{"id":{"repo_id":"cape-town","oai_identifier":"oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/6146"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/cape-town/oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/6146","repository":{"repo_id":"cape-town","name":"University of Cape Town","base_url":"https://open.uct.ac.za/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"Physical and biological factors structuring sandy beaches macrofauna communities","abstract":"Previous sandy beach research described beach macrofaunal communities according to the swash exclusion hypothesis (SEH). This hypothesis stated that more species are present on fine grained, flat dissipative beaches due to a more benign swash climate. It suggested that, as beach morphodynamics change to reflective conditions, which is experienced on coarse, steep beaches, few species can survive; these beaches are therefore characterised by lower macrofaunal diversities, abundance and biomass. Furthermore, little proof has been obtained of biological interactions such as competition or predation, and beaches have been described as physically controlled environments. The aim of this investigation was therefore to redifine the SEH in more specific terms, preferably into a form that is experimentally testable, and to find evidence of biological interactions that could be important enough to modify/explain population or community structures. Furthermore, the study aimed to find experimental procedures to serve as alternatives to the previously correlative type approach.","abstract_html":"Previous sandy beach research described beach macrofaunal communities according to the swash exclusion hypothesis (SEH). This hypothesis stated that more species are present on fine grained, flat dissipative beaches due to a more benign swash climate. It suggested that, as beach morphodynamics change to reflective conditions, which is experienced on coarse, steep beaches, few species can survive; these beaches are therefore characterised by lower macrofaunal diversities, abundance and biomass. Furthermore, little proof has been obtained of biological interactions such as competition or predation, and beaches have been described as physically controlled environments. The aim of this investigation was therefore to redifine the SEH in more specific terms, preferably into a form that is experimentally testable, and to find evidence of biological interactions that could be important enough to modify/explain population or community structures. Furthermore, the study aimed to find experimental procedures to serve as alternatives to the previously correlative type approach.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Nel, Petronella"],"institution":"Department of Biological Sciences","degree_name":null,"degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":["Brown, Alec C","Griffiths, Charles L","McLachlan, Anton"],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2000,"date_issued":"2000","date_published":"2000","updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:23:44Z","subjects":[],"languages":["eng"],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"http://hdl.handle.net/11427/6146","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier.uri"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor.advisor","label":"Advisor","values":["Brown, Alec C","Griffiths, Charles L","McLachlan, Anton"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Nel, Petronella"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.accessioned","label":"Dc Date Accessioned","values":["2014-08-13T14:05:32Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2014-08-13T14:05:32Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["2000"]},{"key":"dc:publisher.department","label":"Dc Publisher Department","values":["Department of Biological Sciences"]},{"key":"dc:publisher.institution","label":"Dc Publisher Institution","values":["University of Cape Town"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Doctoral Thesis"]},{"key":"dc:type.qualificationlevel","label":"Dc Type Qualificationlevel","values":["Doctoral"]},{"key":"dc:type.qualificationname","label":"Dc Type Qualificationname","values":["PhD"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language.iso","label":"Language (ISO)","values":["eng"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.uri","label":"Identifier URI","values":["http://hdl.handle.net/11427/6146"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description","label":"Description","values":["Bibliography: leaves 188-199."]},{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Previous sandy beach research described beach macrofaunal communities according to the swash exclusion hypothesis (SEH). This hypothesis stated that more species are present on fine grained, flat dissipative beaches due to a more benign swash climate. It suggested that, as beach morphodynamics change to reflective conditions, which is experienced on coarse, steep beaches, few species can survive; these beaches are therefore characterised by lower macrofaunal diversities, abundance and biomass. Furthermore, little proof has been obtained of biological interactions such as competition or predation, and beaches have been described as physically controlled environments. The aim of this investigation was therefore to redifine the SEH in more specific terms, preferably into a form that is experimentally testable, and to find evidence of biological interactions that could be important enough to modify/explain population or community structures. Furthermore, the study aimed to find experimental procedures to serve as alternatives to the previously correlative type approach."]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Physical and biological factors structuring sandy beaches macrofauna communities"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor.advisor":["Brown, Alec C","Griffiths, Charles L","McLachlan, Anton"],"dc:creator":["Nel, Petronella"],"dc:date.accessioned":["2014-08-13T14:05:32Z"],"dc:date.available":["2014-08-13T14:05:32Z"],"dc:date.issued":["2000"],"dc:description":["Bibliography: leaves 188-199."],"dc:description.abstract":["Previous sandy beach research described beach macrofaunal communities according to the swash exclusion hypothesis (SEH). This hypothesis stated that more species are present on fine grained, flat dissipative beaches due to a more benign swash climate. It suggested that, as beach morphodynamics change to reflective conditions, which is experienced on coarse, steep beaches, few species can survive; these beaches are therefore characterised by lower macrofaunal diversities, abundance and biomass. Furthermore, little proof has been obtained of biological interactions such as competition or predation, and beaches have been described as physically controlled environments. The aim of this investigation was therefore to redifine the SEH in more specific terms, preferably into a form that is experimentally testable, and to find evidence of biological interactions that could be important enough to modify/explain population or community structures. Furthermore, the study aimed to find experimental procedures to serve as alternatives to the previously correlative type approach."],"dc:identifier.uri":["http://hdl.handle.net/11427/6146"],"dc:language.iso":["eng"],"dc:publisher.department":["Department of Biological Sciences"],"dc:publisher.institution":["University of Cape Town"],"dc:title":["Physical and biological factors structuring sandy beaches macrofauna communities"],"dc:type":["Doctoral Thesis"],"dc:type.qualificationlevel":["Doctoral"],"dc:type.qualificationname":["PhD"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:23:44Z"}