Recently added

Research Articles (Zoology and Entomology): Recent submissions

  • 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 ...
  • Reproductive compatibility of a newly imported Australian population of the biocontrol agent Anaphes nitens with an existing South African population 
    Barten, Harm; Schroder, Michelle L.; Slippers, Bernard; Howe, Andy G.; Lawson, Simon A.; Hurley, Brett Phillip (Elsevier, 2023-12)
    Introductions of natural enemies in classical biocontrol programs potentially cause genetic bottlenecks which can be detrimental for biocontrol. This can be mitigated by introducing multiple populations of a natural enemy, ...
  • A trait-based assessment of southern African arid-zone birds' vulnerability to climate change 
    Payne, Stephanie L.; Cunningham, Susan J.; Howes, Caroline G.; McKechnie, Andrew E. (Elsevier, 2023-11)
    Trait-based assessments allow rapid evaluation of species’ vulnerability to climate change, but often overlook subtle yet consequential interspecific variation in behavioural and physiological traits. We assessed 241 ...
  • Abundance and trait-matching both shape interaction frequencies between plants and birds in seed-dispersal networks 
    Pena, Rocio; Schleuning, Matthias; Dalerum, Fredrik; Donoso, Isabel; Rodriguez-Perez, Javier; Garcia, Daniel (Elsevier, 2023-02)
    Abundance and trait-driven processes have both been identified as potential mechanisms in determining the occurrence of species interactions. However, little is known about how these two mechanisms interact to determine ...
  • Recommendations for the development of a carnivore viewing site at a colony of Cape fur seals (Arctocephalus pusillus pusillus) in southern Namibia 
    Lemerle, Marie Anna; Wiesel, Ingrid; Somers, Michael J. (Routledge, 2024)
    This study examined the daily and monthly activity patterns of brown hyenas (Hyaena brunnea) and black-backed jackals (Canis mesomelas) at a Cape fur seal colony in southern Namibia, to provide recommendations for developing ...
  • Why humans kill animals and why we cannot avoid it 
    Allen, Benjamin L.; Bobier, Christopher; Dawson, Stuart; Fleming, Peter J.S.; Hampton, Jordan; Jachowski, David; Kerley, Graham I.H.; Linnell, John D.C.; Marnewick, Kelly; Minnie, Liaan; Muthersbaugh, Mike; O'Riain, M. Justin; Parker, Dan; Proulx, Gilbert; Somers, Michael J.; Titus, Keifer (Elsevier, 2023-10)
    Killing animals has been a ubiquitous human behaviour throughout history, yet it is becoming increasingly controversial and criticised in some parts of contemporary human society. Here we review 10 primary reasons why ...
  • Universal DNA methylation age across mammalian tissues 
    Lu, A.T.; Fei, Z.; Haghani, A.; Robeck, T.R.; Zoller, J.A.; Li, C.Z.; Lowe, R.; Yan, Q.; Zhang, J.; Vu, H.; Ablaeva, J.; Acosta-Rodriguez, V.A.; Adams, D.M.; Almunia, J.; Aloysius, A.; Ardehali, R.; Arneson, A.; Baker, C.S.; Banks, G.; Belov, K.; Bennett, Nigel C.; Black, P.; Blumstein, D.T.; Bors, E.K.; Breeze, C.E.; Brooke, R.T.; Brown, J.L.; Carter, G.G.; Caulton, A.; Cavin, J.M.; Chakrabarti, L.; Chatzistamou, I.; Chen, H.; Cheng, K.; Chiavellini, P.; Choi, O.W.; Clarke, S.M.; Cooper, L.N.; Cossette, M.L.; Day, J.; DeYoung, J.; DiRocco, S.; Dold, C.; Ehmke, E.E.; Emmons, C.K.; Emmrich, S.; Erbay, E.; Erlacher-Reid, C.; Faulkes, C.G.; Ferguson, S.H.; Finno, C.J.; Flower, J.E.; Gaillard, J.M.; Garde, E.; Gerber, L.; Gladyshev, V.N.; Gorbunova, V.; Goya, R.G.; Grant, M.J.; Green, C.B.; Hales, E.N.; Hanson, M.B.; Hart, D.W. (Daniel); Haulena, M.; Herrick, K.; Hogan, A.N.; Hogg, C.J.; Hore, T.A.; Huang, T.; Izpisua Belmonte, J.C.; Jasinska, A.J.; Jones, G.; Jourdain, E.; Kashpur, O.; Katcher, H.; Katsumata, E.; Kaza, V.; Kiaris, H.; Kobor, M.S.; Kordowitzki, P.; Koski, W.R.; Kruetzen, M.; Kwon, S.B.; Larison, B.; Lee, S.G.; Lehmann, M.; Lemaitre, J.F.; Levine, A.J.; Li, C.Z.; Li, X.; Lim, A.R.; Lin, D.T.S.; Lindemann, D.M.; Little, T.J.; Macoretta, N.; Maddox, D.; Matkin, C.O.; Mattison, J.A.; McClure, M.; Mergl, J.; Meudt, J.J.; Montano, G.A.; Mozhui, K.; Munshi-South, J.; Naderi, A.; Nagy, M.; Narayan, P.; Nathanielsz, P.W.; Nguyen, N.B.; Niehrs, C.; O'Brien, J.K.; O'Tierney Ginn, P.; Odom, D.T.; Ophir, A.G.; Osborn, S.; Ostrander, E.A.; Parsons, K.M.; Paul, K.C.; Pellegrini, M.; Peters, K.J.; Pedersen, A.B.; Petersen, J.L.; Pietersen, D.W.; Pinho, G.M.; Plassais, J.; Poganik, J.R.; Prado, N.A.; Reddy, P.; Rey, B.; Ritz, B.R.; Robbins, J.; Rodriguez, M.; Russell, J.; Rydkina, E.; Sailer, L.L.; Salmon, A.B.; Sanghavi, A.; Schachtschneider, K.M.; Schmitt, D.; Schmitt, T.; Schomacher, L.; Schook, L.B.; Sears, K.E.; Seifert, A.W.; Seluanov, A.; Shafer, A.B.A.; Shanmuganayagam, D.; Shindyapina, A.V.; Simmons, M.; Singh, K.; Sinha, I.; Slone, J.; Snell, R.G.; Soltanmaohammadi, E.; Spangler, M.L.; Spriggs, M.C.; Staggs, L.; Stedman, N.; Steinman, K.J.; Stewart, D.T.; Sugrue, V.J.; Szladovits, B.; Takahashi, J.S.; Takasugi, M.; Teeling, E.C.; Thompson, M.J.; Van Bonn, B.; Vernes, S.C.; Villar, D.; Vinters, H.V.; Wallingford, M.C.; Wang, N.; Wayne, R.K.; Wilkinson, G.S.; Williams, C.K.; Williams, R.W.; Yang, X.W.; Yao, M.; Young, B.G.; Zhang, B.; Zhang, Z.; Zhao, P.; Zhao, Y.; Zhou, W.; Zimmermann, J.; Ernst, J.; Raj, K.; Horvath, S. (Nature Research, 2023-11)
    Aging, often considered a result of random cellular damage, can be accurately estimated using DNA methylation profiles, the foundation of pan-tissue epigenetic clocks. Here, we demonstrate the development of universal ...
  • Evidence for a maintenance cost for birds maintaining highly flexible basal, but not summit, metabolic rates 
    Swanson, David L.; Stager, Maria; Vezina, Francois; Liu, Jin‑Song; McKechnie, Andrew E.; Amirkhiz, Reza Goljani (Nature Research, 2023-06-02)
    Please read abstract in the article.
  • Thermal acclimatisation to heatwave conditions is rapid but sex-specific in wild zebra finches 
    Pessato, Anais; Udino, Eve; McKechnie, Andrew E.; Bennett, Andrew T.D.; Mariette, Mylene M. (Nature Reseach, 2023-10)
    Under climate change, increasing air temperature average and variability pose substantial thermal challenges to animals. While plasticity in thermoregulatory traits could potentially attenuate this impact, whether thermal ...
  • Rediscovery of the lost skink Proscelotes aenea and implications for conservation 
    Puruleia, Ali; Nanvonamuquitxo, Cristovao; Ernesto, Milagre; Jamal, Abdurabe; Amade, Iassine; Monia, Wilson; Massingue, Yasalde; Verburgt, Luke; Faurby, Soren; Antonelli, Alexandre; Perrigo, Allison; Farooq, Harith M. (Nature Reseach, 2023-07-12)
    Biodiversity loss is recognized as a grand challenge of the twenty-first century but ascertaining when a species is “lost” can be incredibly difficult—since the absence of evidence is not evidence of absence. This may ...
  • An inventory of native-alien populations in South Africa 
    Nelufule, Takalani; Robertson, Mark P.; Wilson, John R.U.; Faulkner, Katelyn T. (Nature Research, 2023-04)
    Species can be both native and alien to a given administrative region. Here we present the first consolidated inventory of these ‘native-alien populations’ for South Africa, and provide an overview of the data it contains. ...
  • A proposed protocol for identifying native-alien populations 
    Nelufule, Takalani; Robertson, Mark P.; Wilson, John R.U.; Faulkner, Katelyn T. (Regional Euro-Asian Biological Invasions Centre, 2023-11)
    It is important for regulators and managers to effectively distinguish native from alien taxa. However, a taxon can have both native and alien populations within the same country as biogeographic and administrative ...
  • Swimming across the pond : first documented transatlantic crossing of a southern right whale 
    Vermeulen, Els; Germishuizen, Matthew; Kennedy, Amy; Wilkinson, Christopher; Weir, Caroline R.; Zerbini, Alexandre (Wiley, 2024-01)
    No abstract available.
  • Novel tools and techniques in forensic entomology : the need for robust research 
    Kotze, Zanthe; Martin-Vega, Daniel; Reimer, Lisa J.; Weeks, Emma N.I. (Wiley, 2023-09)
    During the last two decades, the study of forensic entomology has evolved in leaps and bounds. With the advent of molecular tools and increased access to published research, the focus has shifted from case studies to ...
  • Taxonomic revision of the South American genus Polynoncus Burmeister, 1876 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea: Trogidae) 
    Costa-Silva, Vinicius; Strumpher, Werner P.; Thyssen, Patricia J.; Vaz-de-Mello, Fernando Z. (Taylor and Francis, 2024)
    The South American genus Polynoncus Burmeister encompasses 38 valid species that are considered to be endemic to South America. In this work, we provide a comprehensive revision of this genus. Polynoncus seymourensis ...
  • Mechanisms behind differential white grub host susceptibility to entomopathogenic nematodes 
    Katumanyane, Agil; Slippers, Bernard; Wondafrash, Mesfin; Malan, Antoinette P.; Hurley, Brett Phillip (Brill Academic Publishers, 2023-06)
    Control of white grubs, the sporadic root-feeding larvae of scarabid beetles, is difficult due to their cryptic nature and resistance to chemical insecticides. Potential exists for the use of entomopathogenic nematodes ...
  • The biology of an isolated Mashona mole-rat population from southern Malawi, with implications for the diversity and biogeography of the genus Fukomys 
    Sumbera, R.; Uhrova, M.; Begall, S.; Caspar, K.R.; Jerkovicova, D.; Van Daele, P.; Chitaukali, W.N.; Faulkes, Chris G.; Bennett, Nigel C.; Johannes, C.; Burda, H.; Mikula, O. (Springer, 2023-09)
    The Mashona mole-rat, Fukomys darlingi (Thomas, 1895), is a little studied social African mole-rat (Bathyergidae) from south-astern Africa. Here, we present an integrative study characterizing the genetic diversity of ...
  • A comparison of the population ecology of 4 Cryptomys hottentotus subspecies 
    Suess, Tobias; Finn, Kyle; Janse van Vuuren, Andries K.; Hart, Daniel William; Bennett, Nigel Charles (Oxford University Press, 2024-02)
    Selection pressures underpinning the evolution of mammalian sociality and body mass variation have spurred great interest for several decades. Because they inhabit a wide range of geographic localities and habitats, African ...
  • Need for shared internal mound conditions by fungus-growing Macrotermes does not predict their species distributions, in current or future climates 
    Seymour, Colleen L.; Korb, Judith; Joseph, Grant S.; Hassall, Richard; Coetzee, Bernard Walter Thomas (Royal Society, 2023-08)
    The large, iconic nests constructed by social species are engineered to create internal conditions buffered from external climatic extremes, to allow reproduction and/or food production. Nest-inhabiting eusocial Macrotermitinae ...