Fields of study

Glossopteris trees formed the major element in most Gondwanan ecosystems during the Permian and thus provided habitat for a variety of fauna. In this project, we investigate the associations found between Glossopteris and various arthropods within this ecosystem, especially in the middle Permian, within the Karoo Basin of South Africa. The study encompasses four sites, two in the Eastern Cape, and two in the Northern Cape. Previous studies in the Karoo Basin have focussed on insect assemblages and their interactions with flora within the late Triassic period, and middle Permian insect assemblages and plant associations are particularly poorly understood. The use of quantitative analysis, which is often lacking in palaeosciences in South Africa, shall be extensively employed to understand the extent of these associations. Insect assemblages shall be reconstructed to understand the possible insect community during that period, and this shall be linked to the damage types observed on the plant leaves. Damage types shall be identified and grouped into functional feeding groups, with the diversity of damage types quantified. The severity or extent of the damage observed shall be used as a proxy for the strength of these associations. Comparisons of the possible interactions shall be made between the four sites to reveal any spatial differences or correlations in the associations. Statistical data analyses shall be extensively used to draw more solid conclusions while complimenting the traditional descriptive approach to data presentation and analysis.