Welcome to the next issue of SANBI Science. Much has happened in the past quarter that we would like to share.

Changing the world through BIODIVERSITY SCIENCE

Design and editing:SANBI Publishing February 2015

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In this issue:

Biodiversity Science Symposia

Bothalia: African Biodiversity & Conservation – SANBI’s ‘new’ journal

Foundations of biodiversity

● Termite mounds as valuable sources of macro and micronutrients

● A digital key for the succulent stone plant genus Conophytum

● Back from the brink: a Table Mountain endemic rediscovered after seven decades

Building biodiversity knowledge

● Possible new invaders in South Africa: two species of Berberis

● The hidden world of Mozambique’s sky island forests: exploration and discovery of reptiles and amphibians

● Pink is pretty but shallow

Science into policy/action

● City Biodiversity Summit

● Gauteng ‘Biodiversity Mainstreaming Toolbox’ launched

News on SANBI’s science and policy advice activities and outputsVolume 2, Issue 1 (February 2015)

Biodiversity Science Symposia

Traditionally SANBI has always encouraged their students and interns to hold a ‘research day’ so that they can share their research and practise their presentation skills. In the last

quarter of 2014, two such ‘Biodiversity Science Symposia’ were held (1 October in Cape Town and 23 October in Pretoria). The days aimed to showcase current SANBI research, to increase awareness of the work undertaken by the different divisions in SANBI, and to demonstrate how the SANBI Value Chain is supported through primary science at each level – illustrating how the work we do is relevant to society and decision-makers.

The invitation was extended to all SANBI staff, partner organisations and representatives from academic institutions – creating an opportunity for the students and interns to mingle with various professionals. The symposia were successful, with several prizes being presented to the best speakers in the various formats.

Staff members looking at posters of students during SANBI’s Biodiversity Science Symposia at the Pretoria NBG.

SANBI Science, February 2015 2

The journal Bothalia was first launched in 1922 and pub-lished scientific papers on plants and fungi until the end

of 2013. This long history and established reputation meant that the decision to change the journal was not taken lightly, and took several years to finalise. Given SANBI’s expanded mandate to cover biodiversity, it was felt that the scope of the journal should include animal research, as well as a wide range of topics of relevance to biodiversity and conservation in Africa.

The journal now not only publishes original research, but will also consider strategies, best practice guidelines and conservation plans. All published work is reviewed by at least two experts. The new journal is published online by AOSIS, with immediate publication of manuscripts once these are finalised. A hardcopy version is published each year. The journal is open access, which we hope will increase its visibil-ity and citations. All back issues have been digitised and are freely available on the journal website (www.abcjournal.org). The journal is ISI listed, and is referenced in various sources, which are detailed on the journal website. The editorial team includes Michelle Hamer as the Editor-in-Chief, with Krystal Tolley, John Manning, Mathieu Rouget, Salim Fakir , Stephen Awoyemi and Dave Balfour as Associate Editors.

Please note: We are dealing with the challenge of a ‘predatory’ journal that is essentially a copycat of Bo-thalia, with a fake editorial board. This fake journal, which uses SANBI’s logo and address, charges authors to publish on topics beyond the field of biodiversity. This has been a long and hard battle and while it is by no means over, we are working with our lawyers and AOSIS to take over the fake sites and potentially to take action against the fraudsters.

We hope that SANBI staff and researchers and practitioners in our partner organisations will support Bothalia: African Biodiversity & Conservation by submitting manuscripts and by citing papers published.

Bothalia: African Biodiversity & Conservation – SANBI’s ‘new’ journal

Termite mounds as valuable sources of macro and micronutrientsFungus-culturing termites build large mounds (which can be up to 9 m high and 30 m wide) in nutrient-poor savanna. The nutrients in these soils can be valuable to both animals and people; some studies have found improved maternal calcium status, foetal skeletal formation and birth weight associated with eating termite mound substrate amongst rural com-

munities in eastern and central Africa. Termites are known to concentrate macronutrients (e.g. nitrogen, potassium, calcium and magnesium). It is not known whether they also concentrate micronutrients (e.g. iron, molybdenum, zinc and selenium), which can be very important within animal and human diets.

FOUNDATIONS OF BIODIVERSITY

SANBI Science, February 2015 3

It is also not known whether small mounds (i.e. younger, newly formed mounds) also contain greater concentrations of macro and micronutrients. In a study of termite mounds in Chizarira National Park, Zimbabwe, SANBI scientists and partners found that only large mounds had significantly greater concentra-tions of macronutrients than the surrounding soil, but that they were limited in the amount of micronutrients they con-tained by what was available in the surrounding soil. Although on average, plant species growing on mounds did not contain

more nutrients than those growing in the surrounding sa-vanna, the plant species with the maximum concentrations of both macro- and micronutrients were found growing on mounds. Since herbivory is affected by soil nutrients, herbi-vores might meet their nutrient requirements in this nutrient-poor system by including mound plant species in their diets.

Read more: http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0038071713003234.

A digital key for the succulent stone plant genus Conophytum Conophytum N.E.Br. is a large, charismatic genus in the ice

plant family (Aizoaceae), with 106 species. They are com-monly known as stone plants or knopies (buttons) and are popular amongst succulent growers and collectors. Despite the popularity of this genus, diagnostic and distribution data is limited, making the identification of species challenging. For this reason a user-friendly digital key was developed by a SANBI PhD student in collaboration with collectors Steven Hammer and Dr Andy Young, funded by the Botanical Educa-tion Trust. The key uses simple characters for identification and includes photographs. In collaboration with collectors, novel distribution maps were also produced and are includ-ed. A preview of the first edition can be found at: http://rpowell2.wix.com/conophytum-delta-key.

Examples of large mounds in Chizarira National Park. Note that some mounds have eroded areas, whilst others are almost totally covered in predominantly woody vegetation.

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Until recently, the plant Hermas lanata*, found only on Table Mountain and nowhere else in the world, was

feared extinct. The last collection and sighting of this species was in the 1930s, despite continued efforts by local botanists to relocate it. In 2012, a group led by Dr Anthony Magee (Apiaceae expert at Compton Herbarium) hit upon success and found a total of six plants of H. lanata in a shaded, west-facing kloof. In February last year, the Millennium Seed Bank team, based at Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, heard about this rediscovery and set out to collect seed from this very rare and threatened plant. During their search, they stumbled upon an entirely new subpopulation, this time from the sunny, north-facing cliffs of the mountain, very dif-ferent from the moist and shaded west-facing habitat where it was previously thought to thrive. Their discovery has boosted the global population numbers of Hermas lanata and assisted in determining a more accurate Red List status for the species.

Read about more about the MSB team’s exciting search for H.lanata here: http://www.kew.org/sites/default/files/8316_Samara_27_web.pdf

*Hermas lanata is the new name for Hermas pillansii, accord-ing to the recent taxonomic revision by Dr Anthony Magee in Systematic Botany 40(1).

Back from the brink: a Table Mountain endemic rediscovered after seven decades

Possible new invaders in South Africa: two species of Berberis

BUILDING BIODIVERSITY KNOWLEDGE

Invasive alien species are currently one of the biggest threats to global biodiversity. They are a result of an in-

creasing re-distribution of species and include all kinds of organisms (pathogens, plants, insects, molluscs, mammals etc.). Humans are introducing exotic species to new regions at a much higher rate today than in the past – an estimated 100 000 times that of the natural rate. The plant family Ber-beridaceae contains about 16 genera that includes many ornamental species. The genus Berberis, commonly called barberry, contains approximately 500 species.

Barberries have been distributed all over the world for their uses. The most popular use is probably in the landscaping in-dustry where they are planted to form impenetrable hedges and barriers due to their spiny nature. The plants are widely used in indigenous medicinal practices, including treating ailments such as coughs, skin and eye diseases, pneumonia,

Hermas lanata growing on the vertical cliffs of Table Mountain.

SANBI Science, February 2015 5

The hidden world of Mozambique’s sky island forests: exploration and discovery of reptiles and amphibians

infertility, epilepsy, jaundice, piles, malaria and even sexually transmitted diseases. Some are the subject of intense medi-cal research, such as the potential of extracts from the Indian barberry (B. aristata) as anticancer drugs (specifically colon cancer).

There has never been any detailed study done regarding the history, invasive status or impact of barberries in South Africa. About 24 species of Berberidaceae (18 species of Berberis, 5 species of Mahonia and 1 Nandina) are cultivated in South Africa. None of these cultivated species have been

listed legally as invasive in SA, but naturalised populations have been detected in the Free State and Limpopo prov-inces. Invasive barberries can have considerable negative environmental and economic impacts. These include altering soil chemistry, lowering veld carrying capacity and prevent-ing access to watercourses when occurring in dense thickets. They can also replace indigenous vegetation to the detri-ment of the ecosystem as a whole. Concerns about Berberis have led to a study by SANBI’s Invasive Species Programme regarding the invasive potential of certain barberries in South Africa.

In November 2014, an international team of experts led by SANBI scientist Krystal Tolley descended upon the ‘sky

islands’ of Mozambique. Their goal was to survey remote montane forests for reptiles and amphibians and to search for new species. The first stop was Mount Mabu where the team found 26 different species in an enormous patch of pristine rainforest. The most extraordinary find was a burrowing, leg-less amphibian (Scolecomorphus)…that’s right, an amphib-ian with no legs, which lives underground! These types of amphibians are not very common or widespread in southern Africa, so the finding marks this mountain as distinctive. There was an abundance of cryptic leaf litter frogs (Athroleptis spp.), and tree frogs Afrixalus, Leptopelis and Hyperolius, and an

assortment of snakes including spotted bush snakes (Philo-thamnus), file snakes (Gonionotophis) and tree snakes (Dipsa-doboa). Although preliminary identifications were made in the field, DNA barcoding is being undertaken at SANBI to de-termine whether any of these can be considered new species.

The team then turned eastwards to Mount Namuli and Mount Ribàué. These forests were heavily impacted by hu-man activities, with uncontrolled slash and burn clearing for agriculture taking its toll. The situation at Ribàué was particu-larly grim, and the team struggled to find any suitable forest to survey. Although 30 species were found at Ribàué, many of these were widespread and common species, and are not expected to represent new species. However, the discovery of a leaf chameleon (Rhampholeon) in the tiny fragment re-maining of M’pàluwé forest on Ribàué was an exciting find, and is most certainly a new species. At Namuli, the team was forced to establish a satellite camp deeper into the forest to find healthy habitat but the move paid off, because a new chameleon species was discovered (genus Nadzikambia). The species diversity was lowest on Namuli (22 species) despite this being the largest mountain by far. Many of these were grassland species found on the high plateau, but some of these species could also be new species.

To finalise the discoveries, DNA barcoding is being carried out at SANBI on every species found on each of the three mountains. This involves DNA sequencing for specific genes, which will be compared to the DNA sequences of known species. If these ‘barcodes’ differ from known species, then additional genetic work will be used to cross-check. We expect that for many of the species we have found, our bar-coding work will allow us to identify them as new species. So although the field work has been completed, the discovery is just beginning.

Read more with Krystal’s blogs from the field at: http://voices.nationalgeographic.com/author/ktolley/.

An international team of expert scientists working in the ‘lab’ processing data and examining specimens.

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Bird-pollinated plants typically have reddish flowers, but it is this because birds prefer it? A Stellenbosch University/

SANBI/UCT team tested the preferences of foraging sunbirds for flower colour in an Erica (E. perspicua) with pink and white morphs, which have similar nectar volumes and concentra-tions. Sunbirds preferred pink flowers in 95% of first visits, and visited and probed more pink flowers. Yet this preference did not translate into a fitness advantage for this morph, since no difference is found in natural pollination rate, fruit or seed set. Nectar-robbing rates were equal between white and pink morphs.

Read more: http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10682-014-9693-z#page-1.

Pink is pretty but shallow

City Biodiversity Summit

SCIENCE INTO POLICY/ACTION

In terms of population and area, cities are growing at an explosive rate, placing unprecedented pressure on the envi-

ronment. Conversely, when appropriately designed and care-fully governed, cities can provide fertile grounds for enthus-ing active citizenship, enhancing resource-use efficiency, in-novating technology and test-bedding green policy. They can become bastions of sustainability. Hence, local governments and their associations have become integral implementation agents of the UN Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011–2020 and are increasingly present at meetings of the Conference of Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COPs).

Hosted by the Government of the Republic of Korea, and orga-nized by the ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability and

the CBD Secretariat, the Biodiversity Summit for Cities & Sub-national Governments 2014, took place from 12 to 14 October 2014. Thousands of delegates attended the Summit, including representatives of national, subnational and local govern-ments, as well as international organisations and development cooperation agencies. SANBI was represented at the Summit by Dr Tanya Abrahamse, Ms Budu Manaka and Mr Russell Galt.

Speakers examined the nexus between cities and sustainable development, critiqued the Sustainable Development Goals on biodiversity and cities, shared insights for mainstream-ing biodiversity into spatial development frameworks, and shared their ground-level experiences in managing urban nature.

Orange-breasted Sunbird male on an Erica.

Participants deliver the draft Gangwon/Pyeongchang Resolution at the closing session (credit: IISD)

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The Grasslands Programme continues to celebrate a num-ber of successes beyond its close. One of the most recent

was the roll out of the ‘Biodiversity Mainstreaming Toolbox for land-use planning and development in Gauteng’.

This toolbox brings together a broad range of biodiversity management and conservation tools, relevant to the urban context in Gauteng, into one comprehensible and digestible document.

There are essentially three products:

● The Main Toolbox, which is a technical document pitched at the level of officials and anyone working on or affected by land-use planning and environmental authorisations, or those who are tasked with providing decisions that may impact on the environment.

● The 2nd product is a Summarised Toolbox for Senior Managers developed specifically to provide politicians, councillors, Members of the Executive Council (MECs), heads of local and provincial government departments and other managers with an overview of the core tools used in biodiversity mainstreaming, key legislations and government mandates for management and conserva-tion of biodiversity.

● The 3rd product is a Planners Quick Guide to the Bio-diversity Mainstreaming Toolbox, which has already been nicknamed ‘a Summary of a Summary’. It provides municipal planners with a brief and accessible overview of the tools available to efficiently incorporate biodiver-sity into municipal planning across Gauteng.

This toolbox was compiled by SANBI Grasslands Programme and ICLEI (Local Governments for Sustainability), and was rolled out through several well-attended workshops across Gauteng municipalities in November 2014. The Gauteng Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and mu-nicipalities in Gauteng played a key role in shaping the con-tents and outlook of the toolbox. More importantly, there are other provinces that have seen the value of such a toolbox, and have expressed an interest of developing similar prod-ucts customised for their respective geographic areas.

The main toolbox Biodiversity Mainstreaming Toolbox for land-use planning and development in Gauteng is available online at http://biodiversityadvisor.sanbi.org/industry-and-conservation/biodiversity-in-the-urban-economy/action-3/.

In a session entitled The Green Creative Economy, SANBI’s CEO Dr Tanya Abrahamse, drew from South African exam-ples to illustrate how biodiversity can support job creation and alleviate poverty. She stressed that for conservation to work, it must work for people, particularly in a developing country with high unemployment. In another session en-titled Research: Understanding the Science–Policy Interface, SANBI’s Russell Galt facilitated a panel of scientists and policymakers who grappled with questions on how to build bridges between their respective communities. The com-munication of science in policy-relevant terms emerged as a critical issue.

The Summit also produced the Gangwon/Pyeongchang Res-olution on Cities and Subnational Governments for Biodiver-sity. In it, cities and subnational governments detail how they will contribute to the attainment of the Aichi Biodiversity Targets. They specify various measures including: increasing communication, education and public awareness; enhancing capacity; decoupling consumption from societal wellbeing; managing natural assets in an integrated, cooperative man-ner; developing biodiversity strategies and action plans; and financing local and subnational implementation.

Further information on the Summit is available here: http://www.biodivercity-summit.org/eng/notice/view/no/8.

Gauteng ‘Biodiversity Mainstreaming Toolbox’ launched

Read more about SANBI Science and find out about current news and events on the ‘Biodiversity Science’ section of the SANBI website: www.sanbi.org/biodiversity-science

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