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A national range inventory for the Kingdom of Lesotho ‘n nasionale opname van die weivelde van die koningkryk van Lesotho
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: Journal of the Grassland Society of Southern Africa • Authors: N.L. Martin --- Land Conservation and Range Development Project,With the need for an understanding of the nation's rangelands, the Division of Range Management of the Kingdom of Lesotho has undertaken a national range inventory. This resource study has utilized as aids in this task, the up‐to‐date techniques of... -
The rate of consumption of bush and grass by goats in a representative acacia karroo savanna community in the Eastern Cape
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: Journal of the Grassland Society of Southern Africa • Authors: W.R. Teague --- ,Consumption of browse and grass in a representative Acacia karroo savanna community was measured. Acacia karroo was preferred to grass. It was selected almost exclusively when available at high leaf densities. Grass was consumed in significant amounts only when approximately... -
The relative abundance of maize stem borers and their parasitoids at the Tshiombo irrigation scheme in Venda, South Africa
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: South African Journal of Plant and Soil • Authors: W. Krüger --- , South Africa J. van den Berg --- , South Africa H. van Hamburg --- , South AfricaMaize is an important resource in many small-scale farming areas in South Africa and especially on irrigation schemes in the Limpopo Province where this crop is cultivated under irrigation in sub-tropical conditions. The aim of this study was to determine... -
Reproduction and recruitment patterns of the surf clam Donax serra (Bivalvia, Donacidae) on two Namibian sandy beaches
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: South African Journal of Marine Science • Authors: J. Laudien T. Brey W. E. ArntzReproduction and recruitment of the surf clam Donax serra on two Namibian beaches were studied over a period of two years. Histological examination of the gonads indicated a discontinous annual reproductive cycle, related to monthly mean sea surface temperature. The... -
OBSERVATIONS ON THE THREE ALLOPATRIC POPULATIONS OF THE MALUTI MINNOW,
OREODAIMON QUATHLAMBAE (BARNARD) WITH NOTES ON ITS EVOLUTION, ECOLOGY, SPAWNING, AND CONSERVATIONItem type: Journal Article • Journal: Journal of the Limnological Society of Southern Africa • Authors: S.R. Gephard --- , LesothoMeristics and pigmentation of specimens of Oreodaimon quathlambae from the three known populations were compared to determine whether the species has experienced divergent evolution. Pigmentation was found to vary substantially but meristics counts did not. A proposal is made-to recognise... -
EFFECT OF CATTLE DIP CONTAINING TOXAPHENE ON THE FAUNA OF A SOUTH AFRICAN RIVER
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: Journal of the Limnological Society of Southern Africa • Authors: P.M. Brooks --- , South Africa B.D. Gardner --- , South AfricaIn August 1978 the Hluhluwe River, which runs through the Hluhluwe Game Reserve (Natal, South Africa), was polluted by toxaphene from a cattle dip tank. Faunal surveys were conducted to determine the impact of the insecticide on the fish and... -
POPULATION DYNAMICS AND DEMOGRAPHY OF AN ESTUARINE COPEPOD (PSEUDODIAPTOMUS EESSEI) IN LAKE SIBAYA, A SUBTROPICAL FRESHWATER COASTAL LAKE
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: Journal of the Limnological Society of Southern Africa • Authors: RC Hart --- , South AfricaPopulation size and stage structure of Pseudodiaptomus hessei (Mrázek) was studied over 27 months at a single site in subtropical Lake Sibaya. Population density varied seasonally from about 1 to 4 individuals per litre, but a fairly stable population structure... -
A PRELIMINARY STUDY OF ASPECTS OF THE ECOLOGY OF A RARE MINNOW BARBUS TREURENSIS GROENEWALD, 1958 (PISCES: CYPRINIDAE) FROM THE EASTERN TRANSVAAL, SOUTH AFRICA
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: Journal of the Limnological Society of Southern Africa • Authors: C.J. Kleynhans --- Transvaal Nature Conservation Division, South AfricaThe habitat preferences, food habits, reproduction, age and population size of Barbus treurensis were investigated as part of a survey of the threatened fish of the Transvaal. Barbus treurensis occurs only in an isolated section of the Blyde River tributary... -
THE DEVELOPMENT OF ECOLOGICAL CONCEPTS IN LIMNOLOGY, WITH PARTICULAR REFERENCE TO THE LAST TWENTY-FIVE YEARS
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: Journal of the Limnological Society of Southern Africa • Authors: C.S. Reynolds --- , UKThis paper compares the development of ecological ideas in limnological science with those refined in terrestrial biology. It is suggested that topics peculiar to the perception and management of aquatic systems had a distracting influence upon the conceptual development of... -
ASPECTS OF THE ECOLOGY OF KNERIA AURICULATA (PELLEGRIN, 1905) (PISCES: KNERIIDAE) FROM THE EASTERN TRANSVAAL SOUTH AFRICA
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: Journal of the Limnological Society of Southern Africa • Authors: C.J. Kleynhans --- Transvaal Directorate of Nature Conservation, South AfricaSeven natural populations of Kneria auriculata occur in tributaries of the Crocodile River (Incomati System) on the eastern Transvaal escarpment. The routes it probably used to colonize these streams are discussed and used to explain its current restricted distribution with... -
TWENTY-FIVE YEARS OF TRICHOPTERA RESEARCH RELATING TO SOUTHERN AFRICA - A PERSONAL VIEW
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: Journal of the Limnological Society of Southern Africa • Authors: K. M.F. Scott --- , South AfricaA brief account of earlier work on Trichoptera, reasons for choice of the Order, and resources built up, is followed by the story of twenty-five years of research, from 1963–1988. This includes aims in view, followed by the ‘state of... -
THE EFFECTS OF PHYSICAL DISTURBANCE ON AFROPTILUM SUDAFRICANUM (EPHEMEROPTERA: BAETIDAE) POPULATION DENSITIES IN A KENYAN MOUNTAIN STREAM
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: Southern African Journal of Aquatic Sciences • Authors: Jude M. Mathooko --- , , KenyaThe effects of physical disturbance on larval populations of the mayfly Afroptilum sudafricanum Lestage were examined in the Naro Morn River, Kenya. Disturbance was induced by stirring, shifting and relocating streambed substrates by hand. The method aimed to simulate natural... -
Why are spines of African Acacia species white?
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Journal of Range & Forage Science • Authors: JJ MidgleyThe straight white spines of African Acacia species are conspicuous, rather than being brown and cryptic as in other species. In comparison with species with brown spines, Acacia spines are composed of less dense material. I suggest that by the... -
The relation between herbivore density and relative resource density at the landscape level: Kudu in semi‐arid savanna
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Journal of Range & Forage Science • Authors: C. Fabricius --- , Republic of South AfricaEcological theory can help range scientists to understand the determinants of ecological animal density or, in range management terms, ‘carrying capacity’. The relation between the relative density of resources and herbivore density is illustrated by regressions of the ecological density... -
Landscape-level differences in fire regime between block and patch-mosaicburning strategies in Mkuzi Game Reserve, South Africa
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Journal of Range & Forage Science • Authors: CM Mulqueeny --- , South Africa PS Goodman --- , South Africa TG O'Connor --- School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, South AfricaPatch-mosaic burning (PMB) is commonly advocated to create a mosaic of fire regimes that is believed to be more beneficial for maintaining biodiversity than the relatively homogeneous environment produced by block burning. This premise was examined for the 23 651... -
Biomass production and water use efficiency of grassland in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Journal of Range & Forage Science • Authors: AR Palmer --- , South Africa A Short --- , South Africa IAM Yunusa --- , AustraliaUsing the results from a long-term grazing trial in the Dry Highland Sourveld of the KwaZulu-Natal province, we prepared a water use efficiency value (the ratio of the increment in annual biomass to total annual evapotranspiration) for this rangeland type... -
Phenology of woody plants in riverine thicket and its impact on browse availability to game species
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Journal of Range & Forage Science • Authors: BB Janecke --- Animal, Wildlife and Grassland Sciences, South Africa GN Smit --- Animal, Wildlife and Grassland Sciences, South AfricaThe study area was located in the central Free State Grassland biome, but the vegetation partially represented riparian thicket. Leaf carriage patterns of deciduous species were determined from September 2004 to August 2008. Similarities existed between Acacia karroo and Diospyros... -
The vegetation of Malilangwe Wildlife Reserve, south-eastern Zimbabwe
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Journal of Range & Forage Science • Authors: BW Clegg --- The Malilangwe Trust, Research, Zimbabwe TG O'Connor --- School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Science, South AfricaThe vegetation of Malilangwe Wildlife Reserve in Zimbabwe (39 378 ha) was classified and mapped in 2003 using an integrated approach of ground-based measurement and remote sensing. Environmental variables, structure and composition of the tree, shrub and herbaceous layers were... -
The effect of long-term mowing and ungulate exclusion on grass species composition and soil nutrient status on the Athi-Kapiti plains, central Kenya
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Journal of Range & Forage Science • Authors: D. Berliner J. KiokoThe long-term (>30 years) impacts of mowing (for hay-making) and ungulate exclusion, on natural, unfertilised rangelands were investigated. Changes in grass species composition and soil nutrient status were measured The study site, situated on the Athi-Kapiti plains of central Kenya,... -
Silviculture and Genetics of Pinus kesiya for Planting Degraded Pasture Land
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: The Southern African Forestry Journal • Authors: J.A. Wright --- , USA N. Isaza --- , USAThe conifer species, Pinus kesiya Royle ex Gordon, is an important part of the ecology within the indigenous range of South-east Asia as well as in sustainably managed plantations in a number of countries. Planting with the species in Colombia... -
Structural Effects of Poverty on Children
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: Journal of Psychology in Africa • Authors: Severino Machingambi --- Walter Sisulu University, South Africa Newman Wadesango --- Walter Sisulu University, South AfricaPoverty has effects on the wellbeing of children through latent structural effects that influence the ecologies in which children develop and mature. Some of the salient and relatively under researched include homelessness and overcrowding and certain traditional cultural practices that... -
South Africa youths’ higher-risk sexual behaviour: an eco-developmental analysis
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Journal of AIDS Research • Authors: Monde Makiwane --- Child, Youth, Family and Social Development, South Africa Zitha Mokomane --- Child, Youth, Family and Social Development, South AfricaDespite their high levels of knowledge about HIV and AIDS, young people ages 15–24 years in South Africa remain disproportionately affected by the epidemic. Young people's continued susceptibility to HIV infection has been consistently linked to intractable higher-risk sexual behaviours... -
‘Read me to resilience’: Exploring the use of cultural stories to boost the positive adjustment of children orphaned by AIDS
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Journal of AIDS Research • Authors: Lesley Wood --- Faculty of Education Sciences, South Africa Linda Theron --- Faculty of Humanities, South Africa Nokhanyo Mayaba --- Faculty of Education, South AfricaThe study explored whether and how culturally sensitive stories can encourage resilience in young children orphaned by AIDS. The purpose of the investigation was allied to the paradigm of positive psychology, which focuses on the promotion of potential strengths to... -
Water policy in southern Africa: A brief synopsis of some of the macro driving forces
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Journal of Aquatic Science • Authors: AR TurtonThe water sector reforms that are underway in many parts of southern Africa are a manifestation of a global phenomenon. This is rooted in the human response to the undesirable consequences of development, and seeks to introduce the notion of... -
Status and breeding ecology of the Common Moorhen Gallinula chloropus in Algeria
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: Ostrich: Journal of African Ornithology • Authors: Farrah Samraoui --- Laboratoire de Recherche et de Conservation des Zones Humides, Algeria AhmedH Alfarhan --- Center of Excellence for Research in Biodiversity, Saudi Arabia Boudjéma Samraoui --- Laboratoire de Recherche et de Conservation des Zones Humides, AlgeriaThe status of the Common Moorhen Gallinula chloropus in Algeria and its breeding ecology in North Africa are reported for the first time. Nest site selection and breeding parameters were studied at two contrasting sites in north-east Algeria: Boussedra, an... -
Contributions of the Benguela ecology programme to pelagic fisheries management in South Africa
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Journal of Marine Science • Authors: C. L. Moloney C. D. Van Der Lingen L. Hutchings J. G. FieldIn 1982, the Benguela Ecology Programme (BEP) created a formal, multi-institutional research partnership in South Africa. During the next two decades, the BEP directed many aspects of pelagic ecosystem research in the southern Benguela upwelling region, aiming to improve fisheries... -
The life history of the giant octopus Octopus magnificus in South African waters
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Journal of Marine Science • Authors: CD Smith JC Groeneveld G MaharajOctopus magnificus is a regular bycatch of traps set for spiny lobsters and bottom trawls for Cape hakes Merluccius spp. on the continental shelf of South Africa. Octopuses were collected from rocky substrata (traps) and soft sediments (research trawls) during... -
Cross-shelf observations of diet and diel feeding behaviour of the bearded goby Sufflogobius bibarbatus off Namibia
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Journal of Marine Science • Authors: M Hundt --- Department of Biology, Norway AC Utne-Palm --- Department of Biology, Norway MJ Gibbons --- Department of Biodiversity and Conservation Biology, South AfricaThe diet of the bearded goby Sufflogobius bibarbatus was studied at two 48 h stations off the Namibian coast. The inner station (120 m) was characterised by a deep layer of low-oxygen bottom water (<0.5 ml DO l−1 or <10%... -
Prey capture success and chick diet of Damara terns Sterna balaenarum in Namibia
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Journal of Marine Science • Authors: J Braby --- Animal Demography Unit, Department of Zoology, South Africa LG Underhill --- Animal Demography Unit, Department of Zoology, South Africa RE Simmons --- Percy FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, Department of Zoology, South AfricaFeeding terns are affected by a variety of environmental conditions. We studied prey capture success of Damara terns Sterna balaenarum in relation to six variables at two breeding colonies in southern Namibia: tidal phase, wind speed, water clarity, cloud cover,... -
The Marine Mammal Programme at the Prince Edward Islands: 38 years of research
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Journal of Marine Science • Authors: MN Bester --- Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, South Africa PJN de Bruyn WC Oosthuizen CA Tosh T McIntyre RR Reisinger M Postma DS van der Merwe M WegeThe Marine Mammal Programme (MMP) conducts research on pinnipeds and killer whales Orcinus orca at Marion Island, Prince Edward Islands, under the auspices of the Mammal Research Institute, Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria. The history of the... -
A review of the ecology and management of temporarily open/closed estuaries in South Africa, with particular emphasis on river flow and mouth state as primary drivers of these systems
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Journal of Marine Science • Authors: AK Whitfield --- , South Africa GC Bate --- Department of Botany, South Africa JB Adams --- Department of Botany, South Africa PD Cowley --- , South Africa PW Froneman --- Department of Zoology and Entomology, South Africa PT Gama --- Department of Botany, South Africa NA Strydom --- Department of Zoology, South Africa S Taljaard --- , South Africa AK Theron --- , South Africa JK Turpie --- , South Africa L van Niekerk --- , South Africa TH Wooldridge --- Department of Zoology, South AfricaResearch in South African temporarily open/closed estuaries that includes studies on the hydrodynamics, sediment dynamics, macronutrients, microalgae, macrophytes, zoobenthos, hyperbenthos, zooplankton, ichthyoplankton, fishes and birds is used as a basis to review the ecology and management of this estuary type... -
Behavioural observations of the common octopus Octopus vulgaris in Baía dos Tigres, southern Angola
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Journal of Marine Science • Authors: CL de Beer --- Department of Ichthyology and Fisheries Science, South Africa WM Potts --- Department of Ichthyology and Fisheries Science, South AfricaObservations on the behaviour of the common octopus Octopus vulgaris were made during daytime and night-time sampling on an unexploited rocky reef habitat in Baía dos Tigres, southern Angola. The relative numerical abundance sampled was 0.47 octopus person–1 h–1 during... -
Knowledge on Sclerocarya birrea subsp. caffra with emphasis on its importance as a non-timber forest product in South and southern Mrica: A Summary
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: The Southern African Forestry Journal • Authors: SheonaE. Shackleton --- , South Africa CharlieM. Shackleton --- , South Africa Tony Cunningham --- , Australia Cyril Lombard --- , Namibia CarolineA. Sullivan --- , England ThiambiR. Netshiluvhi --- Environmentek, CSIR, South AfricaSclerocarya birrea (marula) is a widespread species throughout the semi-arid, deciduous savannas of much of sub-Saharan Africa. It is widely used by rural populations in most countries in which it is found. It has multiple uses, including the fruits, kernels,... -
Community approaches to preventing mother-to-child HIV transmission: perspectives from rural Lesotho
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Journal of AIDS Research • Authors: Megan Towle DanielH LendeThis paper examines the cultural and structural difficulties surrounding effective prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission (PMTCT) in rural Lesotho. We argue for three strategies to improve PMTCT interventions: community-based research and outreach, addressing cultural and structural dynamics, and working with... -
Groundwater seeps as potentially important refugia for freshwater fishes on the Eastern Shores of Lake St Lucia, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Journal of Aquatic Science • Authors: SvenM Vrdoljak RobC HartThe freshwater wetlands on the Eastern Shores of Lake St Lucia provide an important habitat for freshwater fishes, including a number of IUCN Red Listed species. The ecology of these wetlands is influenced greatly by water flowing from the large... -
Does Serranochromis altus (Teleostei: Cichlidae) exist in the Okavango Delta, Botswana?
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Journal of Aquatic Science • Authors: FH van der Bank M Wink M Soekoe N SmitTwo possibly synonymous fish species in the Okavango Delta, Botswana, Serranochromis altus and S. angusticeps, were compared. Ecological data, morphometrics, meristics, allozymes, and genomic fingerprints — generated with six Inter-Simple Sequence Repeat (ISSR) analyses, and DNA barcoding primers — were... -
Do inter-colony differences in Cape fur seal foraging behaviour reflect large-scale changes in the northern Benguela ecosystem?
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Journal of Marine Science • Authors: M Skern-Mauritzen --- , Norway SP Kirkman --- Animal Demography Unit, Department of Zoology, South Africa E Olsen --- , Norway A Bjørge --- , Norway L Drapeau --- , France MA Meÿer --- Department of Environmental Affairs, South Africa J-P Roux --- Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources, Namibia S Swanson --- Department of Environmental Affairs, South Africa WH Oosthuizen --- Department of Environmental Affairs, South AfricaThe northern Benguela ecosystem adjoining Namibia has undergone considerable changes in recent decades, with reductions and northwards shifts of key prey species that have had severe implications for marine top predator populations. We investigated how such environmental variability may impact... -
The impact of indigenous ungulate herbivory over five years (2004–2008) on the vegetation of the Little Karoo, South Africa
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Journal of Range & Forage Science • Authors: MT Hoffman --- Plant Conservation Unit, Botany Department, South Africa CF Madden --- Plant Conservation Unit, Botany Department, South Africa K Erasmus --- Sanbona Wildlife Reserve, South Africa N Saayman --- Department of Agriculture: Western Cape, South Africa JC Botha --- Department of Agriculture: Western Cape, South AfricaThis study investigated the impact of rainfall and herbivory by indigenous herbivores over five years (2004–2008) on the vegetation of the Sanbona Wildlife Reserve (SWR), a 54 000 ha privately owned conservation area in the Little Karoo. Changes in floristic... -
Vegetative traits predict grass species' invasiveness and the invasibility of restored grassland
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Journal of Range & Forage Science • Authors: RWS Fynn --- School of Biological and Conservation Sciences, South Africa PD Wragg --- School of Biological and Conservation Sciences, South Africa CD Morris --- Agricultural Research Council, South Africa KP Kirkman --- School of Biological and Conservation Sciences, South Africa J Naiken --- School of Biological and Conservation Sciences, South AfricaUnderstanding how grass species' traits relate to their invasiveness and the invasibility of their monocultures can inform restoration of diverse grassland. We measured vegetative traits for 18 bunch grass species local to Pietermaritzburg (KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa) and measured their competitive... -
Why don't our stands grow even faster? Control of production and carbon cycling in eucalypt plantations
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: Southern Forests: a Journal of Forest Science • Authors: MG Ryan D Binkley JL StapeThe growth of Eucalyptus stands varies several fold across sites, under the influence of resource availability, stand age and stand structure. We describe a series of related studies that aim to understand the mechanisms that drive this great range in... -
Breeding ecology of the Chestnut-backed Sparrowlark Eremopterix leucotis in an agroecosystem in the Limpopo province, South Africa
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: Ostrich: Journal of African Ornithology • Authors: Derek Engelbrecht --- Department of Biodiversity, South Africa Lucket Dikgale --- Department of Biodiversity, South AfricaWe studied the breeding ecology of the Chestnut-backed Sparrowlark Eremopterix leucotis over three years between 2008 and 2010. The breeding season was bimodal with a main peak in laying in autumn (March–April) and another smaller peak in spring (September–October). Nest... -
Factors shaping condom use among South African university students: a thematic analysis
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: Journal of Psychology in Africa • Authors: Cleo Protogerou --- Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, South Africa Alan J. Flisher --- Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, South Africa Lauren G. Wild --- Department of Psychology, South AfricaThis study aimed to investigate contextual influences on condom use by South African university students. Twenty one-to-one, semi-structured interviews were conducted with male and female South African undergraduates. The data were thematically analysed. Results revealed that condom use was transient... -
Nutritional condition of fish larvae in South African estuaries: an appraisal of three biochemical methods
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Journal of Marine Science • Authors: D Costalago --- Department of Zoology, South Africa N Strydom --- Department of Zoology, South Africa C Frost --- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, South AfricaEstuaries are exposed to a number of threats and many South African estuarine systems are functionally and structurally altered. The extent to which fish are affected by these alterations is not fully understood. The estuarine round herring Gilchristella aestuaria is... -
Aspects of the breeding ecology of the Purple Swamphen Porphyrio porphyrio in the wetland complex of Guerbes-Sanhadja, north-east Algeria
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: Ostrich: Journal of African Ornithology • Authors: Bara Mouslim --- Laboratoire Ecologie des Systèmes terrestres et aquatiques, Algeria Merzoug Seyf Eddine --- Laboratoire Biologie, Eau et Environnement, Algeria Khelifa Rassim --- Laboratoire Biologie, Eau et Environnement, Algeria Bouslama Zihad --- Laboratoire Ecologie des Systèmes terrestres et aquatiques, Algeria Houhamdi Moussa --- Laboratoire Biologie, Eau et Environnement, AlgeriaThe Purple Swamphen Porphyrio porphyrio is a common rail that previously was little investigated in North Africa. From 2011 to 2013, its breeding ecology was studied at two natural wetlands in north-east Algeria, namely Garaet Hadj Tahar and Garaet Messaoussa... -
Influence of glyphosate, other herbicides and genetically modified herbicide-resistant crops on soil microbiota: a review
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: South African Journal of Plant and Soil • Authors: Karen Wolmarans --- Department of Plant Sciences, South Africa Wijnand J Swart --- Department of Plant Sciences, South AfricaThe use of herbicides and genetically modified crops that are herbicide tolerant (HT) is said to adversely affect soil microbial biodiversity, thus negatively influencing the soil ecosystem. Concern has also been raised regarding the potential increase in crop disease incidence... -
Suicide ideation and depression in university students in Botswana
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: Journal of Psychology in Africa • Authors: Iram Korb --- Department of Psychology, Botswana Ilse Elisabeth Plattner --- Department of Psychology, BotswanaThe study aimed at exploring suicide ideation and its relationship to depression in university students in Botswana. Data were collected from 122 undergraduate students (68.9% females, 31.1% males) with a mean age of 20.02 years. Depressive symptoms were measured with... -
Differential effects of thermal and chemical stressors on tissue balls from scleractinian corals
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Journal of Marine Science • Authors: S Mattan-Moorgawa --- Department of Biosciences, Faculty of Science, Mauritius G Poonet --- Department of Biosciences, Faculty of Science, Mauritius R Bhagooli --- Department of Biosciences, Faculty of Science, Mauritius S Rughooputh --- Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, MauritiusCoral cell aggregates (tissue balls) from four species (Acropora muricata, Fungia repanda, Pavona cactus and Pocillopora damicornis) were used as an indicator to investigate the effects on the corals of thermal stress and of chemical extracts from three sponges (Adocia... -
Insights into the feeding ecology of the Seychelles Black Parrot Coracopsis barklyi using two monitoring approaches
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: Ostrich: Journal of African Ornithology • Authors: Anna Reuleaux --- Seychelles Islands Foundation, Seychelles Heather Richards --- Seychelles Islands Foundation, Seychelles Terence Payet --- Seychelles Islands Foundation, Seychelles Pascal Villard --- Seychelles Islands Foundation, Seychelles Matthias Waltert --- Conservation Biology, Workgroup on Endangered Species, Germany Nancy Bunbury --- Seychelles Islands Foundation, SeychellesFeeding ecology is an important factor for the survival of a species and knowledge of its parameters is a prerequisite for successful conservation work. In this study we describe the feeding ecology of the endemic Seychelles Black Parrot Coracopsis barklyi... -
Breeding ecology of the Seychelles Black Parrot Coracopsis barklyi
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: Ostrich: Journal of African Ornithology • Authors: Anna Reuleaux --- Seychelles Islands Foundation, Seychelles Heather Richards --- Seychelles Islands Foundation, Seychelles Terence Payet --- Seychelles Islands Foundation, Seychelles Pascal Villard --- Seychelles Islands Foundation, Seychelles Matthias Waltert --- Department of Conservation Biology, Germany Nancy Bunbury --- Seychelles Islands Foundation, SeychellesKnowledge of breeding ecology is required for many conservation interventions. The Seychelles Black Parrot Coracopsis barklyi, endemic to the island of Praslin, is vulnerable to extinction. We aimed to improve understanding of C. barklyi breeding ecology to aid conservation planning... -
Wildlife roadkill patterns on a major highway in northern Tanzania
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Zoology • Authors: John Kioko --- School for Field Studies, Tanzania Christian Kiffner --- School for Field Studies, Tanzania Nicole Jenkins --- Department of Environmental Studies, Davidson College, USA Wendy J Collinson --- Endangered Wildlife Trust, South AfricaDespite expanding road networks, there is limited understanding of the effects of roads on wildlife in East Africa. We present a baseline survey and describe the patterns of roadkill in the Tarangire–Manyara ecosystem of Tanzania. A 75 km stretch of... -
Life history characteristics of Alticus monochrus, a supratidal blenny of the southern Indian Ocean
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Zoology • Authors: M. Bhikajee --- Faculty of Science, University of Mauritius, Mauritius J. M. Green --- Department of Biology, Canada R. Dunbrack --- Department of Biology, CanadaThe blenny Alticus monochrus Bleeker inhabits exposed rocky shores of Mauritius and other islands of the southwestern Indian Ocean. A. monochrus is an amphibious species and remains almost exclusively above the water line, migrating vertically with the tide while feeding... -
Spring diet and trophic partitioning in an alpine lizard community from Morocco
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Zoology • Authors: Miguel A. Carretero --- Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos (CIBIO/UP), Campus Agrário de Vairão, Portugal Anna Perera --- Departamento de Biologia Animal, Spain D. James Harris --- Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos (CIBIO/UP), Campus Agrário de Vairão, Portugal Vasco Batista --- Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos (CIBIO/UP), Campus Agrário de Vairão, Portugal Catarina Pinho --- Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos (CIBIO/UP), Campus Agrário de Vairão, PortugalOukaïmeden Plateau is a herpetologically rich locality in the High Atlas (Morocco) where four lizard species coexist in strict sympatry: three lacertids (Lacerta perspicillata chabanaudi, L. andreanszkyi and Podarcis vaucheri – formerly P. hispanica vaucheri) and one gekkonid (Quedenfeldtia trachyblepharus)... -
Predator control, mesopredator release, and impacts on bird nesting success: a field test
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Zoology • Authors: Penn Lloyd --- Percy FitzPatrick Institute, DST/NRF Centre of Excellence, University of Cape Town, South AfricaThe mesopredator release hypothesis predicts that reductions in top-predator abundance in a community will increase the abundance or activity of smaller ‘mesopredators’, and increase predation pressure on mesopredator prey, including bird nests. Top predators have been extensively controlled in rangelands... -
Aspects of the ecology of Cichlidogyrus philander collected from Pseudocrenilabrus philander philander from the Padda Dam, Gauteng, South Africa
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Zoology • Authors: Louise E. le Roux --- Department of Zoology, South Africa A. Avenant-Oldewage --- Department of Zoology, South Africa F. C. van der Walt --- Department of Statistics, South AfricaCichlidogyrus philander was originally described from Pseudocrenilabrus philander philander in Lake Kariba, Zimbabwe. Specimens from four fish species were collected during this study over a 14-month period from the Padda Dam, Johannesburg, transported to the laboratory and killed. Following examination,... -
Breeding ecology of the pink-billed lark, Spizocorys conirostris, in an agricultural landscape in South Africa
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Zoology • Authors: D. Engelbrecht --- Department of Biodiversity, South Africa M.H.T. Mathonsi --- Department of Biodiversity, South AfricaWe studied the breeding ecology, parental care and nesting success of the pink-billed lark, Spizocorys conirostris, in an agricultural landscape in the Limpopo Province of South Africa, from October 2008 to October 2010. The results are compared with data in... -
To run or hide?: escape behaviour in a cryptic African snake
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Zoology • Authors: Bryan Maritz --- School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South AfricaOptimal escape theory predicts that escape behaviour of an organism is best understood in terms of costs and benefits of escaping relative to risk of predation. However, risk of predation facing an organism is dependent on various biotic and abiotic... -
Activity of the greater padloper, Homopus femoralis (Testudinidae), in relation to rainfall
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Zoology • Authors: Victor J.T. Loehr --- Homopus Research Foundation, NetherlandsThe greater padloper, Homopus femoralis, is largely endemic to South Africa. Its ecology remains unstudied, yet the efficient planning of field research is complicated by lack of data on its activity patterns. I studied a population in spring, summer and... -
Towards an isotope ecology of Cape Fynbos small mammals
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Zoology • Authors: Irene M. van den Heuvel --- Biozentrum Grindel, Zoological Institute and Museum, University of Hamburg, Martin-Luther-King Platz 3, D-20146 Hamburg, Germany Jeremy J. Midgley --- Department of Botany, South AfricaWe investigated ecological separation through dietary partitioning of small mammals in the nutrient-poor Fynbos biome using a stable isotope approach. Hair samples from eight species of co-occurring small mammals in two separate locations were analysed for stable carbon (13C/12C) and... -
Phenology, nest-site selection and breeding success of a North African colony of the yellow-legged gull, Larus michahellis
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Zoology • Authors: Afef Baaloudj --- Laboratoire de Recherche et de Conservation des Zones Humides University of Guelma, Algeria Farrah Samraoui --- Laboratoire de Recherche et de Conservation des Zones Humides University of Guelma, Algeria Ahmed H. Alfarhan --- Center of Excellence for Research in Biodiversity King Saud University, Saudi Arabia Boudjéma Samraoui --- Center of Excellence for Research in Biodiversity King Saud University, Saudi ArabiaGulls are good biological models to investigate anthropogenic changes affecting the environment. We studied the breeding ecology of a monospecific colony of yellow–legged gulls, Larus michahellis on the Algerian island of Srigina, during three consecutive years (2009–2011) and attempted to... -
Aspects of the ecology and morphology of the protea seedeater, Crithagra leucopterus, a little-known Fynbos endemic
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Zoology • Authors: Alan T.K. Lee --- Climate Change Adaptation Division, South African National Biodiversity Institute, South Africa Phoebe Barnard --- Climate Change Adaptation Division, South African National Biodiversity Institute, South AfricaThe protea seedeater, Crithagra leucopterus, is one of six passerine birds endemic to the Fynbos Biome, South Africa. It is the least known of these, and there is very little information on breeding and habitat use. Through nest observations and... -
Sustainable intensification of cultivated pastures using multiple herbivore species
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Journal of Range & Forage Science • Authors: James P Muir --- Texas A&M AgriLife Research, USA William D Pitman --- Louisiana State University Agricultural Center, USA Jamie L Foster --- Texas A&M AgriLife Research, USA José C Dubeux --- North Florida Research and Education Center, USADemand for animal products is growing faster than for any other agricultural product. As a result, pressure for greater output from cultivated pastures is expected to increase. Assuming cultivated pasture area will decrease with land degradation, conversion to grain crops... -
Baited remote underwater video system (BRUVs) survey of chondrichthyan diversity in False Bay, South Africa
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Journal of Marine Science • Authors: L De Vos --- Marine Research Institute, Department of Biological Sciences, South Africa RGA Watson --- Marine Research Institute, Department of Biological Sciences, South Africa A Götz --- Elwandle Node, South African Environmental Observation Network (SAEON), South Africa CG Attwood --- Marine Research Institute, Department of Biological Sciences, South AfricaGlobal declines in chondrichthyan populations necessitate evidence‑based planning for their conservation. False Bay, in south‑west South Africa, has a high diversity of marine biota, with Atlantic and Indian Ocean influences, but its chondrichthyan fauna is poorly described ecologically. False Bay... -
Ocean, time and value: speaking about the sea in Kassiesbaai
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: Anthropology Southern Africa • Authors: Marieke van Zyl --- Department of Social Anthropology,This article looks at the manner in which different parties engage with the issue of fishing rights on the inter-personal and public levels over the issue of fishing rights allocation in South Africa. Taking the historic fishing village of Kassiesbaai... -
Movement behaviour of largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides in a South African impoundment
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Zoology • Authors: Dylan H Howell --- Department of Ichthyology and Fisheries Science, South Africa Paul D Cowley --- Department of Ichthyology and Fisheries Science, South Africa Amber-Robyn Childs --- Department of Ichthyology and Fisheries Science, South Africa Olaf LF Weyl --- Department of Ichthyology and Fisheries Science, South AfricaThe objectives of this study were to describe movements and area use patterns of largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides in relation to abiotic factors (water temperature, river inflow and water level). The study was conducted in the Kubusi arm of Wriggleswade... -
A review of fiddler crabs (genus Uca Leach, 1814) in South Africa
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Zoology • Authors: Nasreen Peer --- DST/NRF Research Chair in Shallow Water Ecosystems, South Africa Nelson AF Miranda --- DST/NRF Research Chair in Shallow Water Ecosystems, South Africa Renzo Perissinotto --- DST/NRF Research Chair in Shallow Water Ecosystems, South AfricaFiddler crabs occur globally across tropical and subtropical coastal habitats including mangrove swamps, which are in decline worldwide. The genus has been well-studied in the Americas, Australia and Asia, whereas information on African species is scarce. This review summarises the... -
Gastric lavage as a non-lethal method for stingray (Myliobatiformes) diet sampling
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Journal of Marine Science • Authors: C Elston --- South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity, South Africa RG von Brandis --- Save Our Seas Foundation, Seychelles PD Cowley --- South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity, South AfricaUnderstanding the trophic interactions of ecologically important mesopredators such as Myliobatiformes (stingrays) is vital, but, given their susceptibility to overexploitation, the collection of stomach contents for dietary analysis necessitates the use of non-lethal methods. We provide a detailed method of... -
Bald kelp: natural and harvesting-induced frond loss in the South African kelp Ecklonia maxima
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Journal of Marine Science • Authors: C Elston --- Department of Biological Sciences, South Africa RJ Anderson --- Department of Biological Sciences, South Africa LM Price --- Department of Biological Sciences, South AfricaEcklonia maxima dominates kelp beds on the west coast of southern Africa, and is commercially and ecologically valuable. Some plants lose all their secondary blades (fronds), leaving only the gas-filled bulb and short primary blade at the top of the... -
Diversity of benthic macrofauna of the flood-tidal delta of the Nahoon Estuary and adjacent beach,South Africa
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Zoology • Authors: Mary Bursey --- East London Museum, South Africa Tris Wooldridge --- Zoology Department, South AfricaMacrobenthos of the Nahoon estuarine flood-tidal delta was surveyed to determine species composition, distribution and abundance; establish possible patterns in community structure and compare assemblages with those of adjacent sandy beach and lower estuary. Macrozoobenthos retained by a 1 mm... -
Population fluctuations and community structure of small mammals in a Swaziland grassland over a three-year period
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Zoology • Authors: Ara Monadjem --- Department of Biological Sciences, Swaziland Mike Perrin --- School of Botany and Zoology, South AfricaSmall mammals were live trapped monthly over a three year period in a subtropical grassland in Swaziland. Seven species of small mammals were recorded from the study grid. There were significant seasonal and inter annual differences in rodent numbers, breeding... -
Trial by fire: social spider colony demographics in periodically burned grassland
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Zoology • Authors: Yael Lubin --- Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, Israel Tanza Crouch --- Durban Natural Science Museum, South AfricaNature conservation authorities in southern Africa burn the grassland in nature reserves to reduce the incursion of woody plants and to encourage the growth of new grass for grazing. Studies have shown significant negative effects of burning on the abundance,... -
Growth of the Namaqualand speckled padloper, Homopus signatus signatus (Reptilia: Testudinidae)
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Zoology • Authors: Victor J.T. Loehr --- Homopus Research Foundation, NetherlandsGrowth was calculated for the world’s smallest tor toise species, Homopus signatus signatus, by compar ing body size data gathered in spring 2000, 2001 and 2002. Sexual differences could not be identified, but mean growth was significantly lower in 2000/01... -
Foraging behaviour of two rodent species inhabiting a kopje (rocky outcrop) in Tsavo West National Park, Kenya
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Zoology • Authors: Benjamin G. Fanson --- Department of Biological Sciences, U.S.A. Kerry V. Fanson --- Department of Biological Sciences, U.S.A. Joel S. Brown --- Department of Biological Sciences, U.S.A.We employed patch use theory to evaluate how several environmental factors influence the foraging behaviour of two rodent species: Grammomys dolichurus and Acomys cahirinus. Foraging efficiency was determined by measuring the remaining food in artificial food patches (giving-up densities: GUDs)... -
What do myrmecophagous geckos eat when ants are not available?: comparative diets of three Socotran species
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Zoology • Authors: Miguel A. Carretero --- CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, Portugal Pietro Lo Cascio --- Associazione ‘Nesos’,, ItalyThe diet of three populations of semaphore geckos (Pristurus) from Socotra archipelago is analysed based on 82 faecal pellets. Pristurus samhaensis from the small islands of Samha (n = 18) and Darsa (n = 24) and P. sokotranus from the... -
Aboveground biomass production of a semi-arid southern African savanna: towards a new model
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Journal of Range & Forage Science • Authors: Anthony R Palmer --- Agricultural Research Council–Animal Production Institute, South Africa Igshaan Samuels --- Agricultural Research Council–Animal Production Institute, South Africa Clement Cupido --- Agricultural Research Council–Animal Production Institute, South Africa Andiswa Finca --- Agricultural Research Council–Animal Production Institute, South Africa W Fransiska Kangombe --- Department of Biological Sciences, Namibia Isa AM Yunusa --- School of Environmental and Rural Sciences, Australia Susanne Vetter --- Department of Botany, South Africa Isaac Mapaure --- Department of Biological Sciences, NamibiaFollowing a field campaign to determine the species composition, canopy cover, aboveground annual production and leaf area index (LAI) of the semi-arid savanna of north-western Namibia, we present a production model that can be used by graziers to determine the... -
Marcusenius desertus sp. nov. (Teleostei: Mormyridae), a mormyrid fish from the Namib desert
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Journal of Aquatic Science • Authors: LB Kramer --- Zoological Institute, Germany FH van der Bank --- African Centre for DNA Barcoding, Department of Zoology, South Africa M Wink --- Institute of Pharmacy and Molecular Biotechnology, GermanyWe critically compared Marcusenius specimens from the mouth of the Cunene River on the Namibia/Angola border, a harsh desert environment on the Atlantic Ocean coast virtually devoid of aerial insects with aquatic larvae which are an important food item, with... -
Mangrove reforestation: greening or grabbing coastal zones and deltas? Case studies in Senegal
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Journal of Aquatic Science • Authors: MC Cormier-Salem --- IRD, UMR PALOC, Senegal J Panfili --- IRD, UMR MARBEC, FranceBesides their important contribution to global biodiversity, mangroves provide many services. Nevertheless, due to an increase of human activities and to climate change, in less than 20 years these ecosystems have lost one fifth of their global surface area. In... -
The role of snail aestivation in transmission of schistosomiasis in changing climatic conditions
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Journal of Aquatic Science • Authors: O Rubaba --- College of Health Sciences, South Africa MJ Chimbari --- College of Health Sciences, South Africa S Mukaratirwa --- School of Life Sciences, South AfricaSchistosomiasis vector snails are subjected to extreme seasonal changes, particularly in ephemeral rivers and lentic waterbodies. In the tropics, aestivation is one of the adaptive strategies for survival and is used by snails in times of extremely high temperatures and... -
Impact of Prosopis (mesquite) invasion and clearing on vegetation species composition and diversity in semi-arid Nama-Karoo rangeland, South Africa
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Journal of Range & Forage Science • Authors: Thabisisani Ndhlovu --- Department of Conservation Ecology and Entomology, South Africa Suzanne J Milton --- DST/NRF Centre of Excellence at the Percy FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, South Africa Karen J Esler --- Centre for Invasion Biology and Department of Conservation Ecology and Entomology, South AfricaThe Nama-Karoo biome occupies 28% of South Africa’s land area. Alien leguminous trees of the genus Prosopis have invaded large tracts of Nama-Karoo rangeland. We evaluated the impact of Prosopis invasion and clearing on vegetation species composition and diversity (alien... -
Hooded Vulture Necrosyrtes monachus and African White-backed Vulture Gyps africanus nesting at the Olifants River Private Nature Reserve, Limpopo province, South Africa
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: Ostrich: Journal of African Ornithology • Authors: Ara Monadjem --- Department of Biological Sciences, Swaziland Kerri Wolter --- VulPro NPC, South Africa Walter Neser --- VulPro NPC, South Africa Keith Bildstein --- Acopian Center for Conservation Learning, USABasic ecological information is still lacking for many species of African vultures. The Hooded Vulture Necrosyrtes monachus is known as a rare breeding resident in north-eastern South Africa. This study set out to monitor the nests of Hooded Vultures and,... -
A seasonal comparison of prokaryote numbers, biomass and heterotrophic productivity in waters of the KwaZulu-Natal Bight, South Africa
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Journal of Marine Science • Authors: D Muir --- Medgar Evers College, USA T Kunnen --- School of Life Sciences, South Africa UM Scharler --- School of Life Sciences, South AfricaThe KwaZulu-Natal Bight is a shallow indentation of the eastern seaboard of South Africa, characterised by a narrow (45 km wide) extension of the continental shelf, with a shelf break at about 100 m. It has a complex hydrography: the... -
Local habitat drivers of macrobenthos in the northern, central and southern KwaZulu-Natal Bight, South Africa
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Journal of Marine Science • Authors: CF MacKay --- Oceanographic Research Institute, South Africa CB Untiedt --- Oceanographic Research Institute, South Africa L Hein --- Oceanographic Research Institute, South AfricaThe relatively wide KwaZulu-Natal Bight between St Lucia and Durban on the north-east shelf of South Africa is characterised by several circulation features driven by the Agulhas Current, wind and coastal inputs. A large multidisciplinary programme investigated the sources and... -
Structure and dynamics of demersal fish assemblages over three decades (1985–2012) of increasing fishing pressure in Guinea
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Journal of Marine Science • Authors: ML Camara --- Centre National des Science Halieutiques de Boussoura (CNSHB), Republic of Guinea B Mérigot --- Université de Montpellier, France F Leprieur --- Université de Montpellier, France JA Tomasini --- Université de Montpellier, France I Diallo --- Centre National des Science Halieutiques de Boussoura (CNSHB), Republic of Guinea M Diallo --- Centre National des Science Halieutiques de Boussoura (CNSHB), Republic of Guinea D Jouffre --- Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, SenegalIn a context of growing fishing pressures and recommendations for an ecosystem approach to fisheries, there is a need to monitor changes in fish communities over time. In this study, we analysed data from scientific trawl surveys carried out on... -
Stable isotope analysis of consumer food webs indicates ecosystem recovery following prolonged drought in a subtropical estuarine lake
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Journal of Marine Science • Authors: MS Bird --- DST/NRF Research Chair in Shallow Water Ecosystems, South Africa R Perissinotto --- DST/NRF Research Chair in Shallow Water Ecosystems, South Africa NAF Miranda --- DST/NRF Research Chair in Shallow Water Ecosystems, South Africa N Peer --- DST/NRF Research Chair in Shallow Water Ecosystems, South Africa JL Raw --- DST/NRF Research Chair in Shallow Water Ecosystems, South AfricaAssessing changes in food-web structure provides a useful monitoring tool for gauging the resilience of ecosystems in the face of climatic impacts. We consider the ecological resilience of a large estuarine lake (St Lucia Estuary, South Africa) in the wake... -
Securing African forests for future drier climates: applying ecophysiology in tree improvement
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: Southern Forests: a Journal of Forest Science • Authors: Casparus J Crous --- Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, South Africa Francois S Malan --- 102, 2nd Avenue, South Africa Michael J Wingfield --- Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, South AfricaIncreasing incidences of drought-induced tree mortality are being recorded worldwide, including Africa. African forests cover a significant proportion of the continent, which implies that African forest sustainability is threatened from a climate-change perspective. This is especially problematic in a developing... -
Using stable isotope analysis to study the diet of Gilchristella aestuaria larvae: preliminary insights into the foodwebs of six South African estuaries
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Journal of Aquatic Science • Authors: D Costalago --- Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences, Sweden NAF Miranda --- DST/NRF Research Chair in Shallow Water Ecosystems, Department of Zoology, South Africa NA Strydom --- Department of Zoology, South Africa R Perissinotto --- DST/NRF Research Chair in Shallow Water Ecosystems, Department of Zoology, South AfricaSouth African estuarine systems are becoming increasingly altered by anthropogenic and environmental factors, but the consequences of such changes for these systems are still not fully understood. The most common approach for evaluating the ecological status of aquatic systems is... -
Factors affecting the breeding success of the African Black Oystercatcher (Haematopus moquini): a perspective on protection and food availability
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Zoology • Authors: Douglas Loewenthal --- Percy FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, DST-NRF Centre of Excellence, South Africa Dane M Paijmans --- Percy FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, DST-NRF Centre of Excellence, South Africa Philip AR Hockey --- Percy FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, DST-NRF Centre of Excellence, South AfricaBreeding success (fledglings pair−1 y−1) of the Red-listed African Black Oystercatcher (Haematopus moquini) is highly variable, both spatially and temporally. Despite a diversity of natural factors causing this variability, there is evidence that two anthropogenic factors, i.e. disturbance and an... -
Absence of an effect of freshwater input on the stable isotope and fatty acid signatures of intertidal filter-feeders
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Journal of Marine Science • Authors: E Puccinelli --- Department of Zoology and Entomology, South Africa CD McQuaid --- Department of Zoology and Entomology, South Africa M Noyon --- Department of Zoology and Entomology, South AfricaFreshwater input is known to have the potential to influence marine pelagic and benthic communities through the export of nutrients, sediments and detritus. The increase in nutrients of riverine origin in coastal environments can enhance primary production in coastal areas,... -
Exploring the invasion of rangelands by Acacia mearnsii (black wattle): biophysical characteristics and management implications
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Journal of Range & Forage Science • Authors: Onalenna Gwate --- Institute for Water Research, Rhodes University, South Africa Sukhmani K Mantel --- Institute for Water Research, Rhodes University, South Africa Andiswa Finca --- Agricultural Research Council – Animal Production Institute, South Africa Lesley A Gibson --- Department of Construction and Surveying, UK Zahn Munch --- Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, South Africa Anthony R Palmer --- Institute for Water Research, Rhodes University, South AfricaAustralian acacias have spread to many parts of the world. In South Africa, species such as A. mearnsii and dealbata are invasive. Consequently, more effort has focused on their clearing. In a context of increasing clearing costs, it is crucial... -
An index of spring diet in the common flat lizard, Platysaurus intermedius wilhelmi
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Journal of Herpetology • Authors: Ian W. Murray --- , , South AfricaFlat lizards of the genus Platysaurus are primarily insectivorous, but some species are omnivorous, eating significant amounts of plant material. The common flat lizard, P. intermedius, is thought to forage on arthropods, flowers, leaves and fruit. However, this assertion is... -
Intraspecific behavioural variation in the lacertid lizard Meroles cuneirostris (Strauch, 1867) (Sauria:Lacertidae)
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Journal of Herpetology • Authors: Jackie L. Childers --- , , USA Douglas A. Eifler --- , USAWe characterised behavioural variation between adult male, adult female and juvenile Meroles cuneirostris, a diurnal lacertid lizard endemic to the Namib Desert. Variation in microhabitat preference was significant between age classes, as adults spent more time underneath vegetative cover than... -
Determining fPAR and leaf area index of several land cover classes in the Pot River and Tsitsa River catchments of the Eastern Cape, South Africa
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Journal of Range & Forage Science • Authors: Anthony R Palmer --- Centre for African Conservation Ecology, South Africa Andiswa Finca --- Agricultural Research Council–Animal Production Institute, South Africa Sukhmani K Mantel --- Institute for Water Research, South Africa Onalenna Gwate --- Institute for Water Research, South Africa Zahn Münch --- Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, South Africa Lesley A Gibson --- Department of Construction and Surveying, UKDetermining the quantum (both annual maxima and minima) and the temporal variation in the leaf area index (LAI), and the fraction of photosynthetically active radiation (fPAR), are three fundamental biophysical characteristics of the plant canopy that should parameterise ecophysiological models... -
Distribution and breeding ecology of the Ferruginous Duck Aythya nyroca in Algeria
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: Ostrich: Journal of African Ornithology • Authors: Assia Djelailia --- Laboratoire de Conservation des Zones Humides, Algeria Nasser Baaziz --- Department of Animal Biology, Algeria Farrah Samraoui --- Laboratoire de Conservation des Zones Humides, Algeria Ahmed H Alfarhan --- Department of Botany and Microbiology, Saudi Arabia Boudjéma Samraoui --- Laboratoire de Conservation des Zones Humides, AlgeriaWe conducted a survey of the distribution of Ferruginous Duck Aythya nyroca across Algeria and analysed the influence of nest-site characteristics on nesting success at a Ramsar site, Lake Tonga. The species was found to occupy different wetlands (freshwater lakes,... -
Microfossils in surface sediments of brackish waters on the west coast of South Africa and their palaeoecological implications
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Journal of Aquatic Science • Authors: S Fürstenberg --- Institute of Geosciences, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Germany N Gründler --- Institute of Geosciences, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Germany S Meschner --- Institute of Geosciences, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Germany P Frenzel --- Institute of Geosciences, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, GermanyA faunistic survey covering 25 sites in estuaries, coastal lakes and ponds along the west coast of South Africa between the Cape of Good Hope in the south and the Olifants River in the north was carried out in May... -
Diet and feeding in the Cape Cobra, Naja nivea
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Journal of Herpetology • Authors: Inshaaf Layloo --- , , South Africa Caitlin Smith --- , , South Africa Bryan Maritz --- , , South AfricaIt 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 nivea) based on examination of... -
Molecular research on the systematically challenging smoothhound shark genus Mustelus: a synthesis of the past 30 years
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Journal of Marine Science • Authors: SN Maduna --- Molecular Breeding and Biodiversity Group, Department of Genetics, South Africa AE Bester-van der Merwe --- Molecular Breeding and Biodiversity Group, Department of Genetics, South AfricaThe species-rich genus Mustelus (smoothhounds) of the shark family Triakidae is one of the most bio-economically important groups of elasmobranchs in the world’s oceans. Despite the commercial value of Mustelus, the systematics of the group remains largely unresolved and there... -
Population connectivity of an overexploited coastal fish, Argyrosomus coronus (Sciaenidae), in an ocean-warming hotspot
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Journal of Marine Science • Authors: R Henriques --- Evolutionary Genomics Group, Department of Botany and Zoology, South Africa WM Potts --- Department of Ichthyology and Fisheries Science, South Africa CV Santos --- Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade Agostinho Neto (FCUAN), Angola WHH Sauer --- Department of Ichthyology and Fisheries Science, South Africa PW Shaw --- Department of Ichthyology and Fisheries Science, South AfricaThe West Coast dusky kob Argyrosomus coronus is a commercially exploited fish with a distribution confined to the Angola–Benguela Frontal Zone (ABFZ) of the southeastern Atlantic Ocean. A previous study revealed that during a recent period of local warming the... -
Latitudinal gradients and poleward expansion of mangrove ecosystems in South Africa: 50 years after Macnae’s first assessment
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Journal of Marine Science • Authors: N Peer --- DST/NRF Research Chair in Shallow-Water Ecosystems, South Africa A Rajkaran --- Department of Biodiversity and Conservation Biology, South Africa NAF Miranda --- DST/NRF Research Chair in Shallow-Water Ecosystems, South Africa RH Taylor --- Department of Hydrology, South Africa B Newman --- CSIR Natural Resources and the Environment, South Africa F Porri --- South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity (SAIAB), South Africa JL Raw --- Department of Botany, South Africa SP Mbense --- Department of Botany, South Africa JB Adams --- Department of Botany, South Africa R Perissinotto --- DST/NRF Research Chair in Shallow-Water Ecosystems, South AfricaMangroves occur in South African estuaries at their poleward distribution limits, extending into temperate habitats. In 1963, William Macnae published the first comprehensive assessment of mangrove swamps in South Africa and made firsthand observations of these mangrove ecosystems. This article... -
Feeding ecology of Lilian’s Lovebird Agapornis lilianae in Liwonde National Park, Malawi
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: Ostrich: Journal of African Ornithology • Authors: Tiwonge I Mzumara --- School of Life Sciences, South Africa Mike R Perrin --- School of Life Sciences, South Africa Colleen T Downs --- School of Life Sciences, South AfricaLilian's Lovebird Agapornis lilianae is a small, near-threatened parrot resident in mopane Colophospermum mopane woodlands. We investigated its diet and foraging behaviour in Liwonde National Park, Malawi. We expected that Lilian's Lovebirds would show little specialisation for a particular food... -
Assessment of the likely sensitivity to climate change for the key marine species in the southern Benguela system
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Journal of Marine Science • Authors: K Ortega-Cisneros --- Department of Ichthyology and Fisheries Science, South Africa S Yokwana --- Department of Ichthyology and Fisheries Science, South Africa W Sauer --- Department of Ichthyology and Fisheries Science, South Africa K Cochrane --- Department of Ichthyology and Fisheries Science, South Africa A Cockcroft --- Branch: Fisheries Management, Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF), South Africa NC James --- South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity (SAIAB), South Africa WM Potts --- Department of Ichthyology and Fisheries Science, South Africa L Singh --- Branch: Fisheries Management, Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF), South Africa M Smale --- Department of Zoology and Coastal and Marine Research, South Africa A Wood --- Gleneagles Environmental Consulting, South Africa G Pecl --- Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, AustraliaClimate change is altering many environmental parameters of coastal waters and open oceans, leading to substantial present-day and projected changes in the distribution, abundance and phenology of marine species. Attempts to assess how each species might respond to climate change... -
Zambian Invertebrate Scoring System (ZISS): A macroinvertebrate-based biotic index for rapid bioassessment of southern tropical African river systems
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Journal of Aquatic Science • Authors: HF Dallas --- Freshwater Research Centre, Scarborough, South Africa S Lowe --- University of Glasgow, Scotland MP Kennedy --- Northern Rivers Institute, School of Geosciences, England K Saili --- Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, Zambia KJ Murphy --- University of Glasgow, ScotlandAn extensive survey of tropical rivers, conducted during 2009–2012 throughout Zambia, collected 151 samples of benthic macroinvertebrates, located on 95 rivers in six of the nine freshwater ecoregions. Associated data for physico-chemistry, human activities and ecosystem stressors were collected. Data... -
Contribution to the knowledge of the macroinvertebrate fauna of the streams of Kahuzi-Biega National Park, Democratic Republic of Congo
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Journal of Aquatic Science • Authors: MF Ngera --- Centre de Recherche en Sciences Naturelles Lwiro, Democratic Republic of Congo SU Pauls --- Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum, Germany RW Holzenthal --- Department of Entomology, USA M Bagalwa --- Centre de Recherche en Sciences Naturelles Lwiro, Democratic Republic of Congo MA Bisimwa --- Centre de Recherche en Sciences Naturelles Lwiro, Democratic Republic of Congo EM Mushayuma --- Centre de Recherche en Sciences Naturelles Lwiro, Democratic Republic of Congo DR Cammaerts --- Independent researcher, research associate of the CRSN-Lwiro, Democratic Republic of CongoThe Albertine Rift is one of Africa’s major biodiversity hotspots. However, the aquatic fauna of its western border in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) remains understudied and poorly characterised. Kahuzi-Biega National Park (KBNP) in DRC is a crucial link for... -
Does partial concealment influence predation attempts on small model snakes in South Africa?
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Journal of Herpetology • Authors: Gareth Coombs --- , South AfricaPredation risk may be high in small snakes and most small snakes are thought to avoid certain behaviours, such as basking in open areas to reduce predation risk. The extent to which this concealment limits predation during basking is not... -
Implications of geographical range changes and resultant sympatry for three Accipiter hawks on the Cape Peninsula, South Africa
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: Ostrich: Journal of African Ornithology • Authors: Robin M Little --- FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, DST-NRF Centre of Excellence, South Africa Rene A Navarro --- FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, DST-NRF Centre of Excellence, South AfricaSome invasive species are known to compete with and even displace indigenous species. Two Accipiter species historically indigenous to eastern South Africa have colonised the Cape Peninsula in the south-west of the country and have become sympatric with a third... -
Comparing feeding niche, growth characteristics and exploitation level of the giraffe catfish Auchenoglanis occidentalis (Valenciennes, 1775) in the two largest artificial lakes of northern Ghana
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Journal of Aquatic Science • Authors: SM Abobi --- Faculty of Biology (FB2), Germany JW Oyiadzo --- Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Management, Ghana M Wolff --- Faculty of Biology (FB2), GermanyThe stomach contents of the giraffe catfish, Auchenoglanis occidentalis, populations from Lake Bontanga and Lake Tono, two artificial lakes, were analysed, together with length frequency data collected from July 2016 to June 2017, to gain knowledge of the stock bioecology... -
Mangrove colonisation of the Mlalazi Estuary, South Africa: a response to artificial breaching
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Journal of Aquatic Science • Authors: RH Taylor --- Hydrology Department, South AfricaThe Mlalazi Estuary has 40 ha of mangroves, but before the 1930s there were none. The purpose of this study is to understand why this change occurred, and how the understanding thus gained can provide ecological information that will help... -
Epibiotic assemblages on the pen shell Pinna rudis (Bivalvia, Pinnidae) at Matiota Beach, São Vicente Island, Cabo Verde
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Journal of Marine Science • Authors: EP Lopes --- Faculty of Engineering and Maritime Sciences, Cabo Verde N Monteiro --- Faculty of Engineering and Maritime Sciences, Cabo Verde AM Santos --- Faculty of Engineering and Maritime Sciences, Cabo VerdeThe rough pen shell Pinna rudis Linnaeus, 1758 (family Pinnidae), a mollusc with an Atlantic–Mediterranean distribution, is able to live in coarse sandy substrates. Considering its shell structure and ecological characteristics, P. rudis can enhance biodiversity by providing a substrate... -
Diet of albacore Thunnus alalunga from the waters of Mauritius (western Indian Ocean) inferred from stomach contents and fatty acid analysis
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Journal of Marine Science • Authors: Z Dhurmeea --- , Mauritius H Pethybridge --- , Australia EV Romanov --- , Réunion C Appadoo --- , Mauritius N Bodin --- , SeychellesThe diet of albacore Thunnus alalunga from their spawning ground in the waters of Mauritius was investigated. The stomach contents of 249 albacore individuals, caught by industrial longliners and artisanal fishers, was analysed, and the dominant prey taxa were selected... -
Seasonal habitat utilisation and morphological characteristics of Chamaeleo dilepis on Telperion Nature Reserve, Mpumalanga, South Africa
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Journal of Herpetology • Authors: Trevor L O’Donoghue --- Applied Behavioural Ecology and Ecosystem Research Unit, Department of Environmental Sciences, University of South Africa, South Africa Kerry Slater --- Applied Behavioural Ecology and Ecosystem Research Unit, Department of Environmental Sciences, University of South Africa, South Africa Leslie R Brown --- Applied Behavioural Ecology and Ecosystem Research Unit, Department of Environmental Sciences, University of South Africa, South AfricaLimited information on the habitat utilisation and seasonal activity of flap-necked chameleons (Chamaeleo dilepis) is available. We investigated habitat utilisation, seasonal distribution, and sexual dimorphism of C. dilepis on Telperion Nature Reserve (a privately protected natural area) in South Africa... -
Purpose of Crested Francolin Ortygornis sephaena male collective calls at dusk based on livestream audio censusing
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: Ostrich: Journal of African Ornithology • Authors: Johann H van Niekerk --- , South Africa Giovanni Forcina --- , PortugalThe study of diel and seasonal variation in vocal interactions of Crested Francolin Ortygornis sephaena territorial males helps clarify its purpose, thus delivering insights into the behavioural ecology of this species. The goals of the present paper are to describe... -
Mass trapping of Coryphodema tristis (Lepidoptera: Cossidae) using a sex pheromone in Eucalyptus nitens compartments in Mpumalanga, South Africa
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: Southern Forests: a Journal of Forest Science • Authors: KP Noeth --- , South Africa PM Verleur --- , South Africa MC Bouwer --- , South Africa JW Crous --- , South Africa J Roux --- , South Africa BP Hurley --- , South Africa B Slippers --- , South AfricaCoryphodema tristis (Lepidoptera: Cossidae) is a native wood-boring moth with a broad host range on both native and non-native vegetation and is an important pest of commercial Eucalyptus nitens plantations in South Africa. Management of C. tristis is challenging since... -
Pheromones as management tools for non-Scolytinae Curculionidae: development and implementation considerations
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: Southern Forests: a Journal of Forest Science • Authors: Luki-Marie Scheepers --- , South Africa Jeremy D Allison --- , Canada Marc C Bouwer --- , South Africa Egmont R Rohwer --- , South Africa Bernard Slippers --- , South AfricaFor the large family Curculionidae, the number of species considered pests is expected to increase due to global movement of plant and soil material, as well as climate change. Pheromones are increasingly popular for use in pest management programmes, either... -
A case study of rangeland vegetation changes from 1979 to 2016 in the Middle Atlas Mountains of Morocco
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Journal of Range & Forage Science • Authors: A El Aich --- , Morocco ME Fernández-Giménez --- , United States M Rouzi --- , Morocco CL Alados --- , SpainThis case study assessed changes in vegetation composition of a 0.8 ha rangeland site over the past four decades, in relation to changes in temperature and to an increase in grazing pressure. The frequency and standing crop (biomass) of species... -
Prey delivery to a breeding colony of Caspian Terns Hydroprogne caspia on the west coast of South Africa
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: Ostrich: Journal of African Ornithology • Authors: Davide Gaglio --- , South Africa Jessie Walton --- , South Africa Peter G Ryan --- , South AfricaThe Caspian Tern Hydroprogne caspia is widely distributed, but it is rare and little studied in southern Africa. We recorded the prey delivered by Caspian Terns to a breeding colony near the Berg River Estuary on the west coast of... -
Leopard tortoise Stigmochelys pardalis (Bell, 1928) mortality caused by electrified fences in central South Africa and its impact on tortoise demography
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Journal of Herpetology • Authors: Sharon Holt --- National Museum, South Africa Liora Kolska Horwitz --- The Hebrew University, Israel Beryl Wilson --- McGregor Museum, South Africa Daryl Codron --- University of the Free State, South AfricaThe leopard tortoise (Stigmochelys pardalis) is among the most ubiquitously distributed chelonian species in Africa. As with other chelonians, however, the species’ slow growth rate, coupled with low survivorship of juveniles, make it susceptible to declines under regimes of environmental... -
Distribution and community structure of at-risk and Data Deficient elasmobranchs in Zavora Bay, Mozambique
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Journal of Marine Science • Authors: B O’Connor --- , The Netherlands N Cullain --- , United StatesPersistent threats from fishing pressure and increasing habitat degradation, as well as slow recovery rates resulting from K-selected life histories, are putting increasing numbers of elasmobranch species (sharks, rays and skates) at risk of extinction worldwide. Global declines in elasmobranch... -
The effects of habitat loss and fragmentation on updated estimates of the population of the Agulhas Long-billed Lark Certhilauda brevirostris, a South African endemic
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: Ostrich: Journal of African Ornithology • Authors: Steven W Evans --- , South AfricaThe Agulhas Long-billed Lark Certhilauda brevirostris is a South African endemic and is restricted to the fynbos habitat of the Agulhas Plain in the southwestern corner of South Africa. The 1990, 2014, and 2018 land use land cover (LULC) databases... -
Tipping the scales: how fire controls the balance among functional groups in Angolan grasslands
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Journal of Range & Forage Science • Authors: Paulina Meller --- , Germany Raquel Frazão --- , Germany Fernanda Lages --- , Angola Norbert Jürgens --- , Germany Manfred Finckh --- , GermanyFire plays an important role in the ecology of tropical grasslands globally. However, detailed studies comparing the response of plant functional groups to fire seasonality, and thus phenological timing, are scarce from humid Afrotropical grasslands. Such information, however, is crucial... -
Sedimentary charcoal studies from southern Africa’s grassy biomes: a potential resource for informing the management of fires and ecosystems
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Journal of Range & Forage Science • Authors: Abraham N Dabengwa --- , South Africa Sally Archibald --- , South Africa Jemma Finch --- , South Africa Louis Scott --- , South Africa Lindsey Gillson --- , South Africa William J Bond --- , South AfricaAfrican grassy biomes evolved together with fire and have a long history of human manipulation of fire, yet few rangeland studies acknowledge the role of prehistoric fire in shaping contemporary ecological patterns. Nevertheless, prehistoric fire records have been used elsewhere... -
A historical perspective on fire research in East and Southern African grasslands and savannas
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Journal of Range & Forage Science • Authors: Simon Pooley --- , United KingdomThis paper provides a history of attempts to understand and manage fire in the grasslands and savannas of eastern and southern Africa from c. 1900 to 2010. Given the brevity of the paper and the author’s expertise, there is a... -
Historic changes in the fire-rainfall relationship at a woodland-savanna transition zone in southern Africa
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Journal of Range & Forage Science • Authors: T Hamilton --- , South Africa S Archibald --- , South Africa S Woodborne --- , South AfricaSouthern Africa is dominated by fire-prone arid and semi-arid landscapes that are expected to experience increased maximum temperatures, rainfall variation and frequency of extreme rainfall events in the future. These conditions will affect fire and vegetation dynamics, but feedback and... -
Assessing fish community response to water quality and habitat stressors in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Journal of Aquatic Science • Authors: Wesley Evans --- , South Africa Colleen T Downs --- , South Africa Matthew J Burnett --- , South Africa Gordon C O’Brien --- , South AfricaThe degradation of freshwater ecosystems can be attributed to stressors associated with the increased demand for water and other aquatic resources. Freshwater ecosystems face such challenges in supporting agriculture, industry, and high-density urban areas in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) province, South Africa... -
Assessment of plant species composition and natural regeneration in abandoned settlements in the lower montane forest of Kilimanjaro National Park, Tanzania
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: Southern Forests: a Journal of Forest Science • Authors: Imani Abinery Kikoti --- , Tanzania Cosmas Mligo --- , Tanzania Henry Joseph Ndangalasi --- , TanzaniaAnthropogenic modification of montane forests to other land uses has significant effects on native vegetation and the ecological functions of plant communities, such as in the forests of Mount Kilimanjaro. This study was carried out in Kilimanjaro National Park at... -
Fear at the top: killer whale predation drives white shark absence at South Africa’s largest aggregation site
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Journal of Marine Science • Authors: AV Towner --- , South Africa RGA Watson --- , South Africa AA Kock --- , South Africa Y Papastamatiou --- , United States M Sturup --- , South Africa E Gennari --- , South Africa K Baker --- , South Africa T Booth --- , South Africa M Dicken --- , South Africa W Chivell --- , South Africa S Elwen --- , South Africa T Kaschke --- , South Africa D Edwards --- , South Africa MJ Smale --- , South AfricaRisk-induced fear effects exerted by top predators are pervasive in terrestrial and marine systems, with lasting impacts on ecosystem structure and function. The loss of top predators can disrupt ecosystems and trigger trophic cascades, but the introduction of novel apex... -
Spatial distribution of zooplankton in relation to some selected physicochemical water quality parameters of Lake Hawassa, Ethiopia
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Journal of Aquatic Science • Authors: Getacher Beyene --- , Ethiopia Demeke Kifle --- , Ethiopia Tadesse Fetahi --- , EthiopiaWhile scientific information on spatial variation of freshwater zooplankton is relevant to limnological studies, little information is available from the Ethiopian Rift Valley lake: Lake Hawassa. This study aimed at understanding the spatial distribution of the dominant zooplankton taxa in... -
On the identity of west Saharan geckos of the Tarentola ephippiata complex (Squamata: Phyllodactylidae), with comments on an extreme case of syntopy with their close relative T. annularis
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Journal of Herpetology • Authors: Thore Koppetsch --- Zoologisches Forschungsmuseum Alexander Koenig, Germany Wolfgang Böhme --- Zoologisches Forschungsmuseum Alexander Koenig, GermanyTarentola geckos have a widespread geographic distribution and occur both in the Palearctic and Afrotropical realms, as well as the Neotropical region. Particularly, across North Africa phenotypically similar and cryptic species can be found, like the west Saharan members of... -
The contribution and value of the trait-based approach to water resource protection
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Journal of Aquatic Science • Authors: Oghenekaro Nelson Odume --- , South AfricaFreshwater is one of the Earth’s most crucial resources for social-economic development and prosperity. Biomonitoring contributes to water resource protection by integrating a holistic picture of ecosystem health through an analysis of resident biota. The taxonomy-based approach, in which taxa... -
The Elephant Marsh, Malawi – Part 1: reconstruction of the historic hydromorphology
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Journal of Aquatic Science • Authors: AL Birkhead --- , South Africa CA Brown --- , South Africa H Bukhari --- , South Africa MK Reinecke --- , South Africa WO Mgoola --- , Malawi JK Nyirenda --- , MalawiThe Elephant Marsh lies on the floodplain of the lower Shire River, in southern Malawi. It is both a cultivated, seasonal floodplain and an area of permanent shallow lakes. The marsh is highly biodiverse, has a productive fishery and supports... -
Aspects of the nonbreeding ecology of the Tree Pipit Anthus trivialis in and around Amurum Forest Reserve, Jos Plateau, Nigeria
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: Ostrich: Journal of African Ornithology • Authors: Taiwo A Adams --- University of Jos Biological Conservatory, Nigeria Samuel T Ivande --- University of Jos Biological Conservatory, Nigeria Mark Wilson --- , United KingdomTo advance our knowledge about the nonbreeding ecology of the Tree Pipit Anthus trivialis, this study investigated its population dynamics, habitat utilisation and foraging behaviour, from October to December 2018, in and around the Amurum Forest Reserve, located in the... -
Patterns of fish distribution in tropical rock pools at Príncipe Island, Gulf of Guinea
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Journal of Marine Science • Authors: J Azevedo e Silva --- University of Lisbon, Portugal AJ Almeida --- University of Lisbon, Portugal M Cravo --- University of Lisbon, Portugal MP Pais --- University of Lisbon, Portugal Y Santos --- , São Tomé e Príncipe J Paula --- University of Lisbon, PortugalLittle is known about the ichthyofauna from intertidal rock pools of the west coast of Africa, especially in the Gulf of Guinea. Rock pools are characteristic habitats of the intertidal zone of structurally complex rocky shores, adding important niche space... -
Feeding ecology, reproduction and sexual dimorphism in the colubrid snake Crotaphopeltis hotamboeia in southern Africa
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: The Journal of the Herpetological Association of Africa • Authors: J.Scott Keogh --- Australian National University, Australia WilliamR. Branch --- Port Elizabeth Museum, South Africa Richard Shine --- University of Sydney, AustraliaWe examined museum specimens to quantify diet, reproductive cycles and sexual dimorphism in body size of the colubrid snake Crotaphopeltis hotamboeia. Females attain sexual maturity at approximately 300 mm snout‐vent length (SVL) and males at approximately 240 mm SVL. Females... -
Diet of the namaqualand speckled padloper, homopus signatus signatus, in early spring
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Journal of Herpetology • Authors: VictorJ. T. Loehr --- Homopus Research Foundation, NetherlandsA baseline determination of the early spring (August ‐ September) diet of the Namaqualand speckled padloper (Homopus signatus signatus) was accomplished using in situ observation and faecal analysis methods. I analysed 13 focal observations and 49 faecal samples. Tortoises fed... -
A new species of pseudoboodon (Reptilia: Serpentes) from the central highlands of Ethiopia; with notes on some other members of the genus
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: The Journal of the Herpetological Association of Africa • Authors: Stephen Spawls --- , EnglandA new highly distinctive species of Pseudoboodon is described from a single locality in the central highlands of Ethiopia. It is distinguished from its three congeners by differences in colour pattern, head shape and lepidosis. Some additional notes on other... -
Niche separation and comparative abundance of Boulengerula boulengeri and Scolecomorphus vittatus (Amphibia: Gymnophiona) in an East Usambara forest, Tanzania
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: The Journal of the Herpetological Association of Africa • Authors: DavidJ. Gower --- The Natural History Museum, UK SimonP. Loader --- University of Glasgow, UK CliveB. Moncrieff --- The Natural History Museum, UK Mark Wilkinson --- The Natural History Museum, UKThe ecology of the sympatric caecilians Boulengerula boulengeri and Scolecomorphus vittatus was studied in Nilo Forest Reserve in the East Usambara Mountains, Tanzania. Three sampling methods (timed digging, pitfall trapping and casual visual encounter surveys of the forest floor) yielded... -
A new gregarious species of Trachylepis (Reptilia: Sauria: Scincidae) from Lolui Island, Lake Victoria, Uganda, with a key to Ugandan Trachylepis
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Journal of Herpetology • Authors: Rungwe Kingdon --- Gallery Pangolin, UK Stephen Spawls --- , UKA new, distinctive gregarious species of Trachylepis is described from five specimens from Lolui Island, in Lake Victoria, Uganda, East Africa. Living in large groups on rock outcrops, it is distinguished from its congeners by differences in colour pattern and... -
A trait database for southern African freshwater invertebrates
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Journal of Aquatic Science • Authors: Oghenekaro N Odume --- Institute for Water Research, Rhodes University, South Africa Frank C Akamagwuna --- Institute for Water Research, Rhodes University, South Africa Pindiwe Ntloko --- Institute for Water Research, Rhodes University, South Africa Helen F Dallas --- , South Africa Chika F Nnadozie --- Institute for Water Research, Rhodes University, South Africa Helen M Barber-James --- , South AfricaInvertebrates are often used as indicators of ecosystem health. In community ecology, the use of organism traits (e.g. behavioural, biological or ecological) can be of value in relation to impact diagnosis and assemblage prediction. It has also been recognised that... -
An inventory of amphibian roadkill in the western Soutpansberg, Limpopo province, South Africa
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: Treading a Delicate Tightrope: A principal balancing between education and political change during turbulent times • Authors: Thabo I Hlatshwayo --- , South Africa Eduard M Stam --- , South Africa Wendy J Collinson-Jonker --- , South Africa Abeda Dawood --- , South AfricaIncreasing linear infrastructure development often impacts habitats and wildlife negatively. Roads, in particular, have numerous threats to wildlife with the most noticeable direct impact being roadkill, and this requires urgent conservation interventions. To assess amphibian roadkill, driven surveys were conducted... -
The effects of habitat loss and fragmentation on the relative abundance and conservation of Ludwig’s Bustard Neotis ludwigii in South Africa
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: Ostrich: Journal of African Ornithology • Authors: Steven W Evans --- North-West University, South AfricaLudwig’s Bustard Neotis ludwigii is near-endemic to the semi-arid shrublands of southwestern southern Africa and is listed as Endangered. The primary threat to this species is collisions with overhead powerlines; however, loss and fragmentation of its habitat may contribute to... -
Population size, habitat use and foraging habits of wild Helmeted Guineafowl Numida meleagris in southwestern Ethiopia
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: Ostrich: Journal of African Ornithology • Authors: Yihenew Aynalem --- Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia Afework Bekele --- Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia Bezawork Afework Bogale --- Addis Ababa University, EthiopiaThe Helmeted Guineafowl Numida meleagris is a widespread and abundant resident gamebird species in sub-Saharan Africa. It is hunted throughout the region, including in Ethiopia. However, knowledge of the species’ ecology and behaviour in many parts of the country is... -
Geographical and seasonal patterns in the diet of Cape fur seals Arctocephalus pusillus pusillus in Namibia, based on extensive scat analyses
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Journal of Marine Science • Authors: DN Mwaala --- University of Namibia, Namibia MR Wilhelm --- University of Namibia, Namibia SP Kirkman --- Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE): Branch Oceans and Coasts, South Africa J-P Roux --- Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources, NamibiaNamibia's population of Cape fur seals Arctocephalus pusillus pusillus is a major constituent of top predator biomass in the northern Benguela upwelling system. Understanding their diet is key to comprehending their role in the ecosystem and potential drivers of recent... -
New distribution records and population density of the Critically Endangered Tarzan Chameleon (Calumma tarzan), eastern Madagascar
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Journal of Herpetology • Authors: Alain JV Rakotondrina --- Madagasikara Voakajy, Madagascar Raphali R Andriantsimanarilafy --- Madagasikara Voakajy, Madagascar Hanta J Razafimanahaka --- Madagasikara Voakajy, Madagascar Achille P Raselimanana --- , Madagascar Rikki Gumbs --- Zoological Society of London, United Kingdom Caleb Ofori-Boateng --- Zoological Society of London, United Kingdom Jody M Taft --- South African National Biodiversity Institute, Kirstenbosch Research Centre, South Africa Fanomezana M Ratsoavina --- Université d’Antananarivo, MadagascarThe distribution and population density of the Critically Endangered Tarzan Chameleon (Calumma tarzan) in eastern humid forests of Madagascar was studied using line transect-distance sampling. Based on the results from species distribution models, eight sites were visited over a four-month... -
The recent fire regimes of Luengue-Luiana and Mavinga national parks, Angola
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Journal of Range & Forage Science • Authors: Willem A Nieman --- , United StatesThe adjoining Luengue-Luiana and Mavinga national parks in southeastern Angola are two of the largest though least actively managed protected areas in Africa. The parks are home to a diversity of wildlife and are managed as a single unit. The... -
Movement and growth of the spotted gully shark Triakis megalopterus in South African waters
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Journal of Marine Science • Authors: BQ Mann --- Oceanographic Research Institute (ORI), South Africa GL Jordaan --- Oceanographic Research Institute (ORI), South Africa WN Dalton --- Oceanographic Research Institute (ORI), South Africa R Daly --- Oceanographic Research Institute (ORI), South Africa M Soekoe --- Reel Science Coalition, South Africa WM Potts --- Rhodes University, South Africa MJ Smale --- Zoology Department and Institute for Coastal and Marine Research, Nelson Mandela University, South Africa L Swart --- Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE), South AfricaThe movement and growth of spotted gully sharks Triakis megalopterus (family Triakidae) along the coast of South Africa were investigated using external dart tagging. Of a total of 7 211 sharks tagged, 657 (9.1%) were recaptured over a 37-year period,... -
Orientation, thermal characteristics and structural dimensions of Mangrove Kingfisher Halcyon senegaloides nest cavities in arboreal termitaria in central Mozambique
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: Ostrich: Journal of African Ornithology • Authors: Darren W Pietersen --- University of Pretoria, South Africa Gregory BP Davies --- , United States of America Craig T Symes --- University of the Witwatersrand, South AfricaThe breeding ecology of the Mangrove Kingfisher Halcyon senegaloides (family Alcedinidae) remains poorly known. While the few nests recorded in southern and East Africa have been in tree hollows, a seasonal population in central Mozambique woodland breeds in cavities in... -
Big cities, big bodies: urbanisation correlates with large body sizes and enhanced body condition in African dwarf chameleons (Genus: Bradypodion)
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Zoology • Authors: Jody M Barends --- South African National Biodiversity Institute, Kirstenbosch Research Centre, South Africa Krystal A Tolley --- South African National Biodiversity Institute, Kirstenbosch Research Centre, South AfricaUrbanisation is a major driver of habitat transformation that alters the environmental conditions and selective regimes of the habitats where it occurs. For species inhabiting urban habitats, such alterations can facilitate adaptive responses in their phenotypes, including their morphology. Quantifying... -
Serpulid diversity of coralligenous build-ups in the southwestern Ionian Sea
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Zoology • Authors: Rossana Sanfilippo --- University of Catania, Italy Gemma Donato --- University of Catania, Italy Francesco Sciuto --- University of Catania, Italy Adriano Guido --- University of Calabria, Italy Mara Cipriani --- University of Calabria, Italy Valentina Alice Bracchi --- University of Milano-Bicocca, Italy Alfio Viola --- University of Catania, Italy Daniela Basso --- Consorzio Nazionale Interuniversitario per le Scienze del Mare (CoNISMa), Italy Antonietta Rosso --- University of Catania, ItalyCoralligenous build-ups in the Ionian Sea off southeastern Sicily, Italy, first discovered about 20 years ago, were recently studied as part of the Italian FISR project ‘CresciBluReef’. Coralligenous build-ups are a priority habitat in the Mediterranean Sea, yet their origin... -
Stability and performance of Bambara groundnut (Vigna subterranea (L.) Verdc.) genotypes in different South African environments
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: South African Journal of Plant and Soil • Authors: Sithembile Kunene --- University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg campus, College of Agriculture, Engineering and Science, School of Agricultural Earth, and Environmental Sciences, South Africa Abe Shegro Gerrano --- Agricultural Research Council, Vegetable, Industrial and Medicinal Plants, South Africa Alfred Oduor Odindo --- University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg campus, College of Agriculture, Engineering and Science, School of Agricultural Earth, and Environmental Sciences, South AfricaGlobal food security faces challenges arising from population growth, climate change, and the prevalence of monoculture agriculture. In addressing these concerns, Bambara groundnut (Vigna subterranean (L.) Verdc.) emerges as a promising crop due to its nutritional richness and resilience in... -
Contrasting three diet datasets for the African brown house snake, Boaedon capensis
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Journal of Herpetology • Authors: JM Barends --- University of Johannesburg, South Africa I Bassier --- University of the Western Cape, South Africa RA Maritz --- University of the Western Cape, South Africa B Maritz --- University of the Western Cape, South AfricaData on the dietary preferences of species can provide important information that deepens our knowledge of their evolutionary history and contemporary ecology. The combination of low detectability and irregular feeding frequency of snakes has limited the resolution of available diet... -
Biases in vulture conservation literature in Africa
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: Ostrich: Journal of African Ornithology • Authors: Joseph K Daniels --- University of Cape Coast, Ghana Samuel E Tamekloe --- University of Cape Coast, Ghana Kweku A Monney --- University of Cape Coast, Ghana Justus P Deikumah --- University of Cape Coast, GhanaSince the turn of the century, most vulture species have been experiencing dramatic population declines worldwide, prompting extensive research and conservation initiatives. We investigated research efforts on African vultures by searching for publications from the year 2000 to the present... -
Occurrence and persistence of Blacksmith Lapwings Vanellus armatus and Crowned Lapwings V. coronatus and their reproductive success in an urban mosaic landscape
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: Ostrich: Journal of African Ornithology • Authors: Feziwe Phoswa --- School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa S Thobeka Gumede --- School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa Colleen T Downs --- School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South AfricaUrbanised landscapes continue to expand globally, leading to increased habitat fragmentation, which creates a mosaic of natural and managed landscapes. These environmental changes have an impact on bird populations, and are reflected in the declining populations of open-habitat species. Despite... -
Urban persistence and species interactions: diverging trends in the abundance of Peregrine Falcons Falco peregrinus and Lanner Falcons F. biarmicus across southern Africa using the Southern African Bird Atlas Project
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: Ostrich: Journal of African Ornithology • Authors: Kyle T Govender --- School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa Mfundo ST Maseko --- School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa Alan TK Lee --- School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa Colleen T Downs --- School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South AfricaCitizen science has emerged as a powerful tool for engaging the public in ecological data collection, crucial for monitoring species’ distributions and abundance over large geographic scales and extended time periods. This study used data from the Southern African Bird... -
Diet composition of the Marsh Owl Asio capensis at the Merja Zerga coastal lagoon, northwestern Morocco
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: Ostrich: Journal of African Ornithology • Authors: Abdeslam Rihane --- Regional Center for Education and Training (CRMEF) Casablanca-Settat, Morocco Sidi Imad Cherkaoui --- Institut Scientifique, Research Center: Geophysics, Natural Patrimony and Green Chemistry (GEOPAC), MoroccoThe diet of the Marsh Owl Asio capensis (family Strigidae) was examined at Merja Zerga coastal lagoon and wetland on the Gharb Plain, northwestern Morocco. The analysis was carried out on several small batches of regurgitated pellets, collected in January... -
Call description and extended range of Phrynobatrachus mayokoensis in Gabon
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Journal of Herpetology • Authors: Ryan van Huyssteen --- Ecological Services Ltd, British Virgin Islands Melissa Petford --- Ecological Services Ltd, British Virgin Islands Marius Burger --- Ecological Services Ltd, British Virgin Islands Mark-Oliver Rödel --- , Germany Joris Ngoulou --- Ecological Services Ltd, British Virgin Islands Abraham Bamba Kaya --- Ecological Services Ltd, British Virgin Islands Etienne Akomo Okoue --- Ecological Services Ltd, British Virgin Islands Jerome Gaugris --- Ecological Services Ltd, British Virgin IslandsThis study presents the first description of the advertisement call of Phrynobatrachus mayokoensis and reports a new locality record for this species in Gabon. During June 2022, two specimens were found in the Baniaka region, Haut-Ogooué Province, Gabon. The call... -
Phenotypic variance in an acoustic signal: a potentially sexually selected behaviour in Cape Clapper Larks Corypha apiata
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: Ostrich: Journal of African Ornithology • Authors: Zofia Wardynska --- Imperial College London, United Kingdom Holly Bennett --- Imperial College London, United Kingdom Xavier JM Mahele --- Imperial College London, United Kingdom Saskia IL Pearce --- Imperial College London, United Kingdom Ksenia Potapova --- Imperial College London, United Kingdom Sue Anne Zollinger --- Manchester Metropolitan University, United Kingdom Julia Schroeder --- Imperial College London, United KingdomCourtship displays provide important insight into sexual selection, evolution and the roles of communication signals in behavioural ecology. Any trait indicating individual quality must display phenotypic variation. Studying this variation can provide insight into the uses of acoustic cues in... -
The movements of adult leerfish Lichia amia in the Breede Estuary, Western Cape, South Africa: insights from acoustic telemetry
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Journal of Marine Science • Authors: WM Kilian --- Rhodes University, South Africa TS Murray --- South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity (SAIAB), South Africa JD Filmalter --- South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity (SAIAB), South Africa PD Cowley --- South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity (SAIAB), South Africa TF Næsje --- South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity (SAIAB), South Africa RJ Wasserman --- Rhodes University, South AfricaLeerfish Lichia amia inhabit estuaries as juveniles before moving between estuaries and the marine environment as sub-adults and adults. While adults remain mostly in the marine environment, philopatry has been observed, with individuals returning to areas previously used, including estuaries... -
Seasonal consumption of Thamnochortus spicigerus (Restionaceae) by eland is associated with plant sex and nutrient status
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Zoology • Authors: Petro Botha --- Department of Botany and Zoology, Stellenbosch University, South Africa Bruce Anderson --- Department of Botany and Zoology, Stellenbosch University, South AfricaHistoric distributions of large herbivores in the Fynbos Biome remain poorly described and, despite ongoing reintroductions, their dietary strategies and forage selection in the Fynbos Biome are understudied. We monitored an introduction of eland into Cape Flats Dune Strandveld vegetation,... -
Comparing fixed count and observed/expected taxa approaches in diatom-based water quality assessment: implications for monitoring efficiency and accuracy
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Journal of Aquatic Science • Authors: M Holmes --- Africa Earth Observatory Network (AEON) – Earth Stewardship Science Research Institute (ESSRI), Nelson Mandela University, South Africa JC Taylor --- Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management (UESM), North-West University, South Africa B Linol --- Africa Earth Observatory Network (AEON) – Earth Stewardship Science Research Institute (ESSRI), Nelson Mandela University, South AfricaDiatom-based indices are widely used for freshwater bioassessment, yet methodological variability, particularly in count strategies, can influence ecological classification outcomes. This study compares a traditional fixed count (FC) approach with an observed/expected taxa (OE) strategy across five riverine sites in...