Research Articles (Conservation Ecology and Entomology)
Recent Submissions
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A comparative analysis reveals weak relationships between ecological factors and beta diversity of stream insect metacommunities at two spatial levels
(John Wiley & Sons Ltd., 2015-02-23)The hypotheses that beta diversity should increase with decreasing latitude and increase with spatial extent of a region have rarely been tested based on a comparative analysis of multiple datasets, and no such study has ...
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From poachers to protectors : engaging local communities in solutions to illegal wildlife trade
(Wiley Online Library, 2016-09-26)Combating the surge of illegal wildlife trade (IWT) devastating wildlife populations is an urgent global priority for conservation. There are increasing policy commitments to take action at the local community level as ...
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The use of fynbos fragments by birds : stepping-stone habitats and resource refugia
(AOSIS Publishing, 2016-03)Fynbos habitats are threatened by fragmentation through land use and anthropogenic changes in fire regimes, leading to a loss of suitable habitat for birds. We investigated the response of fynbos-typical avifauna to ...
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Diet and seasonal dispersal of extralimital giraffe at Sanbona Wildlife Reserve, Little Karoo, South Africa
(AOSIS Publishing, 2016-08)South African giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis giraffa) have been introduced as an extralimital species to private farms in the Little Karoo on the basis of economic sustainability, and the need to create a competitive ...
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The sublethal effects of a systemic insecticide on the vine mealybug parasitoids anagyrus sp. near pseudococci (girault) and coccidoxenoides perminutus (timberlake) (hymenoptera : encyrtidae)
(South African Society for Enology and Viticulture, 2015-12)Imidacloprid is a systemic insecticide used for the control of the vine mealybug Planococcus ficus. However, biological control of P. ficus is the primary alternate management method recommended for the integrated control ...
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Accelerated microbial degradation of nematicides in vineyard and orchard soils
(South African Society for Enology and Viticulture, 2014-03)Accelerated microbial degradation (AMD) of organophosphate and carbamate nematicides is a phenomenon whereby biodegradation in the soil is increased, leading to a dramatically shortened persistence of nematicides. More ...
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Prospects for using entomopathogenic nematodes to control the vine mealybug, planococcus ficus, in south african vineyards
(South African Society for Enology and Viticulture, 2015-07)In South Africa, the most common method of mealybug control has been the use of chemical insecticides. Entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) of the of the families Heterorhabditidae and Steinernematidae potentially can be used ...
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Control potential of brassicaceae cover crops as green manure and their host status for meloidogyne javanica and criconemoides xenoplax
(South African Society for Enology and Viticulture, 2015-12)Laboratory bioassays were undertaken to determine the potential of Avena sativa cv. Pallinup (Pallinup oats), Sinapis alba cv. Braco (white mustard), Brassica napus cv. AV Jade (canola), Brassica juncea cv. Caliente 199 ...
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Effect of management practices applied to cover crops with biofumigation properties on cover crop performance and weed control in a vineyard
(South African Society for Enology and Viticulture, 2015)This five-year trial (2009 to 2013) was carried out in a full-bearing seven-year-old Shiraz/101-14 vineyard established on a sandy to sandy clay loam soil at Blaauwklippen farm (33°58’S, 18°50’E) near Stellenbosch, South ...
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A review of odonatology in freshwater applied ecology and conservation science
(Society for Freshwater Science, 2015-05)The academic study of dragonflies and damselflies (odonatology) is well established, but relatively limited attention has been given to odonates in the context of applied ecology and conservation science. We used the Web ...
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Conserving a geographically isolated Charaxes butterfly in response to habitat fragmentation and invasive alien plants
(AOSIS Publishing, 2015-08)In South Africa, much of the forest biome is vulnerable to human-induced disturbance. The forest-dwelling butterfly Charaxes xiphares occidentalis is naturally confined to a small forest region in the south-western Cape, ...
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A hierarchy of factors influence discontinuous gas exchange in the grasshopper Paracinema tricolor (Orthoptera: Acrididae)
(The Company of Biologists, 2014-07)The evolutionary origin and maintenance of discontinuous gas exchange (DGE) in tracheate arthropods are poorly understood and highly controversial. We investigated prioritization of abiotic factors in the gas exchange ...
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Effects of within-generation thermal history on the flight performance of Ceratitis capitata : colder is better
(The Company of Biologists, 2014-07)The influence of thermal history on temperature-dependent flight performance was investigated in an invasive agricultural pest insect, Ceratitis capitata (Diptera: Tephritidae). Flies were exposed to one of four developmental ...
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Guiding classical biological control of an invasive mealybug using integrative taxonomy
(Public Library of Science, 2015)Delottococcus aberiae De Lotto (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) is a mealybug of Southern African origin that has recently been introduced into Eastern Spain. It causes severe distortions on young citrus fruits and represents ...
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Divergent thermal specialisation of two South African entomopathogenic nematodes
(PeerJ, 2015-07-02)Thermal physiology of entomopathogenic nematodes (EPN) is a critical aspect of field performance and fitness. Thermal limits for survival and activity, and the ability of these limits to adjust (i.e., show phenotypic ...
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Identifying challenges to building an evidence base for restoration practice
(MDPI, 2015-11-30)Global acknowledgement of ecological restoration, as an important tool to complement conservation efforts, requires an effort to increase the effectiveness of restoration interventions. Evidence-based practice is purported ...
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Sexual dimorphism in bite performance drives morphological variation in chameleons
(PLoS, 2014-01-27)Phenotypic performance in different environments is central to understanding the evolutionary and ecological processes that drive adaptive divergence and, ultimately, speciation. Because habitat structure can affect an ...
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The soil bacterial communities of South African fynbos riparian ecosystems invaded by Australian Acacia species
(PLoS, 2014-01-24)Riparian ecosystem along rivers and streams are characterised by lateral and longitudinal ecological gradients and, as a result, harbour unique biodiversity. Riparian ecosystems in the fynbos of the Western Cape, South ...
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The unknown underworld : understanding soil health in South Africa
(Academy of Science of South Africa, 2014-05)The need to provide food security to a growing human population in the face of global threats such as climate change, land transformation, invasive species and pollution is placing increasing pressure on South African ...
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Rocky shores of a major southern African marine protected area are almost free from intertidal invertebrate alien species
(AOSIS Publishing, 2014-05-23)A major threat to marine ecosystems is the establishment and proliferation of invasive alien species. This study addresses gaps in our knowledge regarding marine alien invertebrate species in the Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve ...
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Realising the value of continuous monitoring programmes for biodiversity conservation
(Academy of Science of South Africa, 2014-11-26)There is an increased need for support for continuous biodiversity monitoring programmes in commodity production landscapes; the pressure for such supports arises from a variety of sources. We highlight our rediscovery of ...
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Food preference and foraging activity of ants : recommendations for field applications of low-toxicity baits
(Entomological Society of America, 2014-04-10)Control of ants using baits of low toxicity cannot be effective without knowledge of bait distribution patterns and bait station densities, which are determined by ants’ foraging activities. Furthermore, the success of ...
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Exploring the gap between ecosystem service research and management in development planning
(MDPI, 2014-06)The gap between science and practice has been highlighted in a number of scientific disciplines, including the newly developing domain of ecosystem service science, posing a challenge for the sustainable management of ...
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An initial investigation of the effects of mulch layers on soil-dwelling arthropod assemblages in vineyards
(South African Society for Enology and Viticulture, 2013)The use of mulches is gaining worldwide attention in a number of different crops, including vineyards. However, the effects of mulches on arthropod assemblages are not well documented. We therefore conducted an initial ...
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Production and quality assurance in the SIT Africa mediterranean fruit fly (Diptera: Tephritidae) rearing facility in South Africa
(Florida Entomological Society, 2007-03)A mass-rearing facility for Mediterranean fruit fly Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) was commissioned in Stellenbosch in 1999 to produce sterile male fruit flies for a sterile insect technique (SIT) project in commercial ...
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Niche overlap of congeneric invaders supports a single- species hypothesis and provides insight into future invasion risk: implications for global management of the bactrocera dorsalis complex
(PLoS, 2014-02)Background: The invasive fruit fly, Bactrocera invadens, has expanded its range rapidly over the past 10 years. Here we aimed to determine if the recent range expansion of Bactrocera invadens into southern Africa can be ...
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Heterorhabditis noenieputensis n. sp. (Rhabditida: Heterorhabditidae), a new entomopathogenic nematode from South Africa
(Cambridge University Press - CUP, 2012-12)A new entomopathogenic nematode in the genus Heterorhabditis is described from South Africa, from two singular isolates found 1000km from each other, from beneath a fig tree and in a citrus orchard, respectively. ...
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The Potential Use of Entomopathogenic Nematodes to Control Planococcus ficus (Signoret) (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae)
(South African Society for Enology and Viticulture, 2013-08)Laboratory bioassays were conducted to establish the potential of entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) as biocontrol agents of Planococcus ficus (Signoret). Six indigenous and two commercially available nematode species ...
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An overview of the vine mealybug (Planococcus ficus) in South African vineyards and the use of entomopathogenic nematodes as potential biocontrol agent
(South African Society for Enology and Viticulture, 2013-02)The vine mealybug, Planococcus ficus (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae), which is the dominant mealybug species in South Africa, is a severe wine and table grape pest and disease vector. Their increasing resistance to chemical ...
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Cover crops with biofumigation properties for the suppression of plant-parasitic nematodes : a review
(South African Society for Enology and Viticulture, 2013-08)Plant-parasitic nematodes are a problem in vineyards worldwide, with some species acting as vectors of grapevine soil-transmitted viruses. Global pressure on the use of soil-applied chemical nematicides has led to a ...
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