The little things that run the world

Insects are the most diverse and dominant group of terrestrial arthropods. They play an important role in ecological functions and ecosystem services, such as pollination, decomposition and nutrient cycling. Despite this, they remain understudied due to taxonomic impediments and a lack of baseline data, especially below-ground taxa. This is especially concerning given the ongoing loss of insect biodiversity being increasingly reported.

Scientific knowledge of diversity and assemblage of arthropod groups is essential for conservation priorities. Knowing the diversity and assemblages of these groups is fundamental to biology and conservation. Recent studies show alarming rates of decline in insect biomass. These declines are mainly attributed to habitat transformation, pollution, and invasive species.

In collaboration with other research groups, we aim to understand arthropod diversity by combining traditional taxonomy and molecular tools.

Long-Term Monitoring

Although knowledge of various groups has increased recently, it has been mainly focused on short-term studies. However, long-term studies can provide knowledge on which global change drivers are essential in changing the diversity and assemblage of arthropods over time. The Cederberg long-term altitudinal transect was initiated in 2002 by Prof. Steven Chown and the Centre for Invasion Biology.

Some selected publications from this project include:
Botes et al. 2006, Botes et al. 2007, Gouws et al. 2011, Foord & Dippenaar-Schoeman 2011.

Read more about the research and long-term trends currently being investigated by PhD student Abusisiwe Ndaba, and MSc student Coşkun Küçükkaragöz.

CederDiv Fieldwork

Metabarcoding

Climate change and land use intensification are the two common anthropogenic drivers of taxonomic and functional diversity causing insects to decline. Land use directly affects habitat structure, thereby reducing insect abundance and altering community composition.

Therefore, quantifying species diversity is an urgent priority to aid in conservation decisions and policy-making.