Department of Conservation Ecology and Entomology
Collections in this community
Recent Submissions
-
Geographic variation and plasticity in climate stress resistance among southern African populations of Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) (Diptera: Tephritidae)
(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 ... -
Biocultural diversity : a Mongolian case study
(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 ... -
Alien plants have greater impact than habitat fragmentation on native insect flower visitation networks
(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
(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
(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
(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
(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 ... -
Unlocking and securing Ecological Infrastructure (EI) investments: A review of EI investment models
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2019-12)ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Ecological Infrastructure (EI) refers to a suite of natural or semi-natural functioning ecosystems that deliver a range of essential services to humankind. Examples of EI are coastal dunes, catchments, ... -
Ecological Impact of Large Herbivores at Artificial Waterpoints in Majete Wildlife Reserve, Malawi
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2019-12)ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The management of water requires an important understanding of the impacts of supplementation on the ecosystem. In semi-arid environments worldwide, access to water is essential for the survival of wildlife ... -
Ecology and habitat suitability of Cape mountain zebra (Equus zebra zebra) in the Western Cape, South Africa
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2019-12)ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Endemic to South Africa, the Cape mountain zebra (Equus zebra zebra) historically occurred throughout the Western Cape, and parts of the Northern and Eastern Cape. However, due to human impacts fewer than ... -
Species turnover in plants does not predict turnover in flower-visiting insects
(PeerJ, 2018)Congruence between plant and insect diversity is considered possibly useful in conservation planning, as the better known plants could be surrogates for the lesser known insects. There has been little quantification of ... -
Range expansion of the economically important Asiatic blue tick, Rhipicephalus microplus, in South Africa
(AOSIS, 2017-12-08)The Asiatic blue tick, Rhipicephalus microplus, a known vector of bovine babesiosis and bovine anaplasmosis, is of great concern in the cattle industry. For this reason, detailed knowledge of the distribution of R. microplus ... -
Why do models of insect respiratory patterns fail?
(Company of Biologists, 2018)Insects exchange respiratory gases using an astonishing diversity of patterns. Of these, discontinuous gas exchange cycles (DGCs) have received the most study, but there are many other patterns exhibited intraspecifically ... -
Dragonflies as bioindicators and biodiversity surrogates for freshwater ecosystems
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2019-12)ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Biological indicators (bioindicators) are useful for rapid and cost-effective ecosystem assessments. Dragonflies are valued for their potential as bioindicators in freshwater ecosystems. My dissertation ... -
Insect-flower interaction networks vary among endemic pollinator taxa over an elevation gradient
(Public Library of Science, 2018-11-29)Interaction networks are sensitive to elevation gradients through changes in local distribution of interacting partners. Here, we use plant-pollinator interaction network metrics to assess the effect of elevation on flowers ... -
Artificial reservoirs complement natural ponds to improve pondscape resilience in conservation corridors in a biodiversity hotspot
(Public Library of Science, 2018-09-20)Natural ponds are rich in biodiversity, contributing greatly to regional aquatic biodiversity. Artificial reservoirs used for irrigation can be significant additional features of the landscape. They infill the local natural ... -
Only multi-taxon studies show the full range of arthropod responses to fire
(Public Library of Science, 2018-04-03)Fire is a major driver in many ecosystems. Yet, little is known about how different ground-living arthropods survive fire. Using three sampling methods, and time-since-fire (last fire event: 3 months, 1 year, and 7 years), ... -
Response of plant-pollinator interactions to landscape transformations in the Greater Cape Floristic Region (GCFR) biodiversity hotspot
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2019-12)ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Landscape transformation is one of the leading causes of global biodiversity decline. This decline is seen in terms of loss of species of ecological importance, and the collapse of important ecological ... -
Plant functional trait data and reflectance spectra for 22 palmiet wetland species
(Elsevier, 2018)We provide reflectance spectra for 22 South African palmiet wetland species collected in spring 2015 from three wetlands throughout the Cape Floristic Region. In addition, we provide summarized plant functional trait data, ... -
New policy directions for global pond conservation
(Wiley Open Access, 2018)Despite the existence of well‐established international environmental and nature conservation policies (e.g., the Ramsar Convention and Convention on Biological Diversity) ponds are largely missing from national and ...
RSS 1.0