Abstract: A holistic evolutionary approach is used in the Gorongosa thesis in which emphasis is on the salient reciprocal relations and kinetic succession of land surfaces and biotic communities, influenced by landscape processes and prime mover components. As correlations of these relations and processes require both a total interacting framework and the details of its prime components, the thesis is divided into three main parts: (1) synopsis of the essence of the Gorongosa ecosystem and t...
Abstract: Please read the abstract in the section 08summary of this document
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: Please read the abstract in the section 00front of this document
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: The most important indigenous bee plant in South Africa is the winter flowering Aloe greatheadii var davyana, with a widespread distribution across the summer rainfall region. Beekeepers commonly move their hives to the "aloe fields" during winter, using the strong pollen and nectar flow for colony growth, queen rearing and honey production. In spite of its importance for the bee industry, no complete pollen analysis is available and, except for the popular bee literature, little i...
Abstract: Ecological restoration that aims to reinstate indigenous processes may be constrained by regional and local conditions, especially those that drive dispersal and colonisation. Local conditions can be managed, while regional conditions cannot. The management of costly rehabilitation programmes is considered best practice when scientifically informed. My thesis documents the responses of biological communities to a range of local conditions developing in coastal dune habitats in resp...
Abstract: Most elephants in South Africa live in enclosed areas such as the Tembe Elephant Park in Maputaland. The Park also protects sand forest. This can create a conflict of interest as elephants may influence species typical of these forests. To assess the effects that elephants may have for vegetation, I compare variables of similar plant communities inside and outside the Park. I then compared the space and landscape utilization of elephants living in the Park with those of free-rangin...
Abstract: The pupal cocoons of two southern African wild silkmoth species, Gonometa postica and G. rufobrunnea (Lepidoptera: Lasiocampidae), are composed of high quality silk and have potential as a commercially viable resource. However, limited ecological research has been done on these species, and their population dynamics is especially poorly known. A steady and predictable supply of cocoons is paramount to the economic sustainability of a wild silk industry. There is thus an urgent need...
Abstract: The savanna elephant is a flagship species for conservation in Maputaland, a biologically diverse centre of endemism. At present Maputaland’s elephants are fragmented into two sub-populations, those confined to the Tembe Elephant Park (TEP) and those roaming across the Maputo Elephant Reserve (MER) and along the Futi Corridor. Fragmentation may have affected the sub-populations by skewing age and sex ratios, decreasing survival, isolating the sub-populations, and restricting land...
Abstract: The Hersiliidae of the Afrotropical Region is revised and the phylogenetic positions of taxa within the family cladistically analysed. The following genera have been newly erected: Tyrotama gen. nov. for Tama arida and seven additional species, and Prima gen. nov. for P. ansieae spec. nov. and one additional species. The genera Murricia Simon and Neotama Baehr&Baehr are recorded for the first time from the Afrotropical Region. All valid species are redescribed. The following 20 spe...
Abstract: Heaviside's dolphin (Cephalorhynchus heavisidii) is a poorly studied coastal delphinid with a limited inshore distribution off the west coast of southern Africa where it is sympatric with the similar sized dusky dolphin (Lagenorhynchus obscurus). It is exposed to an unknown level of bycatch particularly in near-shore set-net fisheries and is also potentially impacted by the growing boat-based whale watching industry in South Africa. In this thesis I describe the results of a study ...