• Geographic variation and plasticity in climate stress resistance among southern African populations of Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) (Diptera : Tephritidae) 

  Weldon, Christopher W.; Nyamukondiwa, Casper; Karsten, Minette; Chown, Steven L.; Terblanche, John S. (Nature Publishing Group, 2018-06-29)

  Traits of thermal sensitivity or performance are typically the focus of species distribution modelling. Among-population trait variation, trait plasticity, population connectedness and the possible climatic covariation ...
• Sex differences in timing and context of dispersal in Damaraland mole‐rats (Fukomys damarensis) 

  Torrents-Ticó, Miquel; Bennett, Nigel C., 1961-; Jarvis, Jennifer U.M.; Zöttl, Markus (Wiley, 2018-08)

  Dispersal behaviour in cooperatively breeding mammals often differs between the sexes, which can affect how individuals of both sexes compete for breeding opportunities. However, it is largely unknown how the males and ...
• Sticky small target : an effective sampling tool for tsetse fly Glossina fuscipes fuscipes Newstead, 1910 

  Mbewe, Njelembo J.; Saini, Rajinder K.; Torto, Baldwyn; Irungu, Janet; Yusuf, Abdullahi Ahmed; Pirk, Christian Walter Werner (BioMed Central, 2018-04)

  BACKGROUND : Small targets comprising panels of blue and insecticide-treated black netting material each 0.25 × 0. 25 m have been shown to attract and kill Glossina fuscipes fuscipes Newstead, 1910 (Diptera: Glossinidae) ...
• Hooded vultures Necrosyrtes monachus nearly extirpated from Edo State, Nigeria : a report on the avian scavenger community 

  Nosazeogie, Esther; Tende, Talatu; Monadjem, Ara (NISC (Pty) Ltd and Informa UK Limited (trading as Taylor & Francis Group), 2018)

  Avian scavengers, by feeding on carrion and other organic matter, provide critical ecosystem services. Vultures, the only obligate avian scavengers, have reportedly experienced massive population declines in Africa yet ...
• Honeybee evolution : royal jelly proteins help queen larvae to stay on top 

  Pirk, Christian Walter Werner (Elsevier (Cell Press), 2018-04)

  A new study shows that, in honey bees, the main role of certain proteins in royal jelly is to ensure that the larva stays in its cell, thereby allowing it to develop into a queen.
• Allo-parental care in Damaraland mole-rats is female biased and age dependent, though independent of testosterone levels 

  Zöttl, Markus; Vullioud, Philippe; Goddard, Katy; Torrents-Ticó, Miquel; Gaynor, David; Bennett, Nigel C., 1961-; Clutton-Brock, Tim H. (Elsevier, 2018-09)

  In Damaraland mole-rats (Fukomys damarensis), non-breeding subordinates contribute to the care of offspring born to the breeding pair in their group by carrying and retrieving young to the nest. In social mole-rats and ...
• Nectar intake and foraging efficiency : the responses of sunbirds to flower morphology 

  Ngcamphalala, Celiwe A.; Bailey, Ida E.; Nicolson, Sue W. (Springer, 2018-10)

  Floral traits vary greatly between plant species, and determine which pollinators are physically capable of accessing floral rewards and carrying out effective pollination. Research on the responses of nectarivorous birds ...
• Reproductive status affects the expression of prolactin receptor mRNA in the brain of female Damaraland mole-rats 

  Voigt, Cornelia; Bennett, Nigel C., 1961- (Elsevier, 2018-12)

  The eusocial Damaraland mole-rat (Fukomys damarensis) represents an extreme example of reproductive skew, in that reproduction is completely blocked in female subordinate group members. It is thought that in these animals ...
• Song recorded near a super-group of humpback whales on a mid-latitude feeding ground off South Africa 

  Gridley, T.; Silva, M.F.P.; Wilkinson Christopher; Seakamela, S.M.; Elwen, Simon Harvey (Acoustical Society of America, 2018-04-30)

  Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) are well known for their complex song which is culturally transmitted and produced by males. However, the function of singing behavior remains poorly understood. Song was observed ...
• How do free-ranging domestic herbivores reduce competition within owner-determined herds? 

  Kraai, Manqhai; Shrader, Adrian M. (Elsevier, 2018-08)

  Group size and competition are key drivers of foraging behaviour in social animals. With seasonal changes in food quality and availability, comes changes in the type (scramble or interference) and degree of competition ...
• Sociality does not drive the evolution of large brains in eusocial African mole-rats 

  Kverkova, Kristina; Belíkova, Tereza; Olkowicz, Seweryn; Pavelkova, Zuzana; O’Riain, M. Justin; Sumbera, Radim; Burda, Hynek; Bennett, Nigel C., 1961-; Nemec, Pavel (Nature Publishing Group, 2018-06-15)

  The social brain hypothesis (SBH) posits that the demands imposed on individuals by living in cohesive social groups exert a selection pressure favouring the evolution of large brains and complex cognitive abilities. ...
• Population variation in traits of Deladenus siricidicola that could influence the biocontrol of Sirex noctilio in South Africa 

  Mlonyeni, X.O.M. (Xolile Osmond Mnyamezeli); Wingfield, Brenda D.; Greeff, Jaco M. (Jacobus Maree); Hurley, Brett Phillip; Wingfield, Michael J.; Slippers, Bernard (Taylor and Francis, 2018)

  Deladenus siricidicola is the primary biocontrol agent of the invasive woodwasp, Sirex noctilio. The nematode is mass-reared in culture on the S. noctilio symbiotic fungus, A. areolatum, but can also be induced to convert ...
• Changes in African elephant (Loxodonta africana) faecal steroid concentrations post-defaecation 

  Webber, Judith T.; Henley, Michelle D.; Pretorius, Yolanda; Somers, Michael J.; Ganswindt, Andre (AOSIS Open Journals, 2018-06-12)

  BACKGROUND : Faecal hormone metabolite measurement is a widely used tool for monitoring reproductive function and response to stressors in wildlife. Despite many advantages of this technique, the delay between defaecation, ...
• Changes in elephant conservation management promote density-dependent habitat selection in the Kruger National Park 

  Robson, Ashley S.; Van Aarde, Rudi J. (Wiley, 2018-08)

  In conservation, adaptive management relies on the assessment of past actions to improve conservation efficiencies in the future. Conservation management approaches for African elephants have recently changed, however ...
• Genetic insights into dispersal distance and disperser fitness of African lions (Panthera leo) from the latitudinal extremes of the Kruger National Park, South Africa 

  Van Hooft, Pim; Keet, Dewald F.; Brebner, Diana K.; Bastos, Armanda D.S. (BioMed Central, 2018-04-03)

  BACKGROUND : Female lions generally do not disperse far beyond their natal range, while males can disperse distances of over 200 km. However, in bush-like ecosystems dispersal distances less than 25 km are reported. Here, ...
• Heaviside's dolphins (Cephalorhynchus heavisidii) relax acoustic crypsis to increase communication range 

  Martin, Morgan J.; Gridley, Tess; Elwen, Simon Harvey; Jensen, Frants H. (The Royal Society, 2018-07)

  The costs of predation may exert significant pressure on the mode of communication used by an animal, and many species balance the benefits of communication (e.g. mate attraction) against the potential risk of predation. ...
• Talking dirty - pollution meets cosmetics 

  Venter, Nikita (New Media Publishing, 2018-03)

  Pollution, a fashionable ‘swearword’, has left many an opportunity for cosmetic chemists to combat its effects. In 2016, Mintel stated that consumers are aware that air pollution is affecting both their skin and hair, ...
• Avian thermoregulation in the heat : phylogenetic variation among avian orders in evaporative cooling capacity and heat tolerance 

  Smit, Ben; Whitfield, Maxine; Talbot, William A.; Gerson, Alexander R.; McKechnie, Andrew E.; Wolf, Blair O. (Company of Biologists, 2018-03)

  Little is known about the phylogenetic variation of avian evaporative cooling efficiency and heat tolerance in hot environments. We quantified thermoregulatory responses to high air temperature (Ta) in ∼100-g representatives ...
• Avian thermoregulation in the heat : evaporative cooling capacity and thermal tolerance in two Australian parrots 

  McWhorter, Todd J.; Gerson, Alexander R.; Talbot, William A.; Smith, Eric Krabbe; McKechnie, Andrew E.; Wolf, Blair O. (Company of Biologists, 2018-03)

  Avian orders differ in their thermoregulatory capabilities and tolerance of high environmental temperatures. Evaporative heat loss, and the primary avenue whereby it occurs, differs amongst taxa. Although Australian parrots ...
• Continent‐level drivers of African pyrodiversity 

  Hempson, Gareth P.; Parr, Catherine L.; Archibald, Sally; Anderson, T. Michael; Mustaphi, Colin J. Courtney; Dobson, Andrew P.; Donaldson, Jason E.; Morrison, Thomas A.; Probert, James; Beale, Colin M. (Wiley, 2018-06)

  Pyrodiversity, which describes fire variability over space and time, is believed to increase habitat heterogeneity and thereby promote biodiversity. However, to date there is no standardised metric for quantifying ...

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