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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Environmental responses of jellyfish polyps as drivers of medusa populations off the coast of Namibia
(National Inquiry Services Centre, 2018)Jellyfish populations in the southeastern Atlantic off the coast of Namibia have increased subsequent to the decline of small pelagic fisheries at the end of the 1960s, although the environment there has also become warmer ... -
Conservation status and threats for African reptiles
(Elsevier, 2016)The assimilation of information on taxonomy, distribution, basic ecology and conservation status of Africa's reptiles lags far behind that for most other continents. Many regions of mainland Africa are rarely surveyed, ... -
An ambusher’s arsenal: chemical crypsis in the puff adder (Bitis arietans)
(The Royal Society, 2015)Ambush foragers use a hunting strategy that places them at risk of predation by both visual and olfaction-oriented predators. Resulting selective pressures have driven the evolution of impressive visual crypsis in many ... -
Scale-dependent orientation in movement paths: a case study of an African viper
(Wiley, 2016)Decisions relating to the orientation of movement by animals and how this translates into movement patterns can occur at multiple spatial scales simultaneously, but this interaction is poorly understood for many groups of ... -
Identifying global priorities for the conservation of vipers
(Elsevier, 2016)Vipers are among the most misunderstood and persecuted animals. They occupy most terrestrial ecosystems around the world, often at high population densities. However, certain aspects of their biology (e.g., low fecundity ... -
Diet and feeding in the Cape Cobra, Naja nivea
(Taylor & Francis, 2017)It is widely reported that African cobras (genus Naja) are generalist predators, but examination of formal literature yields relatively little evidence of this for most species. Here, we review the diet of cape cobras (Naja ... -
Snake body size frequency distributions are robust to the description of novel species
(Ecological Society of America, 2016)The accurate interpretation of body size frequency distributions (BSFDs) has important implications for understanding large-scale ecological and evolutionary patterns because they are shaped by ecological and evolutionary ... -
Comparative phylogeography of parasitic Laelaps mites contribute new insights into the specialist-generalist variation hypothesis (SGVH)
(BMC, 2018)BACKGROUND: The specialist-generalist variation hypothesis (SGVH) in parasites suggests that, due to patchiness in habitat (host availability), specialist species will show more subdivided population structure when compared ... -
In quest of contact: phylogeography of helmeted terrapins (Pelomedusa galeata, P. subrufa sensu stricto)
(PeerJ, 2018)Based on rangewide sampling and three mitochondrial and two nuclear markers (together up to 1,850 bp and 1,840 bp, respectively), we examine the phylogeography of two helmeted terrapin species (Pelomedusa galeata and P. ... -
Taxonomic studies of the genus Rhynchosia Lour. (Phaseoleae, Fabaceae) in South Africa: A review of section Chrysoscias
(Elsevier, 2018)BACKGROUND: A taxonomic study of the genus Rhynchosia section Chrysoscias is presented. The section (as classified by Baker) comprises five taxa (four species and one variety). Previous revisions of the section by various ... -
Summer and winter differences in zooplankton biomass, distribution and size composition in the KwaZulu-Natal Bight, South Africa
(National Inquiry Services Centre (NISC), 2016)Zooplankton biomass and distribution in the KwaZulu-Natal Bight were investigated in relation to environmental parameters during summer (January–February 2010) and winter (July–August 2010). Mean zooplankton biomass was ... -
Sublittoral seaweed communities on natural and artificial substrata in a high-latitude coral community in South Africa
(National Inquiry Services Centre (NISC), 2016)Coral mortality may result in macroalgal proliferation or a phase shift into an alga dominated state. Subtidal, high-latitude western Indian Ocean coral communities at Sodwana Bay on the KwaZulu-Natal coast, South Africa, ... -
Testing for the occurrence of pilchard herpesvirus (PHV) in South African sardine Sardinops sagax
(National Inquiry Services Centre (NISC), 2016)Catches of South African sardine Sardinops sagax have declined in recent years from about 200 000 t harvested annually during the period 2002–2006 to less than 100 000 t. Consequently, some companies are now importing ... -
Riverine dominance of a nearshore marine demersal food web: evidence from stable isotope and C/N ratio analysis
(National Inquiry Services Centre (NISC), 2016)The Thukela Bank, KwaZulu-Natal, supports a diverse ecosystem and South Africa’s only prawn fishery. Oceanographic studies suggest riverine input is not important for the biology of this system, whereas biological studies ... -
Plastic ingestion by estuarine mullet Mugil cephalus (Mugilidae) in an urban harbour, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
(National Inquiry Services Centre (NISC), 2016)Coastal urban environments have high plastic pollution levels, and hence interactions between plastic debris and marine life are frequent. We report on plastic ingestion by mullet Mugil cephalus in Durban Harbour, ... -
Essential metal and metalloid elements in the Philippi Horticultural area, and their uptake into selected vegetable crops
(Taylor & Francis, 2018)This study evaluated Co, Cr, Mn, Ni, Se, Sn and V status in the soils of the PHA, as well as the vegetables produced on these soils. We also determined the agronomic sources of these elements to the soils in the PHA. ... -
Siphonophores from surface waters of the Colombian Pacific Ocean
(Cambridge University Press, 2018)Siphonophores are colonial hydrozoans that feed on zooplankton including fish larvae, and occur throughout the world’s oceans from surface waters to ocean depths. Here we describe the composition of hyponeustonic siphonophores ... -
Legume phylogeny and classification in the 21st century: Progress, prospects and lessons for other species-rich clades
(Botanischer Garten und Botanisches Museum, 2013)The Leguminosae, the third-largest angiosperm family, has a global distribution and high ecological and economic importance. We examine how the legume systematic research community might join forces to produce a comprehensive ... -
Phylogenetic position and revised classification of Acacia s.l. (Fabaceae: Mimosoideae) in Africa, including new combinations in Vachellia and Senegalia
(Oxford University Press, 2013)Previous phylogenetic studies have indicated that Acacia Miller s.l. is polyphyletic and in need of reclassification. A proposal to conserve the name Acacia for the larger Australian contingent of the genus (formerly ... -
Female preference for blue in Japan blue guppies (Poecilia reticulata)
(Springer Verlag, 2013)Guppies (Poecilia reticulata) are widely used as a model species in mate choice studies. Although native to South America, guppies have been introduced to natural water bodies in disparate regions of the globe. Here, for ...
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