Variation in aardvark (Orycteropus afer) burrow use between natural and agricultural sites in the Bronkhorstspruit-Middelburg region, South Africa

Show simple item record

dc.contributor.advisor Haussmann, Natalie
dc.contributor.coadvisor Bastos, Armanda D.S.
dc.contributor.postgraduate Netherlands, Jordan
dc.date.accessioned 2023-02-16T11:49:15Z
dc.date.available 2023-02-16T11:49:15Z
dc.date.created 2023-04
dc.date.issued 2022
dc.description Mini Dissertation (MSc (Environmental Ecology))--University of Pretoria, 2022. en_US
dc.description.abstract Aardvark (Orycteropus afer) burrows provide shelter to a variety of organisms, making it important to understand how these engineered environments get utilized in areas that are affected by agricultural activities. To address this, camera traps were used to record the use of abandoned aardvark burrows by other species at two sampling sites in the Bronkhorstspruit-Middelburg region in South Africa: a natural site (Telperion Nature Reserve) and a transformed site (pastoral fields of a grain farm and grazing paddocks). Data from traps placed in front of 36 burrows over a five-week period were analysed in R-Studio using generalized Linear Models (GLMs), Generalized Linear Mixed Models (GLMMs) and Chi-square tests to test whether there were any differences in the response variables between Telperion and the farm. Response variables included species richness, encounter frequency, burrow proximity, activity duration and activity times. In total 37 species were observed throughout the study of which 13 species were found at both sites, specifically nine mammal and four bird species. Whilst no statistically significant difference in species richness was found, differences in spatial dispersion between sites were observed for some species, possibly due to habitat preferences and/or human activities. Furthermore, the results of encounter frequency show that some species occur more frequently at Telperion, while others occur more frequently at the farm, possibly due to historical hunting and current poaching at the farm, in combination with habitat sensitivity and resource availability. Although no notable differences in activity times and duration were found for any of the species between sites, some species showed slight alterations in how they spent their time at the burrows which suggests that agricultural activity may have a minimal impact on these aspects of species behaviour. The results confirm that aardvark burrows may provide shelter, and foraging opportunities for numerous species living within agricultural environments in this region and highlight the conservation opportunities that these spaces represent. Efforts and funding to preserve keystone species, such as aardvark, and the burrows they engineer, should incorporate both farming and protected settings to be effective. en_US
dc.description.availability Unrestricted en_US
dc.description.degree MSc (Environmental Ecology) en_US
dc.description.department Geography, Geoinformatics and Meteorology en_US
dc.identifier.citation * en_US
dc.identifier.doi https://doi.org10.25403/UPresearchdata.22104911 en_US
dc.identifier.other A2023
dc.identifier.uri https://repository.up.ac.za/handle/2263/89641
dc.language.iso en en_US
dc.publisher University of Pretoria
dc.rights © 2022 University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria.
dc.subject UCTD en_US
dc.subject Aardvark en_US
dc.subject Ecosystem engineer en_US
dc.subject Keystone species en_US
dc.subject Grassland en_US
dc.subject Burrow dwelling species en_US
dc.subject Agriculture en_US
dc.title Variation in aardvark (Orycteropus afer) burrow use between natural and agricultural sites in the Bronkhorstspruit-Middelburg region, South Africa en_US
dc.type Mini Dissertation en_US


Files in this item

This item appears in the following Collection(s)

Show simple item record