TY - JOUR
T1 - Endemic grasshopper species distribution in an agro-natural landscape of the Cape Floristic Region, South Africa
AU - Adu-Acheampong, Samuel
AU - Samways, Michael J.
AU - Landmann, Tobias
AU - Kyerematen, Rosina
AU - Minkah, Richard
AU - Mukundamago, Mukundi
AU - Moshobane, Claude M.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2017 Elsevier B.V.
PY - 2017/8/1
Y1 - 2017/8/1
N2 - Conservation biologists and ecologists often make use of models to identify important biotic and abiotic factors that constrain species distributions for conservation decisions to be taken. In line with such practices, we developed species distribution models for four localized, Cape Floristic Region (CFR) endemic, flightless, congeneric Euloryma grasshopper species. We chose this group as use of these models has been little explored for narrow range endemics with specific traits. Euloryma larsenorum and E. lapollai are associated with fynbos only, while E. umoja and E. ottei are both associated with fynbos and vineyards. We used the Maximum Entropy algorithm, which showed that vegetation type and soil characteristics were the most important environmental factors affecting local distribution of Euloryma species in the CFR. The models also showed that Euloryma species have a very narrow habitat suitability range in the CFR. We also showed that there are no significant differences in the distribution of species associated with fynbos only as well as those associated with both fynbos and vineyards. E. larsenorum and E lapollai are likely to be the most affected species in the event of further habitat transformation from fynbos to agricultural production. This is not likely to be the case for E. umoja and E. ottei which can tolerate agriculture environment, although they might survive both sets of environments in accordance with their life history traits.
AB - Conservation biologists and ecologists often make use of models to identify important biotic and abiotic factors that constrain species distributions for conservation decisions to be taken. In line with such practices, we developed species distribution models for four localized, Cape Floristic Region (CFR) endemic, flightless, congeneric Euloryma grasshopper species. We chose this group as use of these models has been little explored for narrow range endemics with specific traits. Euloryma larsenorum and E. lapollai are associated with fynbos only, while E. umoja and E. ottei are both associated with fynbos and vineyards. We used the Maximum Entropy algorithm, which showed that vegetation type and soil characteristics were the most important environmental factors affecting local distribution of Euloryma species in the CFR. The models also showed that Euloryma species have a very narrow habitat suitability range in the CFR. We also showed that there are no significant differences in the distribution of species associated with fynbos only as well as those associated with both fynbos and vineyards. E. larsenorum and E lapollai are likely to be the most affected species in the event of further habitat transformation from fynbos to agricultural production. This is not likely to be the case for E. umoja and E. ottei which can tolerate agriculture environment, although they might survive both sets of environments in accordance with their life history traits.
KW - CFR
KW - Euloryma
KW - Fynbos
KW - Grasshoppers
KW - Species distribution modelling
KW - Vineyards
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85019046565&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.ecoleng.2017.04.037
DO - 10.1016/j.ecoleng.2017.04.037
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85019046565
SN - 0925-8574
VL - 105
SP - 133
EP - 140
JO - Ecological Engineering
JF - Ecological Engineering
ER -