ABSTRACT Invasive species disrupt ecosystems and may consume resources and eventually replace indigenous species. This has been well documented for the Mediterranean mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis throughout the world. This study assessed the spatial and temporal variation of population structure, recruitment patterns, condition index and abundance of the indigenous mussel Perna Perna and alien mussel M. galloprovincialis at three different sites on the central Namibian coast. Sampling too...
ABSTRACT Citrullus lanatus (Thumb.) Matsumura & Nakai seeds are valued for their oil for both household consumption and in the cosmetic and pharmaceutical industry. The immense monetary value offered for its seeds has resulted in over-exploitation of C. lanatus. This study investigated the ethnobotany, seed production, germination and viability of C. lanatus under controlled greenhouse and natural field conditions. An ethnobotanical study was carried out were resource users and key informant...
ABSTRACT Bush encroachment is the conversion of open savannas to tree-dominated shrub lands. Bush encroachment results in habitat degradation and the loss of resource productivity. In this study, small mammals were used to investigate the effects of bush encroachment on biodiversity. The main aim of this study was to assess the effects of bush encroachment on the species abundance, diversity and composition of small mammals. The study was conducted in selected bush encroached and non-bush en...
ABSTRACT Provision of artificial water points to large herbivores leads to range deterioration and degradation, especially in semi-arid and arid ecosystems. This is a cause for concern in both protected and private lands in Namibia and elsewhere. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine the impact of large herbivores on soils and vegetation around water points in the Waterberg Plateau Park (WPP). Five artificial water points were selected for the study. Four line-transects sta...
Abstract In Namibia, large areas burn each year with a distribution of burn relating to the rainfall gradient. As a result fires are widespread and frequent in the north, especially in the northeast. In these areas more than 2 million hectares of forested land burn each year. Fires, amongst other factors, have negative effects on biodiversity. These effects have not been fully assessed. Therefore, this study was conducted to investigate the effect of different fire frequencies on vegetation ...
ABSTRACT Human societies have, for centuries, impacted and altered the natural environments through different land use practises. Unsustainable land use practices are seen as one of the major threats to biodiversity around the globe. Therefore, the main objective of this study was to assess the impacts of different land use types, mainly grazing and browsing by wildlife and livestock; land clearance for cultivation and wood harvesting on plant species diversity, composition and vegetation st...
Abstract The objectives of this study were to describe reproduction, diet, nematode infection and sexual dimorphism in Agama anchietae and Pedioplanis undata undata, two Namibian lizard species with wide geographic distributions for which such baseline ecological information is still lacking. The specimens used in the study came from the preserved Herpetological Collection of the National Museum of Namibia. Agama anchietae occupies rocky areas and the findings were as follows, reproduction: ...
Abstract The European pond turtle (Emys orbicularis) is one of the most endangered vertebrate species in Germany. The species conservation programme “Europäische Sumpfschildkröte”, which was initiated in 1993 / 94, deals with the exploration of biology and the protection of the few still existing small populations. For the protection of the species, reintroduction to its former range is taken into consideration. The present study evaluates the habitat suitability of the nature reserve ...
ABSTRACT Zoonotic diseases are infections acquired from vertebrate animals (wild or domesticated) animals to humans through direct or indirect contact with live animals, their derivatives or contaminated surroundings. The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence of potential bacterial zoonoses in selected trophy hunted species Loxodonta Africana (African Elephant), Syncerus caffer (African Buffalo), Tragelaphus strepsiceros (Kudu), Hippopotamus amphibious (Hippopotamus), Hippotragus ...
ABSTRACT Like terrestrial systems, marine ecosystems are constantly impacted upon by conditions arising from anthropogenically modified abiotic environments, climate change, as well as biotic agents. Marine mussels are widely regarded as ecosystem engineers. The Brown mussel species Perna perna is one such species. Mussels offer a wide range of advantages to intertidal communities through their structure and biomass, as they help increase the spatial heterogeneity in benthic processes, by se...
ABSTRACT Invasive alien species (IAS) are non-native species that cause, or have the potential to cause, harm to the environment, economies, or human health. The threat to biodiversity due to invasive alien species is considered second to that of habitat loss. The focus of the 2 study was on one of the invasive alien plant Datura innoxia. The study was conducted in the City of Windhoek, the capital of Namibia, situated at 22.56°S, 17.09°E. The aim of the research project was to study the d...
ABSTRACT This study was conducted to investigate the patterns of genetic differentiation of Cape hake (Merluccius capensis) across Southern Africa, using eight nuclear microsatellite markers to understand the seasonal movements of the two previously identified stocks. The aim of the project was to assess the position of the genetic break in two different temporal sampling events: summer months (February – March) and winter months (June – August) and to investigate the level of genetic di...