The aim of this thesis was to assess the influence of upwelling on alga-grazer interactions in rocky shore communities along the south coast of South Africa using grazer exclusion treatments with controls and procedural controls set out in a block design and monitored for algal cover roughly monthly for one year. In the first experiment grazers were excluded from treatment plots at two upwelling and two non-upwelling sites and the rates of algal biomass accumulation were then compared. The upwelling sites showed significantly faster algal colonisation rates, with Ulva rigida being the first species to colonise the rocks. Final algal cover and biomass did not differ significantly between upwelling and non-upwelling sites in control plots open to grazers, but were significantly higher in grazer exclusion plots at upwelling sites indicating stronger grazing effects. This was confirmed by estimating the intensity of grazing using the log-response ratio (LRR), which was calculated from treatment and control plots. Upwelling sites had significantly lower LLR values indicating stronger grazing effects, than at non-upwelling sites, despite no difference in grazer abundances. The second experiment examined the effects of nutrient addition on algal growth and community composition by comparing high nutrient enrichment plots with low enrichment plots at one upwelling and one non-upwelling site. ANOVA indicated faster growth rates and significantly higher final algal biomass in high enrichment plots compared to low enrichment and control plots at both upwelling and non-upwelling sites. A two-way ANOVA indicated significantly higher algal cover in high enrichment plots compared to the data from the grazer exclusion plots in experiment 1 at both sites, suggesting that nutrient addition plays a major role in algal growth and community composition. The findings of these studies have shown significant differences between treatments, sites and seasons, with significant differences not only occurring in algal cover but also accumulation of algal biomass and recruitment patterns between treatments. The small scale local processes acting within a few centimetres (plots) or tens of meters (among blocks) can also be reflected over larger scales such as sites (upwelling/non-upwelling shores). Further, these studies have demonstrated that various factors such as the effects from increased nutrients at upwelling cells and the change in grazing effects due to enhanced nutrients can determine the abundance and diversity of the community structure, including an increase in the abundance of the fast growing algae Ulva rigida, and a slow recovery of the brown and red algae.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:rhodes/vital:5873 |
| Date | January 2014 |
| Creators | Steele, Nikita |
| Publisher | Rhodes University, Faculty of Science, Zoology and Entomology |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis, Masters, MSc |
| Format | 81 leaves, pdf |
| Rights | Steele, Nikita |
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