Abstract: The current study is about the evolution and the morphology of dung beetles, subfamily Scarabaeinae. The study includes the systematics of the tribe Canthonini and an exhaustive analysis of the morphological variation of male genitalia including species from the 11 tribes of the subfamily, mainly Canthonini, Ateuchini, Scarabaeini and Coprini. With the aim to go deep in the phylogenetic relationships of the tribe Canthonini, the largest of the subfamily Scarabaeinae, with 91 genera...
Abstract: The ecology and life history of the vlei rat, Otomys irroratus (Brants, 1827), were studied in a population on the Van Riebeeck Nature Reserve near Pretoria. Two main procedures were used to collect the basic information and material for the project. First, a permanent live-trapping grid was established where 333 animals were captured, marked, released, and recaptured over a period of 26 months, Second, snap-trapping and live-trapping were conducted elsewhere in the study area for ...
Abstract: The giant bullfrog, Pyxicephalus adspersus, is a large, explosive-breeding anuran from southern Africa, which spends most of the year buried in a state of torpor. In South Africa this species is considered to be Near-Threatened by habitat loss and other factors, especially in the densely human populated Gauteng Province. The aim of this thesis was to obtain essential outstanding information about the ecology of P. adspersus to contribute towards improved conservation management of ...
Abstract: Tropical forests are shrinking worldwide. This is mainly because human beings, in a bid to obtain a livelihood, have overexploited their timber and non-timber products. At Arabuko Sokoke Forest (ASF), Kenya, community-driven conservation projects have been initiated, to ensure that the people can draw a livelihood from this vital ecosystem without destroying it. Among the projects involved is apiculture in the vicinity of the forest. Although some studies have been carried out on v...
Abstract: Ungulate browsing and its ecological effects at plant, population, community, and ecosystem levels were addressed in a eutrophic southern African savanna. This was to test predictions of prevailing hypotheses, which are based on research in boreal and temperate forests. Changes in plant morpho-functional traits and population structure of a staple palatable species, Acacia nigrescens Miller were addressed over a two-year survey among vegetation stands with very different histories ...
Abstract: The conservation of biotic diversity is a growing challenge within southern Africa at the beginning of the 21st century. Growing populations and trends toward a questionable Western development model place demands on the use of land for food, fiber, and fuel production. The traditional establishment and use of formal conservation areas is being challenged against the needs of humans and the past unbalances created by colonial rule. Conservation areas, as isolated islands in a sea o...
Abstract: The inter- and intraspecific taxonomy of the genus Lepus is highly controversial. Since these animals play an important ecological role as prey species, their conservation is of high priority. A prerequisite for adequate management strategies is the precise knowledge of taxonomic borders and geographic distributions of the taxa in question. Especially in African hares the clear delimitations of the species and subspecies are still unresolved. In an attempt to obtain a clearer under...
Abstract: Please read the abstract in the section, 00front, of this document
Abstract: Field-based mesocosm studies may be used as conceptual experiments to examine theoretical questions using the generated empirical data. A field-based Drosophilidae-nectarine mesocosm, comprising sun and shaded microclimate treatments arranged in a checkerboard design, was used in this thesis to examine four theoretical objectives. First, the efficacy of spatial analysis for detecting empirical pattern was examined. Natural variation weakened spatial structuring. However, hypothesis...
Abstract: The woodwasp Sirex noctilio is one of the most serious invasive pests of Pinus plantations in the southern hemisphere. Extensive control programs have been developed to manage this pest, of which biological control has been a major component. This thesis examined the factors that could influence the control of S. noctilio in South Africa. A critical comparison of S. noctilio infestations and control efforts throughout the southern hemisphere revealed that control has not been unifo...
Abstract: The bioorganic fertilizer obtained through aerobic fermentation comprises a number of growth substances, vitamins, antibiotics, amino acids and useful micro-organisms. Bioorganic liquid fertilizer not only increases bioorganic fertility of crops (in comparison to the control and prototype fertilizer), but also accelerates their maturation and nutrient quality. Thus, the present study was aimed to produce bioorganic liquid fertilizer from camel manure and groundnut husks through aer...
Abstract: Crop yield in most parts of western Ethiopia, where the study area is located, is generally low due to low soil fertility, particularly as a result of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) deficiency, and soil acidity. Although field pea is capable of fixing atmospheric nitrogen biologically in association with root nodule bacteria, the effectiveness of the bacteria under different host plants and environmental factors has not been evaluated in the study area. This study was initiated to...
Abstract: In sub-Saharan Africa, plant nutrient deficiency, due to nutrient mining, is a major growth limiting factor for crop production. As a result, some soils become non responsive to Rhizobial inoculation. In an effort to find out possible correction, a field experiment was carried out on-farm, during 2016/17 growing season, at Gondar Zuria woreda in Tsion and Denzaz Kebeles to evaluate the effect of Rhizobium inoculation, S and Zn application on yield and yield parameters, nodulation, ...
Abstract: Potato is an important food security and cash crop in eastern Hararghe Zone. However, the productivity of the crop is constrained by low soil fertility and poor fertilizer management practices. Therefore, a field experiment was conducted at Haramaya watershed in Haramaya District, Eastern Ethiopia; during the 2014 using irrigation. The main objective of the study was to assess the effects of integrated nutrient management on potato growth, yield and yield components and selected ph...
Abstract: The diffusion of agricultural practices is shaped by the relationships among actors in the social systems and this influences the extent of their adoption by the farmers. The objectives of this study were to assess farmers’ social networks and their explicit role in the diffusion and adoption of selected Climate-smart agriculture (CSA) practices in Sheema District of Uganda. The mixed-methods approach including both qualitative and quantitative measurements to contextually collec...