Department of Conservation Ecology and Entomology

Private rhino conservation : diverse strategies adopted in response to the poaching crisis

Clements, Hayley S.; Knight, Mike; Jones, Pelham; Balfour, Dave (Wiley Open Access, 2020)

Private landowners in South Africa conserve roughly 40% of white rhinos globally. Given concerns that escalating poaching has caused private‐rhino owners to disinvest, we used a national survey to assess 171 private‐rhino ...

Phylogeography, genetic diversity, and population structure of Nile crocodile populations at the fringes of the southern African distribution

Van Asch, Barbara; Versfeld, William F.; Hull, Kelvin L.; Leslie, Alison J.; Matheus, Timoteus I.; Beytell, Petrus C.; Du Preez, Pierre; Slabbert, Ruhan; Rhode, Clint (Public Library of Science, 2018)

Nile crocodiles are apex predators widely distributed in sub-Saharan Africa that have been viewed and managed as a single species. A complex picture of broad and fine-scale phylogeographic patterns that includes the ...

Repression of sex4 and like sex four2 orthologs in potato increases tuber starch bound phosphate with concomitant alterations in starch properties physical

Samodien, Ebrahim; Jewell, Jonathan F.; Loedolff, Bianke; Oberlander, Kenneth; George, Gavin M.; Zeeman, Samuel C.; Damberger, Fred F.; Van Der Vyver, Christell; Kossmann, Jens; Lloyd, James R. (Frontiers Media, 2018-07-23)

To examine the roles of starch phosphatases in potatoes, transgenic lines were produced where orthologs of SEX4 and LIKE SEX FOUR2 (LSF2) were repressed using RNAi constructs. Although repression of either SEX4 or LSF2 ...

Geographic variation and plasticity in climate stress resistance among southern African populations of Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) (Diptera: Tephritidae)

Weldon, Christopher W.; Nyamukondiwa, Casper; Karsten, Minette; Chown, Steven L.; Terblanche, John S. (Nature Research, 2018-06-29)

Traits of thermal sensitivity or performance are typically the focus of species distribution modelling. Among-population trait variation, trait plasticity, population connectedness and the possible climatic covariation ...

Avian impact of South Africas first concentrating solar power tower facility in the Northern Cape

Van Heerden, Hendrik Petrus (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2020-03)

ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Through its commitment to a greener economy that is less dependent on nonrenewable energy resources, South Africa’s Integrated Resource Plan aims to diversify the energy system by including energy resource ...

Biocultural diversity : a Mongolian case study

Seele, Barbara C.; Esler, Karen J.; Cunningham, Anthony B. (Resilience Alliance, 2019)

Although conceptual frameworks describing biodiversity and cultural keystone species have been widely accepted over the past 15 years, there remains a need for an overarching framework that covers the various components ...

Persistence of insect biodiversity within a timber production landscape mosaic

Van der Mescht, Aileen (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2020-03)

ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Habitat transformation, through the expansion of agricultural activities, leads to the formation of novel landscapes, which drives global declines in insect diversity. This leads to high contrast between ...

Abiotic and biotic drivers of African aquatic insect distribution

Deacon, Charl (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2020-03)

ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Freshwater habitats are disproportionately rich in biodiversity, and are among the most threatened, yet poorly protected ecosystems. Aquatic insects make up much of the total freshwater fauna and contribute ...

Interactions between indigenous southern Afrotemperate forest trees and arthropod diversity

Swart, Rudi Crispin (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2020-04)

ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Although small compared to other temperate rainforests in the southern Hemisphere, the southern Cape Afrotemperate forest complex is the largest in South Africa. While it occurs at temperate latitudes, ...

Population genetics of the invasive wasp, Vespula germanica, in South Africa

Eloff, Julia (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2020-04)

ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The German wasp (Vespula germanica) is a highly successful invader on a global scale. These wasps were first observed in the Western Cape region in South Africa in 1972 and they have the potential to ...

In vitro production and biocontrol potential of nematodes associated with molluscs

Pieterse, Annika (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2020-03)

ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Growing concern around the risks associated with the use of some molluscicide chemicals has prompted research into alternative control methods for mollusc pests. One of the most successful biocontrol ...

Alien plants have greater impact than habitat fragmentation on native insect flower visitation networks

Hansen, Simone; Roets, Francois; Seymour, Colleen L.; Thebault, Elisa; Van Veen, F. J. Frank; Pryke, James S. (Wiley, 2018)

Aim: Habitat fragmentation and alien species are among the leading causes of biodiversity loss. In an attempt to reduce the impact of forestry on natural systems, networks of natural corridors and patches of natural habitat ...

Moving from representation to persistence : the capacity of Australia’s National Reserve System to support viable populations of mammals

Clements, Hayley S.; Kearney, Stephen G.; Cook, Carly N. (Wiley, 2018)

Aim: Species require sufficiently large and connected areas of suitable habitat to support populations that can persist through change. With extensive alteration of unprotected natural habitat, there is increasing risk ...

Riparian plant community change and alien plant invasions following geomorphological change in the Sabie River, Kruger National Park, South Africa

Sibiya, Thabang Euginia (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2019-12)

ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Invasive species are among the biggest drivers of environmental change globally. Because of their ability to alter ecological and evolutionary processes they rank high among the most pressing environmental ...

Quantifying the effectiveness of private land conservation areas in preventing losses of natural land cover and biodiversity intactness across South Africa

Shumba, Tafadzwa (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2019-12)

ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Global biodiversity conservation targets cannot be achieved by relying on state-owned protected areas (PAs) alone. Private land conservation areas (PLCAs) are one potential complementary conservation ...

Postharvest phytosanitary disinfestation strategies using thermal and atmospheric stress: commodity and insect tolerances

Smit, Renate (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2019-12)

ENGLISH ABSTRACT: South African chill sensitive horticultural products deemed for export cannot be exported using certain phytosanitary cold sterilisation regimes, without negatively affecting fruit quality. Low temperature ...