversity had no significant difference between encroached and non-encroached areas.\u0000Conclusion: Our data, therefore, suggest that with increasing bankrupt bush encroachment and a decreased abundance in burrowing mammal ecosystem services, a negative effect will occur on burrowing mammal communities, leading to the reduction in species-specific habitat heterogeneity and possibly animal biodiversity. ","PeriodicalId":55336,"journal":{"name":"Bothalia","volume":"11 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2023-07-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"72595471","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-07-11DOI: 10.38201/btha.abc.v53.i1.9
Peta D. Brom, J. Colville, L. Underhill, K. Winter
Background: Urban landscapes present an important opportunity for pollinator conservation, but little is known about the status and distribution of pollinator populations in urban habitats in Africa. This represents a major gap in the development of a global understanding of urban pollinators – particularly from the rapidly urbanising context. This study uses a speciose clade of flower-visiting beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Hopliini) to explore patterns of pollinator distribution in a major metropolitan area in South Africa. Objectives: We investigated community composition across gradients of urban intensity (defined according to the percentage of soil-sealing within 1 km2 of each sampling location) and socio-economic status to determine pollinator responses to these urban landscape effects. Methods: A selection of 142 sites were surveyed twice in the austral spring seasons of 2018 and 2019. Data were collected on habitat structure, flower diversity, and pollinator diversity. Results: The study found that different feeding guilds of monkey beetles favoured different levels of urban intensity and that beetle richness significantly correlated with flower richness. It did not, however, correlate with diversity indicating that abundance is less impacted than the number of species present. Monkey beetles with moderate sensitivity to urban intensity benefitted from the presence of preferred species of flowers. Conclusion: Overall, the findings demonstrate the importance of plant community assemblage in supporting urban monkey beetles. We recommend landscaping with preferred flower species in urban parks to support urban pollinators.
{"title":"Urban intensity and flower community structure drive monkey beetle assemblage in Cape Town","authors":"Peta D. Brom, J. Colville, L. Underhill, K. Winter","doi":"10.38201/btha.abc.v53.i1.9","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.38201/btha.abc.v53.i1.9","url":null,"abstract":"Background: Urban landscapes present an important opportunity for pollinator conservation, but little is known about the status and distribution of pollinator populations in urban habitats in Africa. This represents a major gap in the development of a global understanding of urban pollinators – particularly from the rapidly urbanising context. This study uses a speciose clade of flower-visiting beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Hopliini) to explore patterns of pollinator distribution in a major metropolitan area in South Africa.\u0000Objectives: We investigated community composition across gradients of urban intensity (defined according to the percentage of soil-sealing within 1 km2 of each sampling location) and socio-economic status to determine pollinator responses to these urban landscape effects.\u0000Methods: A selection of 142 sites were surveyed twice in the austral spring seasons of 2018 and 2019. Data were collected on habitat structure, flower diversity, and pollinator diversity.\u0000Results: The study found that different feeding guilds of monkey beetles favoured different levels of urban intensity and that beetle richness significantly correlated with flower richness. It did not, however, correlate with diversity indicating that abundance is less impacted than the number of species present. Monkey beetles with moderate sensitivity to urban intensity benefitted from the presence of preferred species of flowers.\u0000Conclusion: Overall, the findings demonstrate the importance of plant community assemblage in supporting urban monkey beetles. We recommend landscaping with preferred flower species in urban parks to support urban pollinators.","PeriodicalId":55336,"journal":{"name":"Bothalia","volume":"35 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2023-07-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"81887369","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-07-11DOI: 10.38201/btha.abc.v53.i1.10
Ms Shanelle Ribeiro, Dr Terry Reynolds, Dr Bernhard Zipfel, Mr Mashiane Sonnyboy Mothogoane, Dr Anthony Magee
Background: In South Africa, and globally, the value of natural science collections for scientific research is not widely recognised and has led to its marginalisation, which in turn has resulted in low funding, staffing and use of the collections. Aim & objectives: To this end, as part of the effort to increase understanding and appreciation of the collections, a cross-sectional web-based survey was administered to users of natural science collections (NSCs) in South Africa. The objectives of the study were to identify the perceived value of NSCs to the research community; perceived or experienced barriers in accessing NSCs and associated data for use in research; perceptions of NSCs’ current performance in serving the needs of stakeholders; and how performance is judged and what the expectations are to improve future performance of NSCs to better serve the needs of stakeholders. Methods: The survey consisted of 26 questions, distributed by email to relevant researcher community mailing lists, and posted on relevant social media groups. The survey was completed by 131 respondents. Results & conclusion: The study indicated the overall perception of the importance of NSCs and their accessibility to the student and researcher community in South Africa and internationally to be extremely important to their research. Lack of funding for operations and staff impedes the ability of researchers and other users alike in using NSCs to optimise their research and contribute to issues of societal concern. A sustained commitment is required from NSC institutions to work together to solve various challenges, including improvement in serving stakeholder needs, which will in turn assist with demonstrating the value of NSCs to policymakers, in order to lobby for support and funding. Improved recognition of the importance of NSCs for research by the scientific community will assist NSCs in demonstrating their impact. Political priority should also be given to the long-term upkeep and ongoing assistance of institutional infrastructures.
{"title":"An online survey on user perceptions of natural science collections in South Africa","authors":"Ms Shanelle Ribeiro, Dr Terry Reynolds, Dr Bernhard Zipfel, Mr Mashiane Sonnyboy Mothogoane, Dr Anthony Magee","doi":"10.38201/btha.abc.v53.i1.10","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.38201/btha.abc.v53.i1.10","url":null,"abstract":"Background: In South Africa, and globally, the value of natural science collections for scientific research is not widely recognised and has led to its marginalisation, which in turn has resulted in low funding, staffing and use of the collections. \u0000Aim & objectives: To this end, as part of the effort to increase understanding and appreciation of the collections, a cross-sectional web-based survey was administered to users of natural science collections (NSCs) in South Africa. The objectives of the study were to identify the perceived value of NSCs to the research community; perceived or experienced barriers in accessing NSCs and associated data for use in research; perceptions of NSCs’ current performance in serving the needs of stakeholders; and how performance is judged and what the expectations are to improve future performance of NSCs to better serve the needs of stakeholders.\u0000Methods: The survey consisted of 26 questions, distributed by email to relevant researcher community mailing lists, and posted on relevant social media groups. The survey was completed by 131 respondents.\u0000Results & conclusion: The study indicated the overall perception of the importance of NSCs and their accessibility to the student and researcher community in South Africa and internationally to be extremely important to their research. Lack of funding for operations and staff impedes the ability of researchers and other users alike in using NSCs to optimise their research and contribute to issues of societal concern. A sustained commitment is required from NSC institutions to work together to solve various challenges, including improvement in serving stakeholder needs, which will in turn assist with demonstrating the value of NSCs to policymakers, in order to lobby for support and funding. Improved recognition of the importance of NSCs for research by the scientific community will assist NSCs in demonstrating their impact. Political priority should also be given to the long-term upkeep and ongoing assistance of institutional infrastructures.","PeriodicalId":55336,"journal":{"name":"Bothalia","volume":"34 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2023-07-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"87636796","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-04-16DOI: 10.38201/btha.abc.v53.i1.8
M. Sochor, J. Manning
Background: South African brambles (Rubus L., Rosaceae) represent a complex group of six native species and at least 12 introduced taxa with different ploidy levels and varying tendencies to hybridisation. The role of hybridisation, introgression and apomixis in the ongoing evolution has been hypothesised based on morphological observations, but it has not been rigorously studied to date, and nor has the phylogeny of the group. Objectives and methods: This paper aims to reveal the evolutionary patterns and mechanisms in South African brambles by employing three types of molecular markers: plastid and nuclear ribosomal DNA sequences, and nuclear microsatellites. Results: The data confirmed the tetraploid R. thaumasius A.Beek and diploid R. ludwigii Eckl. & Zeyh. as distinct native species, while the other four native species are shown to be closely related and likely derived from three ancestors. Conclusion: Ancient hybridisation and limited gene flow between regions (particularly between winter- and summer-rainfall zones) appear to be the main drivers of current patterns in the tetraploid R. pinnatus Willd. and hexaploid R. rigidus Sm. Current hybridisation is also likely, although rare. The mechanism of ‘octoploid bridge’ is proposed, which overcomes the ploidy reproduction barrier between R. pinnatus (or other tetraploids) and R. rigidus. No gene flow was detected between native and alien taxa, but clonal duplications were discovered in the R. bergii × pinnatus hybrid, which implies the possibility of apomictic spread of homoploid hybrids formed between native and introduced brambles and the potential for a new invasion. On the other hand, heteroploid hybrids (R. bergii × rigidus) are formed recurrently and spread only vegetatively.
{"title":"Evolution of South African brambles (Rubus L.) – new insights from molecular markers","authors":"M. Sochor, J. Manning","doi":"10.38201/btha.abc.v53.i1.8","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.38201/btha.abc.v53.i1.8","url":null,"abstract":"Background: South African brambles (Rubus L., Rosaceae) represent a complex group of six native species and at least 12 introduced taxa with different ploidy levels and varying tendencies to hybridisation. The role of hybridisation, introgression and apomixis in the ongoing evolution has been hypothesised based on morphological observations, but it has not been rigorously studied to date, and nor has the phylogeny of the group. \u0000Objectives and methods: This paper aims to reveal the evolutionary patterns and mechanisms in South African brambles by employing three types of molecular markers: plastid and nuclear ribosomal DNA sequences, and nuclear microsatellites. \u0000Results: The data confirmed the tetraploid R. thaumasius A.Beek and diploid R. ludwigii Eckl. & Zeyh. as distinct native species, while the other four native species are shown to be closely related and likely derived from three ancestors. \u0000Conclusion: Ancient hybridisation and limited gene flow between regions (particularly between winter- and summer-rainfall zones) appear to be the main drivers of current patterns in the tetraploid R. pinnatus Willd. and hexaploid R. rigidus Sm. Current hybridisation is also likely, although rare. The mechanism of ‘octoploid bridge’ is proposed, which overcomes the ploidy reproduction barrier between R. pinnatus (or other tetraploids) and R. rigidus. No gene flow was detected between native and alien taxa, but clonal duplications were discovered in the R. bergii × pinnatus hybrid, which implies the possibility of apomictic spread of homoploid hybrids formed between native and introduced brambles and the potential for a new invasion. On the other hand, heteroploid hybrids (R. bergii × rigidus) are formed recurrently and spread only vegetatively.","PeriodicalId":55336,"journal":{"name":"Bothalia","volume":"21 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2023-04-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"89439909","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-04-11DOI: 10.38201/btha.abc.v53.i1.7
Antje Burke, C. Mannheimer
The first record of the non-native, naturalised Launaea arborescens (Batt.) Murb. in the Namib Desert raised questions of its origin and whether or not it could pose a threat to the indigenous vegetation. The North African plant was introduced in a forestry nursery in the Kuiseb Delta and some individuals were also planted outside the nursery in the early 1970s. They have maintained a likely viable population for nearly 50 years, but have so far not been observed elsewhere and thus appear not to be spreading.
{"title":"First record of the North African Launaea arborescens in southern Africa","authors":"Antje Burke, C. Mannheimer","doi":"10.38201/btha.abc.v53.i1.7","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.38201/btha.abc.v53.i1.7","url":null,"abstract":"The first record of the non-native, naturalised Launaea arborescens (Batt.) Murb. in the Namib Desert raised questions of its origin and whether or not it could pose a threat to the indigenous vegetation. The North African plant was introduced in a forestry nursery in the Kuiseb Delta and some individuals were also planted outside the nursery in the early 1970s. They have maintained a likely viable population for nearly 50 years, but have so far not been observed elsewhere and thus appear not to be spreading.","PeriodicalId":55336,"journal":{"name":"Bothalia","volume":"13 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2023-04-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"77712893","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-03-29DOI: 10.38201/btha.abc.v53.i1.6
T. Paap, Mashudu Nndanduleni, M. Wingfield
Background: Sorocephalus imbricatus (Thunb.) R.Br. is a range-restricted species endemic to the Cape Floristic Region (CFR), South Africa. It is currently classified as Critically Endangered in accordance with the IUCN criteria. Like many other species endemic to the CFR, S. imbricatus is subjected to several major threats including habitat loss, habitat degradation and the impacts of invasive alien species. Sorocephalus imbricatus was recently identified as a species requiring improved representation in ex-situ collections. During field work undertaken to collect germplasm for this purpose, a concerning number of dead and dying plants were observed. Objectives: To determine the cause of rapid death of individuals in a remnant subpopulation of S. imbricatus. Method: A field visit to a subpopulation of the only extant population, Elandskloof, was conducted to examine the symptoms associated with S. imbricatus mortality, and to collect samples for isolation and identification of putative pathogens. Results: Dead and dying plants showed clear symptoms of root and collar rot, with Phytophthora cinnamomi Rands recovered from all samples. The collections highlighted the severe impact of P. cinnamomi on S. imbricatus, with the size of the subpopulation being reduced from 62 to 37 individuals (a 40% reduction) between October 2021 and May 2022. Conclusion: This study describes, for the first time, rapid mortality of the Critically Endangered Proteaceae species, S. imbricatus, likely caused by the invasive pathogen P. cinnamomi. This concerning discovery highlights the urgent need for greater recognition of the threat P. cinnamomi poses not only to S. imbricatus, but to the broader floristic diversity of the CFR. Importantly, it illustrates a need for a substantial body of work to be undertaken to address a significant lack of knowledge regarding the relative threat that P. cinnamomi poses to species of the CFR.
{"title":"A Critically Endangered Proteaceae in the Cape Florisitic Region threatened by an invasive pathogen","authors":"T. Paap, Mashudu Nndanduleni, M. Wingfield","doi":"10.38201/btha.abc.v53.i1.6","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.38201/btha.abc.v53.i1.6","url":null,"abstract":"Background: Sorocephalus imbricatus (Thunb.) R.Br. is a range-restricted species endemic to the Cape Floristic Region (CFR), South Africa. It is currently classified as Critically Endangered in accordance with the IUCN criteria. Like many other species endemic to the CFR, S. imbricatus is subjected to several major threats including habitat loss, habitat degradation and the impacts of invasive alien species. Sorocephalus imbricatus was recently identified as a species requiring improved representation in ex-situ collections. During field work undertaken to collect germplasm for this purpose, a concerning number of dead and dying plants were observed.\u0000Objectives: To determine the cause of rapid death of individuals in a remnant subpopulation of S. imbricatus.\u0000Method: A field visit to a subpopulation of the only extant population, Elandskloof, was conducted to examine the symptoms associated with S. imbricatus mortality, and to collect samples for isolation and identification of putative pathogens.\u0000Results: Dead and dying plants showed clear symptoms of root and collar rot, with Phytophthora cinnamomi Rands recovered from all samples. The collections highlighted the severe impact of P. cinnamomi on S. imbricatus, with the size of the subpopulation being reduced from 62 to 37 individuals (a 40% reduction) between October 2021 and May 2022.\u0000Conclusion: This study describes, for the first time, rapid mortality of the Critically Endangered Proteaceae species, S. imbricatus, likely caused by the invasive pathogen P. cinnamomi. This concerning discovery highlights the urgent need for greater recognition of the threat P. cinnamomi poses not only to S. imbricatus, but to the broader floristic diversity of the CFR. Importantly, it illustrates a need for a substantial body of work to be undertaken to address a significant lack of knowledge regarding the relative threat that P. cinnamomi poses to species of the CFR.","PeriodicalId":55336,"journal":{"name":"Bothalia","volume":"11 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2023-03-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"90110810","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-03-29DOI: 10.38201/btha.abc.v53.i1.4
S. Fici
Madagascar is a centre of speciation for the genus Thilachium Lour., which includes several species of small trees and shrubs occurring in a wide range of habitats. A new species of Thilachium, T. latifolium Fici, from the Analanjirofo Region of northeastern Madagascar is here described and illustrated. It is characterised by 1-foliolate leaves, leaf blades widely ovate or elliptic with shortly acuminate or acute apices, flowers in terminal, dense subumbels or corymbs, short pedicels and ellipsoid, ribbed fruit. The new species is related to T. madagascariense Fici, a species recently described from eastern Madagascar, differing in the wider, coriaceous leaves with shorter, mucronulate tip, flowers in terminal, 7–16-flowered subumbels or corymbs, shorter pedicels and longer anthers. The distribution, autecology and affinities of the new species are discussed, its conservation status is assessed, and an updated key is provided for the species of the genus Thilachium known from Madagascar.
{"title":"A new species of Thilachium (Capparaceae) from the Analanjirofo Region, Madagascar","authors":"S. Fici","doi":"10.38201/btha.abc.v53.i1.4","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.38201/btha.abc.v53.i1.4","url":null,"abstract":"Madagascar is a centre of speciation for the genus Thilachium Lour., which includes several species of small trees and shrubs occurring in a wide range of habitats. A new species of Thilachium, T. latifolium Fici, from the Analanjirofo Region of northeastern Madagascar is here described and illustrated. It is characterised by 1-foliolate leaves, leaf blades widely ovate or elliptic with shortly acuminate or acute apices, flowers in terminal, dense subumbels or corymbs, short pedicels and ellipsoid, ribbed fruit. The new species is related to T. madagascariense Fici, a species recently described from eastern Madagascar, differing in the wider, coriaceous leaves with shorter, mucronulate tip, flowers in terminal, 7–16-flowered subumbels or corymbs, shorter pedicels and longer anthers. The distribution, autecology and affinities of the new species are discussed, its conservation status is assessed, and an updated key is provided for the species of the genus Thilachium known from Madagascar.","PeriodicalId":55336,"journal":{"name":"Bothalia","volume":"27 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2023-03-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"74063685","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-03-29DOI: 10.38201/btha.abc.v53.i1.5
J. Manning
The new combinations Colchicum burchellii (Baker) J.C.Manning & Vinn. and C. burchellii subsp. pulchrum (Schltr. & K.Krause) J.C.Manning & Vinn. are provided for the taxa currently known respectively under the names C. coloratum subsp. burchellii (Baker) J.C.Manning & Vinn. and C. coloratum J.C.Manning & Vinn., nom superfl.
{"title":"A nomenclatural correction in Colchicum L. (Colchicaceae: Colchiceae) in southern Africa: two new combinations for C. coloratum J.C.Manning & Vinn., nom. superfl.","authors":"J. Manning","doi":"10.38201/btha.abc.v53.i1.5","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.38201/btha.abc.v53.i1.5","url":null,"abstract":"The new combinations Colchicum burchellii (Baker) J.C.Manning & Vinn. and C. burchellii subsp. pulchrum (Schltr. & K.Krause) J.C.Manning & Vinn. are provided for the taxa currently known respectively under the names C. coloratum subsp. burchellii (Baker) J.C.Manning & Vinn. and C. coloratum J.C.Manning & Vinn., nom superfl.","PeriodicalId":55336,"journal":{"name":"Bothalia","volume":"69 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2023-03-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"80691663","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-01-11DOI: 10.38201/btha.abc.v53.i1.3
John Manning, Alan Paton
The new combination Coleus leemannii (N.Hahn) A.J.Paton is provided for Rabdosiella leemannii N.Hahn (Lamiaceae: Ocimeae) from South Africa, a species that was overlooked in the recent synopsis of subtribe Plectranthinae.
{"title":"The new combination Coleus leemannii (N.H.Hahn) A.J.Paton for Rabdosiella leemannii N.Hahn (Lamiaceae: Nepetoideae: Ocimeae)","authors":"John Manning, Alan Paton","doi":"10.38201/btha.abc.v53.i1.3","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.38201/btha.abc.v53.i1.3","url":null,"abstract":"The new combination Coleus leemannii (N.Hahn) A.J.Paton is provided for Rabdosiella leemannii N.Hahn (Lamiaceae: Ocimeae) from South Africa, a species that was overlooked in the recent synopsis of subtribe Plectranthinae.","PeriodicalId":55336,"journal":{"name":"Bothalia","volume":"24 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2023-01-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"85969174","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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