Department of Biodiversity and Conservation Biology
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Snake community structure in a heterogeneous fynbos ecosystem
(University of the Western Cape, 2022)Snakes occur in most terrestrial ecosystems, forming an integral part of many ecological communities. A diverse community of snakes in an ecosystem can indicate a complex habitat structure capable of supporting a diverse ... -
Conservation and resource-use relations: Analysis for protected area expansion feasibility in the Western Cape
(University of the Western Cape, 2022)It is assumed that expanding the size and/or number of protected and conservation areas can contribute to more effective conservation, ecosystem services and environmental protection. Expansion is normally a response to ... -
Investigating the relationship between novel farming practices and zoonotic disease transmission at the wildlife/livestock interface: A case study at a commercial farm and conservancy in Beaufort West, South Africa
(University of the Western Cape, 2022)In recent years, the intensification of agricultural activities in South Africa, has led to many of the sectors farmers adopting novel farming practices as a means of promoting economic productivity. One such practice, is ... -
Phylogeography and co-evolution of ectoparasitic mites that live on the rodent host species Lemniscomys rosalia (Rodentia: Muridea)
(University of the Western Cape, 2022)Lemniscomys rosalia is a widespread, possibly cryptic species of murid grass mouse. Cytogenetic evidence points towards cryptic speciation in L. rosalia as the eastern African karyotype (2N = 54; FNA = 62) differs from the ... -
Autecology of the rhombic egg-eater, Dasypeltis scabra
(University of the Western Cape, 2022)Efforts to prevent global losses of biodiversity are hindered by incomplete knowledge of the functional importance of species. In part, this is due to a paucity of information on the basic biology of most species resulting ... -
How Do Teachers and Learners Navigate the Terrain of Ecology and What are the Associated Conceptual Understandings?
(University of the Western Cape, 2011)This thesis relates the teaching of ecology in schools to the requirements of the National Curriculum Statements, Grades R-9 and Grades 10-12, for Natural and Life Sciences. It examines the conceptual understanding of the ... -
Description and assessment of neuston 1 communities present in the South Indian Ocean
(University of the Western Cape, 2022)Animal communities living at the sea-surface are relatively poorly known, despite the fact that this biotope is globally distributed, it acts as an important nursery area for many commercially important taxa and supports ... -
Using faecal DNA to investigate the diet of the snakes, Psammophis crucifer and Psammophylax rhombeatus
(University of the Western Cape, 2022)Knowledge of the feeding ecology of an organism helps us to better understand predator-prey relationships and aspects of species biology, ecology and life-history traits. Understanding the feeding ecologies of snakes is ... -
Systematics of subtribe Anthosperminae and the generic affinities of Anthospermum and Nenax (Rubiaceae: Anthospermeae)
(University of Western Cape, 2021)The last taxonomic treatment of the subtribe Anthosperminae was in 1986 by Puff., nevertheless, few attempts have been made to resolve the phylogeny and the inter- and infrageneric relationships within the subtribe. The ... -
Heteroscleromorph demosponge taxonomy and diversity of the Amathole region (Eastern Cape, South Africa)
(University of Western Cape, 2022)Sponges are functionally important and ubiquitous components of the global marine benthos. South Africa accounts for roughly 4% of the global marine sponge diversity, comprising 374 described species and seven varieties/forms, ... -
A biogeographic, phylogenetic and taxonomic evaluation of South African orthopteran species (Orthoptera: Pneumoridae)
(University of the Western Cape, 2021)The order Orthoptera contains a wide diversity of species and is the most speciose of the polyneopteran insect lineages. In South Africa, the orthopteran fauna is abundant and diverse, with approximately 88% of all Southern ... -
The Shallow water bryozoans of the West Coast of South Africa
(University of the Western Cape, 2005)The South African biota is characterised by high levels of diversity and endemism. While commercially viable taxa have been well-studied, cryptic organisms such as bryozoans, have been neglected in terms of study. Taxonomic ... -
Re-descriptions of some southern African Scyphozoa: out with the old and in with the new
(University of the Western Cape, 2009)Two species of Chrysaora are described from the northern Benguela ecosystem: C. fulgida and C. africana. These species can be diagnosed by a combination of morphological features including lappet and tentacle number, shape ... -
Spatia-temporal dynamics in land use and habitat fragmentation in the Sandveld, South Africa
(University of the Western Cape, 2010)The Cape Floristic Region (CFR) in South Africa, is one of the world's five Mediterranean hotspots, and is also one of the 34 global biodiversity hotspots. It has rich biological diversity, high level of species endemism ... -
The diet and feeding ecology of the brown house snake, Boaedon capensis
(University of the Western Cape, 2022)African brown house snakes (Boaedon capensis) are widely thought to be dietary specialists that predominantly consume rodents. Given their ubiquitous distribution, these snakes potentially play an important role in ... -
Taxonomy and diversity of the sponge fauna from the Agulhas bank hard reef complex off the South African south coast
(University of Western Cape, 2021)Hard benthic reefs are increasingly known as highly diverse biodiversity ecosystems where sponges constitute a significant proportion of inhabitants. Nearly 60% of the seabed over the inner and outer shelf on the Agulhas ... -
Studies on the ecology and taxonomy of nematodes of Saldanha Bay, South Africa
(University of the Western Cape, 2013)Few studies of shallow water marine nematodes have been conducted around South Africa, and none from the west coast. Here, I analyse the composition of nematode communities from six stations along a 3 km transect in Saldanha ... -
How do teachers and learners navigate the terrain of ecology and what are the associated conceptual understanding?
(2011)This thesis relates the teaching of ecology in schools to the requirements of the National Curriculum Statements, Grades R-9 and Grades 10-12, for Natural and Life Sciences. It examines the conceptual understanding of the ... -
Distributional and dietary overlap between two common squaloid sharks, squalus acutipinnis and squalus bassi, caught as bycatch off the coast of South Africa
(University of Western Cape, 2021)Squalus acutipinnis and S. bassi may be the most common dogfish species around South Africa, and show overlap in their latitudinal and bathymetric distributions. Even though these sharks are likely endemics, they are also ... -
A yeast 2-hybrid screen to identify and characterize interaction partners of the cancer associated protein Retinoblastoma binding protein 6
(University of the Western Cape, 2009)Retinoblastoma binding protein 6 (RBBP6) is a 250 kDa protein that is implicated in mRNA processing and ubiquitination functions and has been shown to be highly up-regulated in a number of cancers. In humans and mice, RBBP6 ...
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