BIOLOGY AND ECOLOGY OF MILLIPEDES IN THE KALAHARI

SUMMARY

This paper presents a review of information on the behavioural and functional ecology of millipedes in and around the Kalahari. The majority of conspicuous species belong to the order Spirostreptida that have a simple and conserved cylindrical body plan that is extremely efficient for burrowing. This ability is used as a behavioural mechanism for osmoregulation which results in sporadic surface activity after summer rainfall. Large body size assists in this ability to withstand moisture stress and also enables considerable mobility during surface activity which both sexes exploit to seek suitable food sources. Males also exert considerable effort in searches for mates and compete directly and indirectly with other males for females. This pressure for sexual selection has resulted in behavioural and morphological differences between the sexes in many species. Millipedes in the Kalahari are poorly known because they are rarely seen but present an ideal opportunity to test many current questions in ecology and evolutionary biology. They are also an untapped source of information for conservation monitoring and management of a system undergoing change.