Biodiversity & Conservation Biology
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The department of Biodiversity and Conservation Biology is active in the following research areas: jelly fish; education studies; endangered species conservation; landscape ecology and GIS; marine biology; plant ecophysiology; restoration ecology; sustainable livelihoods; taxonomy and systematics; traditional plant use.
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How to build science-action partnerships for local land-use planning and management: Lessons from Durban, South Africa
(Resilience Alliance, 2016)The gap between scientific knowledge and implementation in the fields of biodiversity conservation, environmental management, and climate change adaptation has resulted in many calls from practitioners and academics to ... -
Implementing value chain analysis to investigate drivers and sustainability of Cape Town's informal economy of wild-harvested traditional medicine
(Routledge, 2015)Despite a highly visible presence, policy-maker knowledge of the drivers and participants in the informal economy of wild-harvested medicinal plants in Cape Town remains limited. To illuminate the workings of this local ... -
An invasive alien Proteaceae lures some, but not all nectar-feeding bird pollinators away from native Proteaceae in South African fynbos
(Plant Biology, 2021)Invasive alien plants often influence pollinator visitation to native plants when sharing pollinator guilds. It is of conservation concern when the invasive alien plant is characterized by floral resources that attract ... -
Leopards and mesopredators as indicators of mammalian species richness across diverse landscapes of South Africa
(Elsevier, 2021)The rapid extinction of species over the past few decades has created a biodiversity crisis. Factors contributing to recent extirpations are linked to increased human population growth, habitat loss and fragmentation, and ... -
DNA sequencing reveals three new species of Chamberlainium (Corallinales, Rhodophyta) from South Africa, all formerly passing under Spongites yendoi
(De Gruyter Open Ltd, 2021)Three new non-geniculate coralline algal species from South Africa are described that were passing under the misapplied name, Spongites yendoi. Based on plastid encoded DNA sequences from psbA and rbcL markers, these species ... -
Variation and change of upwelling dynamics detected in the world’s eastern boundary upwelling systems
(Frontiers Media S.A., 2021)Global increases in temperature are altering land-sea temperature gradients. Bakun (1990) hypothesized that changes within these gradients will directly affect atmospheric pressure cells associated with the development of ... -
Role of jellyfish in the plankton ecosystem revealed using a global ocean biogeochemical model
(Copernicus GmbH, 2021)Jellyfish are increasingly recognised as important components of the marine ecosystem, yet their specific role is poorly defined compared to that of other zooplankton groups. This paper presents the first global ocean ... -
A new macromedusa from the coast of Mozambique: Aurelia mozambica sp. nov. (Scyphozoa: Ulmaridae)
(Magnolia Press, 2021)A new species of the cosmopolitan jellyfish genus Aurelia is described from the coastal waters of Mozambique using a combination of morphological, meristic and genetic information (COI and 18S). The species can be separated ... -
Using a multiple-delivery-mode training approach to develop local capacity and infrastructure for advanced bioinformatics in Africa
(Public Library of Science, 2021)With more microbiome studies being conducted by African-based research groups, there is an increasing demand for knowledge and skills in the design and analysis of microbiome studies and data. However, high-quality ... -
Effects of exogenous application of five antioxidants on vigour, viability, oxidative metabolism and germination enzymes in aged cabbage and lettuce seeds
(Elsevier B.V., 2021)Ageing induces modifications capable of compromising seed vigour and viability. This study investigated the effects of exogenous application of five antioxidants: ascorbic acid (AA), gallic acid (GA), reduced glutathione ... -
Genome sequence of an alkaliphilus species isolated from historically contaminated sediments of the gulf of Naples (Mediterranean Sea)
(American Society for Microbiology, 2021)Here, we report the draft genome sequence of a metagenome-assembled genome (MAG) of a new Alkaliphilus bacterium, NP8, of the Clostridiaceae family. This bacterium was isolated from polluted sediment collected from an ... -
How much leaf area do insects eat? A data set of insect herbivory sampled globally with a standardized protocol
(Ecological Society of America, 2021)Herbivory is ubiquitous. Despite being a potential driver of plant distribution and performance, herbivory remains largely undocumented. Some early attempts have been made to review, globally, how much leaf area is removed ... -
MACRODONTIA: A brief overview and a case report of KBG syndrome
(Elsevier, 2021)Macrodontia is a dental condition where a tooth or group of teeth are abnormally larger than average. Functional and aesthetic discrepancies may arise in affected individuals resulting in lowering the quality of life. It ... -
Tracking research trends and hotspots in sperm DNA fragmentation testing for the evaluation of male infertility: a scientometric analysis
(Reproductive Biology and Endocrinology, 2019)Background: This article describes the research trends in sperm DNA fragmentation (SDF) over the past 20 years (1999–2018) using a scientometric approach. Methods: A stepwise approach was adopted to retrieve scientometric ... -
Records of ctenophores from South Africa
(PeerJ, 2021)Although ctenophores can be conspicuous components of the plankton in coastal marine ecosystems, only six species have been formally described from around South Africa. Using photographs from local community scientists, ... -
The implications of the reclassification of South African wildlife species as farm animals
(South African Assn. For The Advancement Of Science, 2020)The Government Gazette No. 42464 dated 17 May 20191 amended Table 7 of the Animal Improvement Act (Act no. 62 of 1998), which lists breeds of animals, to include at least 32 new wild animal species, including 24 ... -
Creating opportunities through science symposia
(South African Assn. For The Advancement Of Science, 2020)For most marine scientists, unless we work in the field of fisheries development or at the interface of science and policy, it is rare to feel that we are making an impact on the lives of people in the wider community. ... -
Assessing the effects of in vitro imposed water stress on pineapple growth in relation to biochemical stress indicators using polynomial regression analysis
(AcademicPres, 2020)Knowing the mechanisms that operate under water stress in commercial crops, particularly those that can affect productivity, such as phenolic or cell wall metabolism, is becoming increasingly important in a scenario of ... -
Sharing for science: High-resolution trophic interactions revealed rapidly by social media
(PeerJ, 2020)Discrete, ephemeral natural phenomena with low spatial or temporal predictability are incredibly challenging to study systematically. In ecology, species interactions, which constitute the functional backbone of ecological ... -
Applying science to pressing conservation needs for penguins
(Wiley-Blackwell, 2020)More than half of the world's 18 penguin species are declining. We, the Steering Committee of the International Union for Conservation of Nature Species Survival Commission Penguin Specialist Group, determined that the ...
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