Masters Degrees (Conservation Ecology and Entomology)
Recent Submissions
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The ecology of spotted hyena,Crocuta crocuta, in Majete Wildlife Reserve, Malawi
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2016-03)ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The management of predators plays an important role in conservation management today because of the intensive management requirement of small fenced off protected areas. Apex predators such as spotted ...
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Diet of key predators responsible for livestock conflict in Namaqualand, South Africa
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2016-03)ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Human-wildlife conflict (HWC) occurs in areas where humans and wildlife occupy the same area or compete for the same resources. Although some carnivores are responsible for incidental attacks on humans, ...
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Optimising the use of visual and radar observations for the mitigation of wind energy related impacts on Cape Vultures (Gyps coprotheres) in the Eastern Cape Province
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2016-03)ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Being one of the leading global renewable energy investors over the last few years, South Africa’s energy sector is undergoing a rapid transformation. This transformation has been driven by the Renewable ...
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Invaded range and competitive ability of the newly invasive Polistes dominula compared to that of its native congener species in the Western Cape, South Africa
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2016-03)ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The European paper wasp Polistes dominula (Christ)(Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Polistinae) established itself as a prolific invader across the globe and has been recorded and studied on all continents, except ...
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The natural drivers and the effects of landscape transformation for dragonflies of the Cape Floristic Region
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2016-03)ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The Cape Floristic Region (CFR) is a biodiversity hotspot. The region has three established biosphere reserves, which all aim to alleviate the impacts that land transformation has on ecosystem integrity, ...
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The effect of agriculture and alien plants on natural communities of plants, insect herbivores and parasitoids
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2016-03)ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Habitat transformation and invasions by non-native (alien) plants are two of the most concerning drivers of global environmental change. These factors cause biodiversity declines that disrupt ...
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Restoration of Cape Flats Sand Fynbos : the significance of pre-germination treatments and moisture regime
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2016-03)ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The seed ecology of the Cape Flats Sand Fynbos (CFSF) vegetation’s species in Blaauwberg Nature Reserve, in Western Cape South Africa, was investigated within the context of a broader restoration ecology ...
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The effect of commercial forestry plantations and roads on southern Afrotemperate forest arthropod diversity
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2016-03)ENGLISH ABSTRACT: With only about 12% of the Earth’s surface under some form of official protection and the human population on the rise exponentially, production landscapes can and should contribute significantly towards ...
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Pond biodiversity in a sugarcane-forestry mosaic in KZN
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2016-03)ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The wetlands of South Africa are threatened by dam creation, agricultural practices and urbanisation. Farm ponds within these wetlands act as habitat islands and are known to support heterogeneous communities ...
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Grasshoppers of azonal riparian corridors and their response to land transformation in the Cape Floristic Region
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2016-03)ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The Cape Floristic Region (CFR) is a global biodiversity hotspot with high levels of endemism across many taxa, including Orthoptera. Azonal vegetation, a much forgotten component of the CFR, is a unique ...
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How flower visitation of remnant grassland patches is affected by commercial timber plantations and an invasive alien species (Rubus cuneifolius)
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2015-12)ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Our planet is in the midst of a biodiversity crisis, with factors such as land transformation, climate change, anthropomorphic disturbance and invasive species acting together to threaten biodiversity. ...
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Orchard and bin treatment with entomopathogenic nematodes (Rhabditida: Steinernematidae and Heterorhabditidae) for the control of the codling moth (Cydia pomonella)
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2015-12)ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The codling moth, Cydia pomonella (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), is the key pest of apples and pears worldwide. The withdrawal of certain fundamental chemicals from codling moth management spray programmes, ...
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The Harlequin ladybeetle Harmonia axyridis (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) in the Western Cape Province, South Africa: effects on arthropods in urban, agricultural and natural ecosystems
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2015-12)ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Invasive arthropod predators are one of the largest and most diverse groups of invasive insects in the world. Many are generalist predators, with cosmopolitan distributions due to their use as biological ...
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Recovery of vegetation and bees after removal of pine forests by fire in the Limietberg region of the Cape Floristic Region biodiversity hotspot
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2015-12)ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The present global biodiversity crisis is characterized mostly by loss of species due to habitat destruction but there other major threats – notably invasive alien species. The term “biodiversity ...
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Assessment of the invasive German wasp, Vespula germanica, in South Africa
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2015-04)ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The invasive social wasp, Vespula germanica (Fabricius, 1793) (Hymenoptera: Vespidae), stands out as a remarkably successful insect invader worldwide. It flourishes in newly invaded ecosystems, where it ...
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Bark re-growth and wood decay in response to bark stripping for medicinal use
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2015-04)ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Plants have been used for centuries to treat a wide range of ailments in the history of all civilizations. However, a growing interest in medicinal plants requires appropriate management to prevent ...
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Effects of a highly invasive plant (Lantana camara) on an agricultural flower visitation network
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2015-04)ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Invasive alien plants threaten natural and agricultural pollination systems as they integrate into and disrupt flower visitation networks. Mango (Mangifera indica) production on commercial mango farms in ...
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Biodiversity conservation in a fragmented landscape : arthropod assemblages in smaller corridors within a production landscape
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2015-04)ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Habitat loss and fragmentation are major threats to global biodiversity. A cornerstone of traditional conservation involves setting aside land as formally protected areas (PAs). However, for effective ...
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Hunting as a conservation tool : investigating the use of hunting in CBNRM programs : a case study of the Ntabethemba Community Reserve, South Africa.
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2015-04)ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The conservation of resources which fall under communal tenure has been a major dilemma for the past 60 years. In South Africa communal lands support more than a quarter of the country’s citizens, mostly ...
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Future-proofing food : striving towards minimal insecticidal application in Western Cape pome fruit orchards
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2015-04)ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Increasing pressure on food production and the concern over maintenance of biodiversity and ecosystem services is creating an urgent need to future-proof food production, while maintaining the natural ...
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Taxonomy and ecology of parasitic chigger mites (Acari: Trombiculidae) on small mammals in South Africa
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2015-03)ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Within South Africa (SA) parasites have received variable attention with limited research conducted on mites within the family Trombiculidae. They are regarded as temporary parasites with only the larval ...
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Biodiversity and ecology of critically endangered, Ruens Silcrete renosterveld in the Buffeljagsrivier area, Swellendam
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2014-12)ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Rûens Silcrete Renosterveld (RSR) is a critically endangered vegetation type in the Overberg region of the Western Cape Province of South Africa. In the last few centuries about 80% of it has been severely ...
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Historical relationship of the honeybee (Apis Mellifera) and its forage; and the current state of beekeeping within South Africa
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2014-12)ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Apis mellifera, the honeybee, is regarded as the most crucial insect pollinator to South African agriculture as it is the only managed pollinator used in the pollination of commercial agricultural crops. ...
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Spatial and temporal changes in Fynbos riparian vegetation on selected upland rivers in the Western Cape
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2014-04)ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Restoration practices commonly make use of a reference condition in order to restore a site to a better ecological state than it is currently in. The selection process and relevance of the reference ...
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Locust and grasshopper outbreaks in Zululand sugarcane, Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2014-04)ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The aim of the research presented in this dissertation was to investigate localised acridid outbreaks causing damage to sugarcane in Empangeni, Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa. Reports of outbreaks with ...
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Underground storage organs of plants as a food source for Pleistocene hunter-gatherers in the southern Cape
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2013-12)ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The abundance and diversity of carbohydrate and protein resources in the southern Cape of South Africa may well have aided the survival of modern humans through the harsh climatic conditions of the late ...
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Biology and ecology of the false codling moth, Thaumatotibia leucotreta (Meyrick)
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2013-12)ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Thaumatotibia leucotreta, the false codling moth (FCM), is a phytosanitary pest in South Africa posing a substantial threat to many of the country’s international export markets. Its pest status is of ...
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The role of cover crops with biofumigation potential for the suppression of plant-parasitic nematodes in vineyards
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2013-12)ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Plant-parasitic nematodes, consisting of a wide range of species, can cause severe economic losses in most agricultural food crops. Meloidogyne spp. (root-knot nematodes), Criconemoides xenoplax (ring ...
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An assessment of the potential of irradiation as a postharvest control treatment against the banded fruit weevil, Phlyctinus callosus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae): effects on adult weevils and host fruit (‘Flavor Fall’ pluots)
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2013-12)ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The export of South African fruit to some of its biggest international markets may be rejected if the phytosanitary pest, Phlyctinus callosus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) is found in fruit consignments. ...
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Woody vegetation change and elephant water point use in Majete Wildlife Reserve : implications for water management strategies
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2013-12)ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The confinement of many elephant (Loxodonta africana) populations in southern Africa to fenced reserves has made the management of such reserves difficult as elephants are a keystone species. Elephants ...
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