Browsing POST-DOCTORAL RESEARCH OUTPUTS by Title
Now showing items 167-186 of 208
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Saving a tropical ecosystem from a destructive ant-scale (Pheidole megacephala, Pulvinaria urbicola) mutualism with support from a diverse natural enemy assemblage
(Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht, 2013)Ants can disrupt the natural biological control of serious hemipteran pests by interfering with natural enemies, resulting in a change in ecosystem functioning. We focus here on interference by a highly invasive ant ... -
Searching for generality in the patterns of parasite abundance and distribution: Ectoparasites of a South African rodent, Rhabdomys pumilio
(Elsevier Publishers, 2009)We studied abundance and distribution of seven ectoparasite species (fleas Chiastopsylla rossi and Dynopsyllus ellobius, a louse Polyplax arvicanthis, mites Androlaelaps fahrenholzi and Laelaps giganteus and two ticks ... -
Secondary invasion after clearing invasive Acacia saligna in the South African fynbos
(Eslervier, 2019)It is often assumed that clearing invasive alien species will lead to the dissipation of their negative impacts and recovery of native plant diversity. However, this is often not the case because clearing of primary invasive ... -
Seed characteristics in Cacataceae: Useful diagnostic features for screening species for invasiveness?
(Elsevier B.V., 2016)Invasive alien species impose a wide range of negative impacts in invaded ecosystems. Management strategies aiming to minimize these impacts include measures to prevent the introduction of potentially invasive species, ... -
Seed density is more effective than multi-trait limiting similarity in controlling grassland resistance against plant invasions in mesocosms
(International Association for Vegetation Science, 2018)Question: Disturbed areas offer great opportunities for restoring native biodiversity,but they are also prone to invasion by alien plants. Following the limiting similarityhypothesis, we address the question of whether ... -
Selection on floral traits through male fertility in a natural plant population
(Springer Science+Business Media B.V., 2008)Most studies on selection in plants estimate female fitness components and neglect male mating success, although the latter might also be fundamental to understand adaptive evolution. Information from molecular genetic ... -
Selection on phenotypic plasticity of morphological traits in response to flooding and competition in the clonal shore plant Ranunculus reptans
(European Society for Evolutionary Biology, 2007)Adaptive evolution of phenotypic plasticity requires that plastic genotypeshave the highest global fitness. We studied selection by spatial heterogeneity of interspecific competition and flooding, and by temporal heterogeneity ... -
Sex differences in developmental response to yeast hydrolysate supplements in adult Queensland fruit fly
(Netherlands Entomological Society, 2011)Post-teneral dietary supplements have been found to improve mating performance of male Bactrocera tryoni (Froggatt) (Diptera: Tephritidae) (Q-fly) and show considerable promise for enhancement of sterile insect technique ... -
Sex ratio rather than population size affects genetic diversity in Antennaria dioica
(German Society for Plant Sciences and The Royal Botanical Society of the Netherlands, 2018)• Habitat fragmentation and small population size can lead to genetic erosion in threatened plant populations. Classical theory implies that dioecy can counteract genetic erosion as it decreases the magnitude of inbreeding ... -
Sexual development of wild and mass-reared male Queensland fruit flies in response to natural food sources
(The Netherlands Entomological Society, 2011)Diet has a profound influence on the fitness of adult tephritid flies. Mass-reared flies are provided yeast hydrolysate as a rich source of nutrition that supports rapid sexual development and mating success. In contrast, ... -
Small urban centres as launching sites for plant invasions in natural areas: insights from South Africa
(Springer, 2017)Alien species are often first introduced to urban areas, so it is unsurprising that towns and cities are often hotspots for invasions. However, while large cities are usually the first sites of introduction, small towns ... -
Soft touch or heavy hand? Legislative approaches for preventing invasions: insights from cacti in South Africa
(Weeds Science Society of America, 2015)The rate of transportation, introduction, dissemination and spread of non-native species is increasing despite growing global awareness of the extent and impact of biological invasions. Effective policies are needed to ... -
Soil biochemical alterations and microbial community responses under Acacia dealbata Link invasion.
(Elsevier, 2014)A critical outcome of the invasive processes of exotic plants is the impact on soil microbial communities and chemical parameters. We studied the impact of Acacia dealbata on soils of mixed forests and shrublands. We ... -
Solving the puzzle of Pringleophaga – threatened, keystone detritivores in the sub-Antarctic
(The Royal Entomological Society, 2014)1. In the globally significant, lowland terrestrial systems of the sub-Antarctic’s South Indian Ocean Province Islands, caterpillars of the flightless moth genus Pringleophaga (Lepidoptera: Tineidae) are typically responsible ... -
Species richness-environment relationships of European arthropods at two spatial grains: Habitats and countries
(2012)We study how species richness of arthropods relates to theories concerning net primary productivity, ambient energy, water-energy dynamics and spatial environmental heterogeneity. We use two datasets of arthropod richness ... -
Stage-related variation in rapid cold hardening as a test of the environmental predictability hypothesis
(2007)The environmental predictability (EP) hypothesis proposes that rapid cold hardening (RCH) might be common in temperate species incapable of surviving freezing events and which also dwell in unpredictable environments. The ... -
Stakeholder perceptions and practices regarding Prosopis (mesquite) invasions and management in South Africa
(Springer, 2015)Invasive alien trees impact the environment and human livelihoods. The human dimensions of such invasions are less well understood than the ecological aspects, and this is hindering the development of effective management ... -
Standards for distribution models in biodiversity assessments
(Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial License 4.0, 2019)Demand for models in biodiversity assessments is rising, but which models are adequate for the task? We propose a set of best-practice standards and detailed guidelines enabling scoring of studies based on species distribution ... -
Starting a new population of Schwalbea Americana on a longleaf pine restoration site in South Carolina
(Southern Appalachian Botanical Society, 2016)A new population of federally endangered Schwalbea americana (American chaffseed) was initiated at the state of South Carolina Department of Natural Resources Woods Bay Heritage Preserve, near Turbeville, South Carolina, ... -
Successfully iplementing a citizen-scientist approach to insect monitoring in a resource-poor country
(American Institute of Biological Sciences, 2009-02)