Abstract: In this thesis, I investigated the relationship between host and pathogen in multi-host and multi-pathogen systems at the interface between wildlife and domestic species. The term “epidemiological interaction” was central to my thesis, and was defined as “any ecological interaction between two host populations resulting in the transmission of one or more pathogen”. Epidemiological interactions are related to the processes of transmission between hosts and I investigated how...
Abstract: Please read the abstract in the section, 09summary, of this document
Abstract: The responsiveness of South African fauna to climate change events is poorly documented and not routinely incorporated into regional conservation planning exercises. The lack of detailed distribution data for appreciable numbers of taxa demands a modeling solution. We develop a climate envelope model to predict potential distribution range changes. The model can be used to interpolate the distributions of poorly sampled taxa as well as predict responses to a changing climate. It is...
Abstract: The distributional range of the Tete veld rat, Aethomys ineptus, extends from the Limpopo Province in the north through to the south of KwaZulu Natal. The Tete veld rat is a seasonal breeder, with the breeding period confmed to the wet summer months of the year in the Gauteng Province of South Africa. The seasonality of reproduction in the Tete veld rat is confirmed by reproductive tract morphometrics, ovarian histology, plasma progesterone, and oestradiol-17β in females, and test...
Abstract: The aim of this study was to investigate various aspects of the life history of white sharks Carcharodon carcharias at Dyer Island, South Africa, between August 1999 and January 2001. Inter-specific predatory interactions between the white shark and various potential prey species such as the Cape fur seal (Arctocephalus pusillus pusillus), African penguin (Spheniscus demersus), Cape cormorant (Phalacrocorax capensis), bank cormorant (P. neglectus), crown cormorant (P. coronatus) an...
Abstract: Life-history features of terrestrial mammals in the southern African subregion were explored in an attempt to identify the factor(s) that may influence the evolution of common mammalian life-history patterns within this subregion. Allometry and phylogeny were found to underly most of the variation observed in life-history features. Residual variation was considered and age at maturity, gestation period and litter size emerged as additional features influencing life-history patterns...
Abstract: Please read the abstract in the section 00front of this document
Abstract: Please read the abstract in the section 00front of this document
Abstract: Researchers use changes in bird community composition to illustrate ecological succession in restoration studies. These studies utilise a variety of methods, some of which may bias their outcomes. Here I used the point and line transect methods to obtain community compositions as well as to estimate total density, species richness and species diversity for bird communities living in a successional sere of coastal dune habitats. The two methods yielded similar estimates of community...
Abstract: Field data were collected and analysed on the feeding and spatial ecology of brown hyaenas living in the Makgadikgadi National Park and in an adjacent Wildlife Management Area where local subsistence pastoralists live. The responses of the pastoralists to a questionnaire designed to document their perceptions of and attitudes towards brown hyaenas and other carnivores that live in the vicinity of their residences, were also analysed. Brown hyaenas living in the Makgadikgadi Nationa...
Abstract: A widely observed pattern in nature is a positive relationship between local abundance and spatial distribution. This study investigates this relationship amongst three taxa namely rodents, millipedes and trees on regenerating and unmined coastal dune forests at Richards Bay, KwaZulu-Natal. No sensible analyses were possible on the rodent data. Both millipedes and trees had a positive relationship between local abundance and distribution (measured as species incidence). Millipedes ...
Abstract: Landscapes are inherently heterogeneous. However, some portions of a landscape are more heterogeneous than others and are therefore not equally suitable for resource extraction by elephants. Elephants have large energy demands to meet and should spend the majority of their time in areas where they are able to forage optimally. Identifying the determinants of home range location and area may therefore provide insight into aspects of landscape utilization by elephants. Using vegetati...
Abstract: Please read the abstract in the 00front of this document.
Abstract: The structuring of ant assemblages in a Southern African savanna was investigated using data from the only long-term, large-scale savanna fire experiment in Africa. A comprehensive survey of three habitats in the Kruger National Park (KNP) revealed a total of 169 ant species from 41 genera. The sampling efficiency and consistency of pitfall traps and Winkler samples for inventory, bioindicator and ecological studies in savanna habitats was compared using ants. Pitfall traps were mo...
Abstract: Sexual differences in the diet of Little Penguins Eudyptula minor at four geographically isolated colonies in Victoria, Australia were investigated over 12 breeding seasons, between 1985 and 2005. The weighted relative occurrence of each prey species consumed was calculated and compared at a seasonal, annual as well as locational scale, and differences in prey size were examined. Penguin body masses differed significantly between sexes and locations, with males consistently being t...