Research Articles (Conservation Ecology and Entomology)
Recent Submissions
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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 ... -
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), ... -
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 ... -
Increase anti-poaching law-enforcement or reduce demand for wildlife products? A framework to guide strategic conservation investments
(Wiley Open Access, 2018)Donors, NGOs, and governments increasingly invest in campaigns to reduce con-sumer demand for wildlife products in an attempt to prevent the decline of overex-ploited and poached species. We provide a novel framework to ... -
Traditional medicinal animal use by Xhosa and Sotho communities in the Western Cape Province, South Africa
(BMC (part of Springer Nature), 2019-07-09)Background: The use of animals and animal-derived materials in traditional medicine constitutes an important part of the belief systems of indigenous African cultures. It is believed to be rapidly expanding in South Africa, ... -
Nine draft genome sequences of Claviceps purpurea s.lat., including C. arundinis, C. humidiphila, and C. cf. spartinae, pseudomolecules for the pitch canker pathogen Fusarium circinatum, draft genome of Davidsoniella eucalypti, Grosmannia galeiformis, Quambalaria eucalypti, and Teratosphaeria destructans
(International Mycological Association, 2018-12-01)This genome announcement includes draft genomes from Claviceps purpurea s.lat., including C. arundinis, C. humidiphila and C. cf. spartinae. The draft genomes of Davidsoniella eucalypti, Quambalaria eucalypti and Teratosphaeria ... -
Knoxdaviesia proteae is not the only Knoxdaviesia-symbiont of Protea repens
(International Mycological Association, 2015-11-10)Two polyphyletic genera of ophiostomatoid fungi are symbionts of Proteaceae in southern Africa. One of these, Knoxdaviesia, includes two closely related species, K. proteae and K. capensis, that have overlapping geographical ... -
Seed survival of Australian Acacia in the Western Cape of South Africa in the presence of biological control agents and given environmental variation
(PeerJ, 2019)Studies of invasive Australian Acacia have shown that many seeds are still produced and accumulate in soil stored seed banks regardless of the presence of seed-targeting biological control agents. This is despite claims ... -
Invasive Australian Acacia seed banks: Size and relationship with stem diameter in the presence of gall-forming biological control agents
(Public Library of Science, 2017)Australian Acacia are invasive in many parts of the world. Despite significant mechanical and biological efforts to control their invasion and spread, soil-stored seed banks prevent their effective and sustained removal. ... -
Including irrigation in niche modelling of the invasive wasp Vespula germanica (Fabricius) improves model fit to predict potential for further spread
(Public Library of Science, 2017)The European wasp, Vespula germanica (Fabricius) (Hymenoptera: Vespidae), is of Palaearctic origin, being native to Europe, northern Africa and Asia, and introduced into North America, Chile, Argentina, Iceland, Ascension ... -
The metabolic costs of sexual signalling in the chirping katydid Plangia graminea (Serville) (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae) are context dependent : cumulative costs add up fast
(The Company of Biologists, 2017)Katydids produce acoustic signals via stridulation, which they use to attract conspecific females for mating. However, direct estimates of the metabolic costs of calling to date have produced diverse cost estimates and are ... -
Learning to starve : impacts of food limitation beyond the stress period
(The Company of Biologists, 2017)Starvation is common among wild animal populations, and many individuals experience repeated bouts of starvation over the course of their lives. Although much information has been gained through laboratory studies of acute ... -
Direct environmental impacts of solar power in two arid biomes : an initial investigation
(Academy of Science of South Africa, 2017)According to recent national energy plans and policy documents, the number of renewable energy developments is expected to increase in South Africa, thus contributing to the diversification of the country’s energy system. ... -
Analysis of the global warming potential of biogenic CO₂ emission in life cycle assessments
(Nature Research, 2017-01-03)Biomass is generally believed to be carbon neutral. However, recent studies have challenged the carbon neutrality hypothesis by introducing metric indicators to assess the global warming potential of biogenic CO2 (GWPbio). ... -
Down, but not out : recent decline of Berg–Breede River whitefish (Barbus andrewi) in the upper Hex River, South Africa
(AOSIS Publishing, 2017)he Berg–Breede River whitefish, Barbus andrewi, an endangered Cape Floristic Region endemic, was once widespread in both the Berg and Breede River catchments. However, its distribution has been strongly reduced, apparently ... -
Adapting the Dragonfly Biotic Index to a katydid (Tettigoniidae) rapid assessment technique : case study of a biodiversity hotspot, the Cape Floristic Region, South Africa
(Pensoft Publishers, 2017)Global biodiversity faces many challenges, with the conservation of invertebrates among these. South Africa is megadiverse and has three global biodiversity hotspots. The country also employs two invertebrate-based rapid ... -
Foliar application of steinernema yirgalemense to control planococcus ficus : assessing adjuvants to improve efficacy
(South African Society for Enology and Viticulture, 2018)The vine mealybug (Planococcus ficus) is regarded as a key mealybug pest of grapevines in South Africa, with entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) being touted as a potential alternative to chemical control, although their ...
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