A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Science, University of the Witwatersrand,
Johannesburg in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science.
Johannesburg, 2015 / The southern African hedgehog (Atelerix frontalis) is the only native hedgehog species in
South Africa. The published distribution of Atelerix frontalis is based on old occurrence
records and few studies have investigated the species' current range or fundamental niche. In
addition, Atelerix frontalis commonly exist in many urban areas but it is unclear what
resources the species requires to survive and reproduce in these environments. Knowledge of
the species' climatic envelope and resource requirements will enable us to assess the risk of
population decline, protect the geographic areas expected to sustain future populations and
estimate the innate ability of the species to respond to environmental change. My research
focused on establishing the fundamental niche of Atelerix frontalis, as well as assessing their
ability to cope with climatic and anthropogenic change. I assessed these ideas by obtaining
Atelerix frontalis occurrence records (via museums, FreeMe Rehabilitation Centre and public
reported sightings) and conducting species distribution modelling, resource selection analysis
and assessment of demographic patterns in urban environments. The species distribution
models indicated that Atelerix frontalis occurred predominately in climatic regions with dry,
cold winters and wet summers, climatic conditions that correspond with the savanna and
grassland biomes of South Africa. The range of suitable habitats for Atelerix frontalis can be
expected to decline in the future, although high lying areas, such as the Drakensberg
mountain range, may offer suitable refugia to sustain populations. Atelerix frontalis were
common in urban environments, and within the Greater Johannesburg area, they favoured
Egoli granite grassland vegetation and albic plinthosol soils. My research suggests that
Atelerix frontalis often occurred in close proximity to roads and human settlements, resources
that are likely to be selected for feeding and dispersal opportunities. Urban Atelerix frontalis
sightings were closer to all the environmental features selected than the general population,
indicating behavioural plasticity through niche differentiation. Atelerix frontalis demographic
data indicated post-torpor breeding in spring and summer, as well as juvenile dispersal in late
summer and autumn. Urban dwelling Atelerix frontalis populations appeared to be
sustainable, with the majority of Atelerix frontalis recovered by FreeMe Rehabilitation Centre
in good body condition. Atelerix frontalis survival and persistence in South Africa seems
precarious given the species fundamental niche requirements and the extensive anthropogenic
transformation of savanna and grassland biomes. However the species’ ability to survive and
reproduce in urban environments may greatly benefit future populations, through exploitation
of refugia in transformed urban habitats.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:wits/oai:wiredspace.wits.ac.za:10539/20360 |
| Date | 10 May 2016 |
| Creators | Light, Jessica Louise |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | application/pdf, application/pdf, application/pdf |
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