Browsing POST-DOCTORAL RESEARCH OUTPUTS by Title
Now showing items 83-102 of 214
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Habitat disturbance selects against both small and large species across varying climates
(Nordic Society Oikos, 2018)Global extinction drivers, including habitat disturbance and climate change, are thought to affect larger species more than smaller species. However, it is unclear if such drivers interact to affect assemblage body size ... -
Harnessing degraded lands for biodiversity conservation
(Elsevier GmbH, 2011)Land degradation affects an estimated 24% of the global land area. While predominantly discussed as an environmental problem, degraded lands have recently been reconsidered as an untapped resource for production industries ... -
High genetic diversity declines towards the geographic range periphery of Adonis vernalis, a Eurasian dry grassland plant
(German Botanical Society and The Royal Botanical Society of the Netherlands, 2015)Genetic diversity is important for species’ fitness and evolutionary processes but our knowledge on how it varies across a species’ distribution range is limited. The abundant centre hypothesis (ACH) predicts that ... -
High metabolic and water-loss rates in caterpillar aggregations: evidence against the resource-conservation hypothesis
(Company of Biologists, 2013)Several hypotheses have been proposed for explaining animal aggregation, including energy or water conservation. However, these physiological hypotheses have not been well investigated. Here, we report the effects of ... -
Historical range contraction, and not taxonomy, explains the contemporary genetic structure of the Australian tree, Acacia dealbata Link
(Springer, 2018)Irrespective of its causes, strong population genetic structure indicates a lack of gene flow. Understanding the processes that underlie such structure, and the spatial patterns it causes, is valuable for conservation ... -
How much evolutionary history in a 10x10m plot?
(2006)We use a fully dated phylogenetic tree of the angiospermfamilies to calculate phylogenetic diversity (PD) in four South African vegetation types with distinct evolutionary histories. Since the branch length values are in ... -
Human activities, propagule pressure and alien plants in the sub-Antarctic: Tests of generalities and evidence in support of management
(Elsevier Ltd., 2013)Despite concerns about the richness of plant invaders on islands, and their likely effects on local systems, impacts of these species seem to be small. However, this may be due to an absence of information on impacts, ... -
Human health risks of metal and metalloids in muscle tissue of Synodontis zambezensis Peters, 1852 from Flag Boshielo Dam, South Africa
(NISC (Pty) Ltd, 2017)Muscle tissue from 63 Synodontis zambezensis collected bimonthly in 2013 at Flag Boshielo Dam were analysed for metals and metalloids in a desktop human health risk assessment. The Hazard Quotient, based on a weekly meal of ... -
Human health risks of metalloids and metals in muscle tissue of silver carp Hypophthalmichthys molitrix (Valenciennes, 1844) from Lake Flag Boshielo, South Africa
(NISC (Pty) Ltd, 2018)The Olifants River, a major tributary of the Limpopo River, is one of the most polluted rivers in South Africa. Consequently, concerns regarding the human health impact of long-term consumption of fish from the Olifants ... -
Hyptis suaveolens: An emerging invader of Vindhyan plateau, India
(Weed Science Society of Japan, 2009)This article addresses the change in species composition in Hyptis suaveolens-dominated and H. suaveolens-uninvaded locations in the Vindhyan dry deciduous forest of India.We also assessed the environmental variables that ... -
Identifying barriers to effective management of widespread invasive alien trees: Prosopis species (mesquite) in South Africa as a case study.
(Elsevier Ltd, 2016)Biological invasions are a major driver of ecological and social change globally. The negative effects of these invasions have led to the initiation of programs to manage these invasions across the world. Management aims ... -
Identifying knowledge gaps in the research and management of invasive species in India
(2019)India, a megadiverse tropical country is grappling with the issue of biological invasions. As a signatory to the Convention on Biological Diversity, India is committed for managing its major biological invasions by 2020. ... -
Impact of anthropogenic transportation to Antarctica on alien seed viability
(Springer-Verlag, 2010-04-27)Antarctic ecosystems are at risk from the introduction of invasive species. The first step in the process of invasion is the transportation of alien species to Antarctic in a viable state. However, the effect of longdistance ... -
The impact of invasive aquatic plants on ecosystem services and human well-being in Wular Lake, India
(Springer, 2018)Alien invasive species cause significant impacts on ecosystems and economies, but the impacts on human well-being and livelihoods are less well known. Negative impacts can be particularly severe when caused by floating ... -
Impacts of Carpobrotus edulis (L.) N.E.Br. on the germination, establishment and survival of native plants: A clue for assessing its competitive strength
(Public Library of Science, 2014-09-11)Does Carpobrotus edulis have an impact on native plants? How do C. edulis’ soil residual effects affect the maintenance of native populations? What is the extent of interspecific competition in its invasion process? In ... -
Insect diversity in Cape fynbos and neighbouring South African vegetation
(Blackwell Publishing Ltd, 2006)Aim It has often been suggested that South Africa’s Cape fynbos shrublands, although extremely rich in plant species, are poor in insects, thus representing a notable exception from the broad plant–insect diversity ... -
Insect thermal tolerance: what is the role of ontogeny, ageing and senescence?
(Cambridge Philosophical Society, 2008)Temperature has dramatic evolutionary fitness consequences and is therefore a major factor determining the geographic distribution and abundance of ectotherms. However, the role that age might have on insect thermal tolerance ... -
Inter-specific competitive stress does not affect the magnitude of inbreeding depression
(Yvonne Willi, 2007)Hypothesis: Stressful inter-specific competition enhances inbreeding depression. Organisms: Creeping spearwort (Ranunculus reptans L.) and its common competitor, the creeping bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera L.). Field ... -
Interactions among multiple invasive animals
(Ecological Society of America, 2015)With accelerating rates of invasion being documented in many ecosystems, communities of interacting invasive species are becoming increasingly common. Opposing theories predict that invaders can either hinder or promote ... -
Intra- and interspecific hybridization in invasive Siberian elm
(Springer, 2017)Hybridization creates unique allele combinations which can facilitate the evolution of invasiveness. Frequent interspecific hybridization between the Siberian elm, Ulmus pumila, and native elm species has been detected ...