Browsing by Author "Maritz, Bryan"
Now showing items 1-10 of 10
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Autecology of the rhombic egg-eater, Dasypeltis scabra
Barends, Jody Michael (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 ... -
The diet and feeding ecology of the brown house snake, Boaedon capensis
Bassier, Ielhaam (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 ... -
Foraging ecology of Naja nivea and Dispholidus typus
Greuel, Janine (University of the Western Cape, 2019)It is widely reported that snakes can be major predators of avian nests, but the use of a single avian prey type by competing species has rarely been examined. This study aimed to investigate predation of a single food ... -
Functional importance of snakes in a strandveld ecosystem
Forgus, Juan-Jacques (University of the Western Cape, 2018)Gaps in our knowledge of the functional roles of snakes within ecosystems limit our ability to predict the potentially cascading effects their removal from an ecosystem might create. Extirpation of snake species could ... -
Phylogenetic assessment and historical biogeography of the Psammophis leightoni complex
Taft, Jody M.Stable and accurate taxonomy remains a primary component of conservation. By overlooking taxonomic disorder, conservation management strategies may ineffectively distribute resources. The Psammophis leightoni species complex ... -
Predicting reptile species distributions and biogeographic patterns within Kruger National Park
Barends, Jody Michael (University of the Western Cape, 2018)Knowledge of global reptile ecology is limited and there remains much to understand in terms of detailed reptile species information, including that of their distributions. In South Africa, despite being one of SANParks ... -
Quantifying competition in two co-occurring southern African psammophiinae snakes: Psammophis crucifer and psammophylax r. Rhombeatus
Tokota, Silindokuhle (University of Western Cape, 2020)Studies on snake competitive interactions have relatively been well documented globally, however, those examples tend to be dominated by non-African examples. Africa has a large and spectacular reptile diversity and yet ... -
Reptile community responses to an avian ecosystem engineer
Buckley, Emma Elizabeth (University of the Western Cape, 2023)In the Kalahari, sociable weavers (Philetairus socius) build huge, communal nests. Although Kalahari tree skinks (Trachylepis spilogaster) are known to preferentially use trees that host such colonies, the degree to which ... -
Snake community structure in a heterogeneous fynbos ecosystem
Cloete, Bryan Nathan (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 ... -
Using faecal DNA to investigate the diet of the snakes, Psammophis crucifer and Psammophylax rhombeatus
Scholtz, Kim Jennilee (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 ...