Abstract: This dissertation presents research on the value of using different sources of data to explore the factors determining invasiveness of introduced species. The research draws upon the availability of data on the historical trial plantings of alien species and other sources. The focus of the study is on Australian Acacia species as a taxon introduced into southern Africa (Lesotho, South Africa and Swaziland). The first component of the study focused on understanding the factors deter...
Abstract: The diet of an animal plays a fundamental role in its ecology, and the consequence of a specific diet may be more pronounced in mammals with a specialised diet that are more reliant on a specific food type. This can have a dramatic effect on its activity patterns, home range size and the interaction with heterospecifics. Investigating the diet of specialist mammals and the subsequent effects it will have on their ecology is thus vital to the management and subsequent conservation o...
Abstract: Little information is available on the termite species in southern Africa, especially Trinervitermes trinervoides (Sjöstedt). This is an endemic, non-detrimental harvester termite that performs vital ecosystem functions in the semi-arid grassland ecosystem of southern Africa. T. trinervoides is the only termite species that does not compete with grazers for foraging material since they harvest litter grass. T. trinervoides are highly eusocial, mound-building, nasute termites. The ...
Abstract: One of the major global concerns historically and in the twenty-first century is providing sufficient, safe and nutritious food to all people. New, existing and emerging technologies can help address the issue of food security in the East Africa region. This research examines the significance of innovation and technology in transforming the food systems in East Africa. Achieving hunger and improved food systems by 2030 according to the new sustainable development goals, will requir...
Abstract: Factors that influence the nutritional status of under-fives living with HIV/AIDS were assessed through a descriptive survey. These factors included feeding practices, health and socio-economic characteristics. The study was carried out at the Lea Toto Programme situated at Kangemi, Nairobi. Purposive sampling was used to select the under-fives. Stratified random sampling was done according to age and gender then random sampling done to obtain a proportionate number from each strat...
Abstract: Termites are ecosystem engineers with well documented functional roles in African savannas. However, how their importance changes across environmental gradients, such as rainfall and nutrition, is less understood. Using LiDAR data from the Carnegie Airborne Observatory, I mapped the distribution of termite mounds across an entire river catchment in the Kruger National Park, South Africa. Abiotic factors shaped mound densities at broader landscape scales, while local hillslope morph...
Abstract: A number of daily rhythms were investigated under different lighting conditions and the topographical arrangements of visual (rods/cones) and non-visual retinal photoreceptors (ipRGCs) determined, in the Namaqua rock mouse (Micaelamys namaquensis) and the four striped field mouse (Rhabdomys pumilio). The present study provides evidence that M. namaquensis possesses a distinctly nocturnal locomotor activity rhythm that is endogenously entrained by the light-dark cycle, with a near 2...
Abstract: Genetic parameters such as genetic variability, gene flow, relatedness and migration were determined between two South African coastal delphinid species, Cephalorhynchus heavisidii (Heaviside’s dolphin) and Tursiops aduncus (Indo-Pacific Bottlenose dolphin), in order to contribute towards designing efficient conservation management strategies. The molecular markers used in this study include the mitochondrial DNA control region (mtDNA) and several microsatellite loci that were ch...
Abstract: Phylogeographic patterns as well as divergence date estimates and the past population demography of Hemachatus haemachatus were analysed using nuclear and mitochondrial genetic markers. My results suggest that H. haemachatus forms a continuous population that diverged into two broad lineages due to glacial and interglacial cycles during the Plio-Pleistocene interval. During this interval, stable populations existed in the southern Cape and eastern inland regions of southern Africa....
Abstract: Oribi antelope (Ourebia ourebi), South Africa’s most endangered antelope species, are predominantly found on privately-owned lands. As such, the implementation of conservation strategies on these lands is essential if the species is to avoid extinction in South Africa. In order to develop effective private land conservation strategies for oribi, it is necessary to go beyond the ecology of the species and possess an understanding of private landowners’ attitudes towards and know...
Abstract: Many aspects of animal digestive form and function vary with ecological factors including diet composition and food availability. I examined phenotypic flexibility of digestive traits in white-browed sparrow-weavers (Plocepasser mahali), a widespread southern African passerine in which the ratio of insects to plant matter consumed varies seasonally. I predicted that digestive traits of P. mahali are modulated in response to diet composition. For experiment one, I caught forty-five ...
Abstract: The Western Cape is a unique area to undertake research, due to the varying oceanographic conditions along the coast. These diverse environments create a hotspot for cetacean presence and diversity. This study aimed to collate and map distribution information of local whale and dolphin species in the Western Cape using citizen science. The first data chapter focused on obtaining opportunistic sightings from water users from scientific, platform of opportunity and sporadic sighting ...
Abstract: The fragmentation and loss of natural habitats brings about species losses. These losses may be amplified or reduced by the composition of the habitats surrounding remnant habitat fragments, i.e the matrix. The influence of the matrix on biological assemblages is, however, complex and poorly understood. Therefore, in this dissertation, I aim to determine whether matrix transformation influences bird assemblages within remnant natural habitat fragments and how patterns of bird diver...
Abstract: The southern tip of South Africa is characterised by two major current systems, each of which is associated with its own species. The southwest coastal waters represent the limit of the local or global distribution ranges of four of the eight cetacean species that most frequently occur in the area. The goal of the present study was to determine the fine scale distribution of these species and subsequently investigate which environmental factors influence and possibly limit their cu...
Abstract: Beta diversity, defined as the variation or turnover in species composition, is important to the understanding of how ecological communities assemble. Studies of beta diversity during secondary forest succession may thus afford the chance to understand community assembly from a known onset. This study examined the relationship between regeneration age and beta diversity within and between seral stages along a coastal dune forest successional sere for three taxa (trees, millipedes, ...