• Quantifying the social and economic benefits of the biological control of invasive alien plants in natural ecosystems 

  van Wilgen, B.W.; Raghu, S.; Sheppard, A.W.; Schaffner, U. (2020)

  Invasive alien plants reduce ecosystem service delivery, resulting in environmental, economic and social costs. Here we review the returns on investment from biological control of alien plants that invade natural ecosystems. ...

• Invasive alien species add to the uncertain future of protected areas 

  Moodley, D.; Foxcroft, L.C.; Novoa, A.; Pyšková, K.; Pergl, J.; Pyšek, P. (2020)

• Functional traits explain the Hutchinsonian niches of plant species 

  Treurnicht, M.; Pagel, J.; Tonnabel, J.; Esler, K.J.; Slingsby, J.A.; Schurr, F.M. (2020)

  Aim: The Hutchinsonian niche is a foundational concept in ecology and evolutionary biology that describes fundamental characteristics of any species: the global maximum population growth rate (rmax); the niche optimum (the ...

• Lions Panthera leo prefer killing certain cattle Bos taurus types 

  Weise, F.J.; Tomeletso, M.; Stein, A.B.; Somers, M.J.; Hayward, M.W. (2020)

  Simple Summary Livestock production continues to increase throughout the world. Meanwhile, lions are becoming increasingly endangered, in part due to the severe conflict arising from cattle predation. Because cattle closely ...

• Biogeographical comparison of terrestrial invertebrates and trophic feeding guilds in the native and invasive ranges of Carpobrotus edulis 

  Rodríguez, J.; Novoa, A.; Cordero-Rivera, A.; Richardson, D.M.; González, L. (2020)

  Plant invasions impact on biodiversity by altering the composition of native communities by disrupting taxonomic and functional diversity. Non-native plants are often released from their natural enemies, which might result ...

• Variation in individual biomass decreases faster than mean biomass with increasing density of bamboo stands 

  Liu, G.H.; Hui, C.; Chen, M.; Pile, L.S.; Wang, G.G.; Wang, F.S.; Shi, P.J. (2020)

  The total biomass of a stand is an indicator of stand productivity and is closely related to the density of plants. According to the self-thinning law, mean individual biomass follows a negative power law with plant density. ...

• Invasive Mesquite (Prosopis juliflora), an allergy and health challenge 

  Hussain, M.I.; Shackleton, R.T.; El-Keblawy, A.; Perez, M.D.T.; Gonzalez, L. (2020)

  Mesquite (Prosopis juliflora (Sw.) DC), is an medium-sized tree (family Fabaceae, subfamily Mimosoideae), that has been intorcuded around the world. It is a noxious invasive species in Africa, Asia, and the Arabian Peninsula ...

• Co-occurring predators increase biotic resistance against an invasive prey 

  Skein, L.; Alexander, M.E.; Robinson, T.B. (2020)

  The presence of multiple predators can lead to variation in predator behavior and ultimately altered risk for shared prey. This concept has seldom been accounted for in studies that consider predator-driven biotic resistance ...

• Dietary observations of four southern African agamid lizards (Agamidae) 

  Tan, W.C.; Herrel, A.; Measey, J. (2020)

  Analysis of stomach contents can provide insights into foraging mode, habitat use, and dietary specialization of animals. In this paper, we make observations on the poorly known diet of four southern African agamid species, ...

• Horizon scanning for South African biodiversity: a need for social engagement as well as science 

  Seymour, C.L.; Gillson, L.; Child, M.; Tolley, K.A.; Curie, J.; da Silva, J.M.; Alexander, G.J.; Anderson, P.; Downs, C.T.; Egoh, B.; Ehlers Smith, D.A.; Ehlers, Y.C.; Esler, K.J.; O’farrell, P.J.; Skowno, A.L.; Suleman, E.; Veldtman, R. (2020)

  A horizon scan was conducted to identify emerging and intensifying issues for biodiversity conservation in South Africa over the next 5–10 years. South African biodiversity experts submitted 63 issues of which ten were ...

• Invasion syndromes: a systematic approach for predicting biological invasions and facilitating effective management 

  Novoa, A.; Richardson, D.M.; Pyšek, P.; Meyerson, L.A.; Bacher, S.; Canavan, S.; Catford, J.A.; Čuda, J.; Essl, F.; Foxcroft, L.C.; Genovesi, P.; Hirsch, H.; Hui, C.; Jackson, M.C.; Kueffer, C.; Le Roux, J.J.; Measey, J.; Mohanty, N.P.; Moodley, D.; Müller-Schärer, H.; Packer, J.G.; Pergl, J.; Robinson, T.B.; Saul, W.C.; Shackleton, R.T.; Visser, V.; Weyl, O.L.F.; Yannelli, F.A.; Wilson, J.R.U. (2020)

  Our ability to predict invasions has been hindered by the seemingly idiosyncratic context-dependency of individual invasions. However, we argue that robust and useful generalisations in invasion science can be made by ...

• The threats posed by the pet trade in alien terrestrial invertebrates in South Africa 

  Nelufule, T.; Robertson, M.P.; Wilson, J.R.U.; Faulkner, K.T.; Sole, C.; Kumschick, S. (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) ...

• Leopard Panthera pardus density in southern Mozambique: evidence from spatially explicit capture-recapture in Xonghile Game Reserve 

  Strampelli, P.; Andresen, L.; Everatt, K.T.; Somers, M.J.; Rowcliffe, J.M. (2020)

  Rigorous status estimates of populations of large carnivores are necessary to inform their management and help evaluate the effectiveness of conservation interventions. The African leopard Panthera pardus faces rising ...

• Photoperiodic effects on the male gonads of the Namibian gerbil, Gerbilliscus cf. leucogaster from central Namibia 

  Muteka, S.P.; Chimimba, C.T.; Bastos, A.D.S.; Bennett, N.C. (2020)

  Photoperiodism has been shown to be an important synchronizer of seasonal reproduction in many rodent species in the wild; it is a reliable cue as in the southern hemisphere it coincides with the onset of rainfall and hence ...

• On the RIP: using Relative Impact Potential to assess the ecological impacts of invasive alien species 

  Dickey, J.W.E.; Cuthbert, R.N.; South, J.; Britton, J.R.; Caffrey, J.; Chang, X.; Crane, K.; Coughlan, N.E.; Fadaei, E.; Farnsworth, K.D.; Ismar-Rebitz, S.M.H.; Joyce, P.W.S.; Julius, M.; Laverty, C.; Lucy, F.E.; MacIsaac, H.J.; McCard, M.; McGlade, C.L.O.; Reid, N.; Ricciardi, A.; Wasserman, R.J.; Weyl, O.L.F.; Dick, J.T.A. (2020)

  Invasive alien species continue to arrive in new locations with no abatement in rate, and thus greater predictive powers surrounding their ecological impacts are required. In particular, we need improved means of quantifying ...

• Monitoring the silver carp invasion in Africa: a case study using environmental DNA (eDNA) in dangerous watersheds 

  Crookes, S.; Heer, T.; Castañeda, R.A.; Mandrak, N.E.; Heath, D.D.; Weyl, O.L.F.; MacIsaac, H.J.; Foxcroft, L.C. (2020)

  Biodiverse habitats are increasingly subject to an intensification of anthropogenic stressors that may severely diminish species richness. Invasive species pose a dominant threat to biodiversity and biosecurity, particularly ...

• Comparative demography of Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel) and Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) (Diptera: Tephritidae) on deciduous fruit 

  Pieterse, W.; Manrakhan, A.; Terblanche, J.S.; Addison, P. (2020)

  Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel) and Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) are highly polyphagous fruit fly species and important pests of commercial fruit in regions of the world where they are present. In South Africa, B. dorsalis ...

• Mapping the socio-ecological impacts of invasive plants in South Africa: Are poorer households with high ecosystem service use most at risk? 

  Reynolds, C.; Venter, N.; Cowie, B.W.; Marlin, D.; Mayonde, S.; Tocco, C.; Byrne, M.J. (2020)

  It is generally suggested that invasive alien plant species (IAPS) negatively affect livelihoods. However, there is a need to find more generalisable patterns of IAPS impacts on livelihoods, which are useful for decision ...

• The first management of a marine invader in Africa: the importance of trials prior to setting long-term management goals 

  Mabin, C.A.; Wilson, J.R.U.; Le Roux, J.J.; Majiedt, P.; Robinson, T.B. (2020)

  Biological invasions severely impact on marine ecosystems around the world, but to date management is rare and has not previously been attempted in Africa. This study documents a trial management programme aimed at informing ...

• South Africa's newly approved marine protected areas have increased the protected modelled habitat of nine odontocete species 

  Purdon, J.; Shabangu, F.; Pienaar, M.; Somers, M.J.; Findlay, K. (2020)

  Marine protected areas (MPAs) are important for the preservation of ecosystem functioning, ecosystem services, resilience and biodiversity around the world. In South Africa, the role of MPAs in the protection of cetaceans ...

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