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A Namibian scientist is studying the impact of climate change in Namibia through a study of dung beetles that have evolved into watchdogs for highly sensitive and underestimated ecosystems.
Heather UJ Nependa conducts research with the help of funding from the Nedbank Green Fund.
Nependa, who is studying for a master's degree in entomology at the University of Stellenbosch in South Africa, describes the dung beetles as a "robust detector species" that could help Namibians better understand the challenges of ecosystems and landscapes already fragile of the country. as a result of climate change.
She said that although many are put off by dung beetles for obvious reasons, they should be appreciated more for the instrumental role they play in healthy landscapes and their ability to help scientists answer questions. environmental issues.
"Although their way of life is strange and perhaps a bit disgusting, the work they do is crucial for the function of ecosystems," Nependa said. to touch. "It's hard to get funding for a project like this that does not focus on a charismatic and attractive species. However, thanks to the Nedbank Green Fund and their commitment to sustainable development and a holistic holistic vision of conservation, "she says, under the guidance of her professors from the Department of Entomology, she has chosen to focus her project on dung beetles because of their close links with many species of mammals and savannahs.
"They are sensitive to the density and diversity of plants, but also to the resources of dung."
This means that they provide an indication of the quality of habitat and the impact of environmental changes on landscapes.
In addition, changes in their diversity and abundance could affect overall health of the ecosystem in a landscape "that is a source of concern," said Nependa.
She added that in addition to measuring the impact of climate change, the study some dung beetles t also be a good way to measure whether current conservation efforts are effective.
"Every day, the animal kingdom produces enough manure to match the volume of water flowing over the Victoria Falls, which means that without the work of the dung beetles, the planet would literally be covered with poo. to clean up this dung, the actions of these creatures have a considerable ecological importance, "said Nependa.
THE WORK PERSON NEEDS OTHERS
The main function of the dung beetle is to disperse the seeds, which ensures the growth of important fodder for other animals.
The role of seed dispersal of dung beetles is so important, says Nependa, that a plant (Ceratocaryum argenteum) has developed smelly seeds to deceive the dung beetles and bury them. Dung also contains excellent nutrients that, once buried by beetles, are an important fertilizer for plant growth.
Nependa refers to a recent study in the United Kingdom that evaluated the value of dung beetles for cleaning British pastures. and fertilize the soil for £ 370 million a year.
In Africa, their incredible diversity is underscored by the amount of species, 5,700, found on the continent.
"What's even more remarkable and strange, it's their concern for feces," Nependa added. A single falling elephant can attract up to 4,000 dung beetles in less than 15 minutes.
Bark beetles operate in three types, namely "rollers, tunnellers and inhabitants".
The rollers shape the dung into balls and roll it away from the dung dung, then they bury it and use it later to lay.
Tunnelers "plunge into dung", usually in male-female teams. a tunnel under the pile. The female beetle then stays in the tunnel, treating the dung that is delivered by the male who comes and goes.
The inhabitants, on the other hand, "live simply in the pile of manure". Women lay their eggs there and when they hatch, they "happily drop the food around them," she says.
Nependa's project entitled "Dung beetles as indicators of ecological disturbances in Namibia through a resource and a land. "Use gradient" is aimed primarily at highlighting the importance of "the fragility of our ecosystems and how the disruption of a thing can penetrate entire ecosystems to all Namibians."
To get these answers, the project explores and assesses the effects of land-use changes, which require comparing a natural landscape to modified areas, such as farms, by analyzing the diversity and abundance of dung beetles. .
A FIRST NAMIBIAN
A greater diversity of species indicates a more stable and intact landscape compared to the low diversity of species.
Within Nedbank, there is a broad consensus on supporting environmental initiatives, such as the Go Green Fund.
"The relationship between ecology and the economy is not as competitive as many assume and embrace eco-innovation in the way we work has become imperative. from Nedbank, our entire mission is to promote sustainability, which is why projects such as the dung beetles in Namibia are important, "said Gernot de Klerk: Marketing and Communications Manager
" The main purpose of the The study is therefore to determine whether there are really huge and deleterious differences between these two landscapes or whether they are also affected by anthropogenic threats. "To date, only a few studies have examined the dung beetles and their general status, diversity and ecology in Namibia and therefore the work of Nependa has already begun to improve the limited knowledge of insects in Namibia.
The specimens harvested to date have unveiled some species that were not thought to be found in Namibia, which added to the project a taxonomic importance for the dung beetle ecology in southern Africa.
Nependa added that the results of his project funded by Nedbank Go Green have so far shown a slight loss of species on the breeding sites that were sampled, compared to the reserves sampled .
– Source: Nedbank Namibia
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