Search
Search results for
We found
9 results for you
-
Veld condition and animal performance: Application of an optimal foraging model
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: Journal of the Grassland Society of Southern Africa • Authors: N. Owen‐Smith --- Resource Ecology Group, Department of Zoology, Republic of South AfricaAn optimal foraging model was used to predict food ingestion rate, food digestion rate and animal energy gains relative to requirements as functions of dietary composition. Energy gains were maximized by ranking food types in order of their effective value,... -
Comparative patterns of sodium accumulation in leaves of selected savanna species growing on sodic and nonsodic soils
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: South African Journal of Plant and Soil • Authors: CatherineL. Bailey --- Botany Department, South Africa MaryC. Scholes --- Botany Department, South AfricaPlants show differing mechanisms of tolerance to high sodium levels in soils. Physiological and biochemical mechanisms have been investigated for many crop species but little information is available for indigenous tree and grass species. Foliar concentrations of sodium, calcium, potassium,... -
Seasonal botanical and chemical composition of sheep and goat diets on a common range in eastern Africa
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Journal of Range & Forage Science • Authors: RobinsonK Ngugi JosephN Ndung'u DicksonM Nyariki NashonKR MusimbaThe botanical and chemical composition, intake and digestibility of local sheep (Ovis aries) and goat (Capra hirtus) diets were evaluated over the wet (growing) and dry (dormant) seasons. Diet botanical composition was related to the vegetation composition on the range... -
Calculating stocking rates for game ranches: Substitution ratios for use in the Mopani Veld
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Journal of Range & Forage Science • Authors: B. Dekker --- Northern Province Department of Agriculture, Republic of South AfricaDetermination of carrying capacity for mixed‐ or multi‐species grazing systems is complex. Commonly, each species is compared to the standard large stock unit (LSU) used in conventional agriculture. However, this approach does not allow for ecological separation, and thus overlooks... -
Evaluation of a thin-layer chromatographic technique for identification of bush species browsed by goats
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Journal of Range & Forage Science • Authors: LV Mabinya JM BrandDiet selection by herbivores is a major determinant of animal and plant production and has a direct bearing on the sustainability of stock farming generally. Fistulated goats were confined in designated plots on the University of Fort Hare research farm... -
Diversity and structure of woody vegetation across areas with different soils in Gonarezhou National Park, Zimbabwe
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: Southern Forests: a Journal of Forest Science • Authors: Edson Gandiwa --- School of Wildlife, Ecology and Conservation, Zimbabwe Patience Zisadza-Gandiwa --- Transfrontier Conservation Areas Unit, Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority, Zimbabwe David Goza --- Mushandike College of Wildlife Management, Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority, Zimbabwe Clayton Mashapa --- Tropical Resource Ecology Programme, Zimbabwe Never Muboko --- School of Wildlife, Ecology and Conservation, ZimbabweDespite the importance of edaphic factors in influencing woody vegetation diversity and structure in savannas, there is still limited research on the topic across most savanna ecosystems. Here we investigate the differences and/or similarities of woody vegetation diversity and structure... -
Macroinvertebrate communities associated with duckweed (Lemnaceae) in two Eastern Cape rivers, South Africa
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Journal of Aquatic Science • Authors: PC Muskett --- Department of Zoology and Entomology, South Africa JM Hill --- Department of Zoology and Entomology, South Africa PSR Weyl --- Department of Zoology and Entomology, South AfricaThe functional feeding groups and diversity of macroinvertebrate communities associated with duckweed mats in the New Years River (two sites) and Bloukrans River (two sites), Eastern Cape province, South Africa, were assessed. Duckweed (Lemnaceae) is a ubiquitous family of floating... -
Temporal dynamics and relationship between climate, limnological variables and zooplankton composition in climate-sensitive Lake Bosumtwi, Ghana
Item type: Journal Article • Journal: African Journal of Aquatic Science • Authors: PO Sanful --- Department of Fisheries and Water Resources, School of Natural Resources, Ghana S Aikins --- Department of Theoretical and Applied Biology, Ghana E Frempong --- Department of Theoretical and Applied Biology, Ghana RI Hall --- Department of Biology, Canada RE Hecky --- Biology Department and Large Lakes Observatory, USAThe community composition and the factors affecting seasonal and interannual dynamics of zooplankton in Lake Bosumtwi were studied biweekly at a central index station during 2005 and 2006. The lake zooplankton community was species poor. Mesocyclops bosumtwii was numerically superior... -
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,...