RESEARCH: Robertson, M: Recent submissions
Now showing items 1-20 of 45
-
Double trouble: the implications of climate change for biological invasions
(2020)The implications of climate change for biological invasions are multifaceted and vary along the invasion process. Changes in vectors and pathways are likely to manifest in changes in transport routes and destinations, ... -
Classifying the introduction pathways of alien species: are we moving in the right direction?
(2020)Alien species are introduced to new regions in many different ways and for different purposes. A number of frameworks have been developed to group such pathways of introduction into discrete categories in order to improve ... -
Alnus glutinosa (Betulaceae) in South Africa: invasive potential and management options
(2020)Invasive alien plants cause major environmental and economic impacts and preventing the establishment and spread of emerging invaders is crucial. Black Alder (Alnus glutinosa) is well established as a widespread invader ... -
The threats posed by the pet trade in alien terrestrial invertebrates in South Africa
(2020)The pet trade has been a major pathway for the introduction of vertebrate invaders, but little is known about its role in invertebrate invasions. Here we assess the trade in terrestrial invertebrates (excluding spiders) ... -
Stronger regional biosecurity is essential to prevent hundreds of harmful biological invasions
(2020)Biological invasions often transcend political boundaries, but the capacity of countries to prevent invasions varies. How this variation in biosecurity affects the invasion risks posed to the countries involved is unclear. ... -
The historical distribution of megaherbivores does not determine the distribution of megafaunal fruit in southern Africa
(2019)Large specialized fruit (megafaunal fruit) have evolved alongside megaherbivores to take advantage of their unparalleled seed dispersal service. Megaherbivores were widespread and abundant in the Pleistocene but due to ... -
Low levels of intraspecific trait variation in a keystone invertebrate group
(2019)The trait-based approach to ecology promises to provide a mechanistic understanding of species distributions and ecosystem functioning. Typically, trait analyses focus on average species trait values and assume that ... -
Thermoregulatory traits combine with range shifts to alter the future of montane ant assemblages
(John Wiley & Sons Ltd, 2019)Predicting and understanding the biological response to future climate change is a pressing challenge for humanity. In the 21st century, many species will move into higher latitudes and higher elevations as the climate ... -
Range contraction to a higher elevation: the likely future of the montane vegetation in South Africa and Lesotho
(Springer, 2019)Global climate change is a major challenge for the future with serious potential impacts on biodiversity. Biodiversity in mountains is particularly vulnerable as many montane species are adapted to narrow microhabitats, ... -
Woody encroachment slows decomposition and termite activity in an African savannah
(John Wiley & Sons Ltd, 2018)Woody encroachment can lead to a complete switch from open habitats to dense thickets, and has the potential to greatly alter the biodiversity and ecological functioning of grassy ecosystems across the globe. Plant litter ... -
The potential range of Ailanthus altissima (tree of heaven) in South Africa: the roles of climate, land use and disturbance
(Springer, 2017)Invasive trees are a major problem in South Africa. Many species are well established whereas others are still in the early stages of invasion. The management of invasive species is most cost effective at the early stages ... -
The prognosis for Ailanthus altissima (Simaroubaceae; tree of heaven) as an invasive species in South Africa; insights from its performance elsewhere in the world
(Elsevier B.V., 2017)South Africa has a major problem with invasive plant species. Many species have long residence times, are well established, and have large invasive ranges, whereas others are still in the early stages of invasion. Predicting ... -
Prioritising surveillance for alien organisms transported as stowaways on ships travelling to South Africa.
(Public Library of Science, 2017)The global shipping network facilitates the transportation and introduction of marine and terrestrial organisms to regions where they are not native, and some of these organisms become invasive. South Africa was used as a ... -
Alien plant species that invade high elevations are generalists: support for the directional ecological filtering hypothesis
(International Association for Vegetation Science, 2017)Questions: The richness of invasive alien plant species tends to decrease with increasing elevation. This pattern may be due to alien plant species requiring traits allowing survival at high elevations (the Abiotic ... -
Coping with the cold: minimum temperatures and thermal tolerances dominate the ecology of mountain ants
(John Wiley & Sons Ltd, 2017)1. Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) are often cited as highly thermophilic and this has led to a range of studies investigating their thermal tolerances. It is unknown, however, if the geographic distribution of ant thermal ... -
The balance of trade in alien species between South Africa and the rest of Africa
(AOSIS, 2017)Background: Alien organisms are not only introduced from one biogeographical region to another but also spread within regions. As South Africa shares land borders with six countries, multiple opportunities exist for the ... -
Trophic ecology and persistence of invasive silver carp Hypophthalmichthys molitrix in an oligotrophic South African impoundment
(NISC (Pty) Ltd and Taylor & Francis, 2016)The alien invasive silver carp Hypophthalmichthys molitrix established a self-sustaining feral population in an oligotrophic impoundment, Flag Boshielo Dam, in South Africa. The ability of this population to persist in a ... -
An assessment of rehabilitation success in an African grassland using ants as bioindicators
(AOSIS, 2016)Many studies that evaluate rehabilitation make use of invertebrate bioindicators. Invertebrates, especially ants, make useful indicators as they are sensitive to environmental change. We compared ant assemblages in ... -
Ant assemblages have darker and larger members in cold environments
(John Wiley & Sons Ltd, 2016)Aim In ectotherms, the colour of an individual’s cuticle may have important thermoregulatory and protective consequences. In cool environments, ectotherms should be darker, to maximize heat gain, and larger, to minimize ... -
Evaluating habitat connectivity methodologies: a case study with endangered African wild dogs in South Africa
(Springer, 2016)Context In fragmented landscapes, connectivity between subpopulations is vital for species’ persistence. Various techniques are used to assess the degree of connectivity between habitat patches, yet their performance is ...