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Zoology and Entomology: Recent submissions

  • The effect of diet on the development of pheromone signals in Apis mellifera scutellata workers 
    Du Rand, Esther Elizabeth; Pirk, Christian Walter Werner; Okosun, Olabimpe O.; Yusuf, Abdullahi Ahmed (Taylor and Francis, 2024)
    The social organization of honey bee colonies is predominantly controlled by the pheromonal cues produced by the queen, workers and brood. Pheromone composition is dependent on the social environment, context, audience and ...
  • Pangolin genomes offer key insights and resources for the world's most trafficked wild mammals 
    Heighton, Sean P.; Allio, Remi; Murienne, Jerome; Salmona, Jordi; Meng, Hao; Scornavacca, Celine; Bastos, Armanda; Njiokou, Flobert; Pietersen, Darren W.; Tilak, Marie-Ka; Luo, Shu-Jin; Delsuc, Frederic; Gaubert, Philippe (Oxford University Press, 2023-10)
    Pangolins form a group of scaly mammals that are trafficked at record numbers for their meat and purported medicinal properties. Despite their conservation concern, knowledge of their evolution is limited by a paucity of ...
  • Ecology : humans are scarier than lions 
    Shrader, A.M. (Adrian) (Cell Press, 2023-11)
    In Africa, nothing inspires fear more than lions. They are large, hunt in groups and kill prey much larger than themselves. Yet, evidence suggests that African wildlife are more afraid of humans than anything else that ...
  • A systematic map of studies testing the relationship between temperature and animal reproduction 
    Dougherty, Liam R.; Frost, Fay; Maenpaa, Maarit I.; Rowe, Melissah; Cole, Benjamin J.; Vasudeva, Ramakrishnan; Pottier, Patrice; Schultner, Eva; Macartney, Erin L.; Lindenbaum, Ina; Smith, Jamie L.; Carazo, Pau; Graziano, Marco; Weaving, Hester; Domenech, Berta Canal; Berger, David; Meena, Abhishek; Bishop, Tom R.; Noble, Daniel W.A.; Simoes, Pedro; Baur, Julian; Breedveld, Merel C.; Svensson, Erik I.; Lancaster, Lesley T.; Ellers, Jacintha; De Nardo, Alessio N.; Santos, Marta A.; Ramm, Steven A.; Drobniak, Szymon M.; Redana, Matteo; Tuni, Cristina; Pilakouta, Natalie; Zizzari, Z. Valentina; Iossa, Graziella; Lupold, Stefan; Koppik, Mareike; Early, Regan; Gasparini, Clelia; Nakagawa, Shinichi; Lagisz, Malgorzata; Bretman, Amanda; Fricke, Claudia; Snook, Rhonda R.; Price, Tom A.R. (Wiley, 2024-01)
    Exposure to extreme temperatures can negatively affect animal reproduction, by disrupting the ability of individuals to produce any offspring (fertility), or the number of offspring produced by fertile individuals (fecundity). ...
  • Dispersal ability is associated with contrasting patterns of beta diversity in African small mammal communities 
    Monadjem, Ara; Healy, Kevin; Guillerme, Thomas; Kane, Adam (Wiley, 2023-03)
    Please read abstract in the article.
  • The elusive echo : the mystery of Africa’s sparse bat fossil record 
    Pretorius, Mariette (Academy of Science of South Africa, 2024-03)
    SIGNIFICANCE : The scarcity of bat fossils in Africa poses a significant challenge to both scientific understanding and current conservation efforts. While this article engages in informed speculation regarding the reasons ...
  • Best practices for colony management : a neglected aspect for improving honey bee colony health and productivity in Africa 
    Nganso, Beatrice T.; Soroker, Victoria; Osabutey, Angelina F.; Pirk, Christian Walter Werner; Johansson, Tino; Elie, Ntirenganya; Otieno-Ayayo, Z. Ngalo; Ibrahim, Mohammed M.; Ndungu, N.N.; Ayalew, Workneh; Wubie, Abebe J.; Taboue, Geraud C. Tasse; Fameni, Sidonie T.; Bobadoye, Bridget O.; Assefa, Freweini; Subramanian, Sevgan (Taylor and Francis, 2024)
    Apiculture has a well-recognized role in enhancing food security by pollination services around the globe. Besides, apiculture is an extremely valuable income-generating and job-creating activity for millions of men, women, ...
  • Counter-strategies to infanticide : the importance of cubs in determining lion habitat selection and social interactions 
    Dejeante, Romain; Loveridge, Andrew J.; Macdonald, David W.; Madhlamoto, Daphine; Valeix, Marion; Chamaille-Jammes, Simon (Wiley, 2024-02)
    Animal social and spatial behaviours are inextricably linked. Animal movements are driven by environmental factors and social interactions. Habitat structure and changing patterns of animal space use can also shape social ...
  • The relationship between mammalian burrow abundance and bankrupt bush (Seriphium plumosum) encroachment 
    Oosthuysen, Morne; Strauss, W. Maartin; Somers, Michael J. (South African National Biodiversity Institute, 2023-07-17)
    BACKGROUND : Much of the Grassland Biome in South Africa is prone to shrub encroachment, leading to loss of ecosystem services, habitat heterogeneity and species diversity. Burrowing mammals are an important component of ...
  • Host-foraging strategies of five local entomopathogenic nematode species in South Africa 
    Rakubu, Innocent Lephaswa; Katumanyane, Agil; Hurley, Brett Phillip (Elsevier, 2024-02)
    Entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) are obligate parasites of soil-dwelling insects and are used as biological control agents for many insect pests. These nematodes have a free-living third growth stage called infective ...
  • Wild mice in an urbanized world: Effects of light at night under natural and laboratory conditions in the single-striped grass mouse (Lemniscomys rosalia) 
    Oosthuizen, Tasha; Pillay, Neville; Oosthuizen, Maria Kathleen (Taylor and Francis, 2024)
    Urbanization, and the accompanying artificial light at night (ALAN), can disrupt the activity of animals. Such disruptions at the base of a food web can ripple through the ecosystem. Most studies of ALAN are performed in ...
  • Effects of phylogenetic associations on environmental and temporal niche partitioning among sympatric mammals 
    Dalerum, Fredrik; Cipollone, Mario; Cordischi, Fabrizio; Di Croce, Antonio; Ferri, Doriana; Giovannini, Silvia; La Civita, Filippo; Monaco, Antonio; Paglione, Gabriella; Paniccia, Chiara; Petriccione, Bruno; Romano, Mario; Shivij, Irene; Trei, Jan Niklas; Meloro, Carlo (Elsevier, 2024-02)
    Mammals have evolved to occupy spatial and temporal niches in order to optimize resource utilization and minimize predation risk or competition. Subsequently, niche partitioning may be influenced by phylogenetic associations, ...
  • Diversification of the African legless skinks in the subfamily Acontinae (Family Scincidae) 
    Zhao, Zhongning; Conradie, Werner; Pietersen, Darren William; Jordaan, Adriaan; Nicolau, Gary; Edwards, Shelley; Riekert, Stephanus; Heideman, Neil (Elsevier, 2023-05)
    Cladogenic diversification is often explained by referring to climatic oscillations and geomorphic shifts that cause allopatric speciation. In this regard, southern Africa retains a high level of landscape heterogeneity ...
  • Frightened of giants : fear responses to elephants approach that of predators 
    Fletcher Jr, Robert J.; O’Brien, Amanda; Hall, Timothy F.; Jones, Maggie; Potash, Alex D.; Kruger, Laurence; Simelane, Phumlile; Roques, Kim; Monadjem, Ara; McCleery, Robert A. (Royal Society, 2023-10)
    Animals are faced with a variety of dangers or threats, which are increasing in frequency with ongoing environmental change. While our understanding of fearfulness of such dangers is growing in the context of predation ...
  • Hopping from the heat : the locomotory activity patterns of the Lesser Egyptian Jerboa (Jaculus jaculus) 
    Bennett, Nigel C.; Hart, D.W. (Daniel); Munro, S.; Amor, N.; Mohammed, O.B.; Alagaili, A.N. (Elsevier, 2024-02)
    Arid-dwelling mammals are exposed to extreme daily temperatures, which puts these mammals at risk of overheating and dehydration, particularly while active, these risks are increased as the body size is reduced. Consequently, ...
  • The biogeography of Gabonese savannas: evidence from termite community richness and composition 
    Evouna Ondo, Fidele; Jeffery, Kathryn J.; Whytock, Robin; Abernethy, Katharine A.; Couteron, Pierre; Eggleton, Paul; Griffin, Claire; Ostle, Nicolas J.; Koumba Pambo, Aurelie-Flore; Ngomanda, Alfred; Ndong, Josue Edzang; Parr, Catherine Lucy (Wiley, 2023-09)
    AIM : The mosaic of savannas that persists in the forest-dominant Congo Basin is thought to be palaeoclimatic relics, but past biogeographical processes that have formed and maintained these systems are poorly understood. ...
  • Generalist dietary responses to individual versus combined plant toxin odors: an African elephant study 
    Bester, Twane; Schmitt, Melissa H.; Shrader, A.M. (Adrian) (Oxford University Press, 2023-09)
    The detoxification limitation hypothesis posits that, unless plant defense compounds interact synergistically or additively to increase their harmful effects, generalist herbivores will prefer consuming combinations of ...
  • Friend or foe : symbiotic bacteria in bactrocera dorsalis–parasitoid associations 
    Gwokyalya, Rehemah; Weldon, Christopher William; Herren, Jeremy Keith; Gichuhi, Joseph; Makhulu, Edward Edmond; Ndlela, Shepard; Mohamed, Samira Abuelgasim (MDPI, 2023-02-09)
    Parasitoids are promising biocontrol agents of the devastating fruit fly, Bactrocera dorsalis. However, parasitoid performance is a function of several factors, including host-associated symbiotic bacteria. Providencia ...
  • A systems approach framework for evaluating tree restoration interventions for social and ecological outcomes in rural tropical landscapes 
    Pfeifer, Marion; Sallu, Susannah M.; Marshall, Andrew R.; Rushton, Stephen; Moore, Eleanor; Shirima, Deo D.; Smit, Josephine; Kioko, Esther; Barnes, Lauren; Waite, Catherine; Raes, Leander; Braunholtz, Laura; Olivier, Pieter Ignatius; Ishengoma, Evodius; Bowers, Sam; Guerreiro-Milheiras, Sergio (Royal Society, 2023-01)
    The science guiding design and evaluation of restoration interventions in tropical landscapes is dominated by ecological processes and outcomes and lacks indicators and methods that integrate human wellbeing into the ...
  • Environmental DNA from soil reveals the presence of a “lost” Afrotherian species 
    Mynhardt, Samantha; Matthew, Esther; Le Roux, Jean Pierre; Little, Ian; Bloomer, Paulette; Theron, Cobus (Springer, 2024-01)
    Environmental DNA (eDNA) sampling has attracted worldwide attention over the past few years as an emerging approach to characterising and monitoring biodiversity, and has become particularly important for species that are ...