Regular contributor as Art & Margaret Herrick Endowed Professor

Professor David Ward, a regular contributor to the African Journal of Range and Forage Science, has been appointed as Art & Margaret Herrick Endowed Professor of Plant Biology, Kent State University. 

Wards’ research interests lie in the field of ecology and genetics of plant-animal interactions. He is particularly interested in the effects of herbivory by large mammals on the population biology, population genetics and conservation of plant populations, especially trees. “Most of my work focuses on savanna ecology, although I maintain a strong interest in desert studies,” said Ward. 

Having received his bachelor’s degree, honor’s degree and Ph.D at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Ward went on to complete a post-doctorate fellowship in Israel, and a post-doctorate fellowship at the University of British Columbia in Canada.

Firmly believing in the value of field experiments to gain a mechanistic understanding of the factors that create large-scale vegetation patterns, Ward will be teaching his first class during 2016 titled invasion biology.
 
In celebration of Ward’s appointment as Art and Margaret Endowed Professor of Plant Biology, the below listed papers, published in the African Journal of Range and Forage Science, are available to read at no charge for a limited access period (end of June 2016).  To read these papers click on their respective titles listed below. 

Spatial patterns of encroaching shrub species under different grazing regimes in a semi-arid Savanna, Eastern Karoo, South Africa. 31 March 2016.

A century of woody plant encroachment in the dry Kimberly savanna of South Africa. 2014, Volume 31, (2). 

Fire can suppress the development of macrophyllous thickets. 2014, Volume 31, (2).

Effects of herbivore exclosures on variation in quality and quantity of plants among management and habitat types in a semi arid savanna. 2010, Volume 27, (1). 

Do we understand the causes of bush encroachment in African Savanna’s. 2005, Volume 22, (2).