Biological Sciences
Sub-communities within this community
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Biological Sciences [78]
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Botany [261]
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Cellular Biology [3]
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Ecology [56]
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Entomology [46]
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Zoology [184]
Recent Submissions
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Ant communities along an elevational transect, the Udzungwa Mountains in Tanzania.
(2020)Understanding biodiversity patterns and the processes that structure them along environmental gradients has been a topic of major ecological interest. Although relatively well-known, alpha diversity is still poorly understood. ... -
Varying soil nutrition in grassland and savanna ecosystems affect plant-microbe symbiosis, nitrogen nutrition and growth of Pisum sativum L.
(2019)Abstract available in pdf. -
Effect of elevated temperatures on growth and defence of Vachellia 1 sieberiana seedlings grown with or without grass.
(2020)Warming is suggested to increase globally in the next few decades. Warming, soil nutrients, 2 water, CO2 and sunlight are the most important environmental factors for plant life. Elevated 3 temperatures can highly impact ... -
Local and global controllers of grassland ecosystem stability during global change.
(2019)Human impacts on grasslands dramatically affect grassland biodiversity which impacts the ability of ecosystems to sustainably provide ecosystem services. As the extents of these anthropogenic impacts increase (due to ... -
Selective impacts on the vigour and mortality of Aristida junciformis (subsp. junciformis)
(2019)The aim of grazing management is to maximise livestock production by maintaining high sward quality. Many southern African grasslands have become degraded allowing grass species unfavourable for livestock production, such ... -
Fleshy-fruited invasive plant species in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa: native avian seed dispersal and impact assessment.
(2019)Globally, alien plant species have been recognised as a major threat to biodiversity. The increased global trade and travel have resulted in the increased introduction of new species. Direct or indirect introductions of ... -
Assessment of the current ecological integrity of the uMngeni River, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, using fish community structures and attributes of the Labeobarbus natalensis (Castelnau, 1861) populations.
(2019)Rivers are the main source of freshwater water for human communities and provide people with numerous ecosystem services such as water purification, transportation, power generation, food supply, and water for domestic, ... -
The effects of Chromolaena odorata on tree growth dynamics at Buffelsdraai Landfill site.
(2019)Ecological restoration is a process which assists the recovery of an ecosystem which was previously disturbed or degraded. Through continuous disturbances, invasive alien plants (IAPs) are able to successfully spread and ... -
The breeding system and demography of the Transvaal Sesame-bush, Sesamothamnus lugardii (Pedaliaceae)
(2019)The aim of this research was to assess the breeding system, pollination relationship and demography of the Transvaal Sesame-bush, Sesamothamnus lugardii N. E. Br. Ex Stapf. (Pedaliaceae). S. lugardii is an arid savanna ... -
Pollination and geographical divergence in flower colour of the drosera cistiflora species complex, or 'how the snotrosie got its colours'.
(2019)The question of floral colour diversity among congeneric plants has intrigued evolutionary biologists since Lamarck—yet remains a hot topic amid the varied groundbreaking ecological insights that emerge to this day. I ... -
Foliar secretory cavities of Vepris lanceolata (Lam.) G. Don (Rutaceae): micromorphology and chemical composition of the secretion.
(2017)Secretory structures such as ducts, trichomes and cavities consist of cells that are primary sites synthesizing essential oils and other phytochemical compounds with medicinal properties. Little is known about the ... -
Impacts of anthropogenic disturbance on persistence patterns of forest mammals in an urban-forest mosaic of eThekwini Municipality, Durban, South Africa.
(2018)The burgeoning human population size and the consequent land development pressures to meet its various needs has led to an unparalleled increase in the rates at which natural environments are converted for anthropogenic ... -
Snake population declines and conservation: a global synthesis, and perspectives from southern Africa, based on long-term field observations.
(2018)Amphibian and reptile declines have been documented from across the globe in recent decades. This is a result of anthropogenically driven effects including transformation of the landscape, habitat destruction, environmental ... -
Histo-phytochemical evaluation and characterisation of the foliar structures of Tagetes minuta L. (Asteraceae).
(2018)Plants have been used as ethnomedicine for millennia. In recent years, there has been an upward surge of interest in the use of plants as medicine due to the interest in drugs with fewer side effects as well as the fight ... -
Taxonomic revision of the Memecylon natalense species-complex in southern Africa.
(2018)iv ABSTRACT Two Memecylon species (M. natalense and M. bachmannii) were previously recognized in southern Africa, and three species of M. section Buxifolia as occurring in Mozambique (M. natalense, M. torrei and M. ... -
Ant diversity and composition in a reforested landscape of Buffelsdraai Landfill Conservancy, KwaZulu-Natal.
(2019)Restoration of degraded and reclaimed landscapes provide a useful framework to evaluate the recovery of biodiversity loss. A reforestation project was initiated in 2008 by eThekwini Municipality in Buffelsdraai Landfill ... -
Habitat use of Long-crested Eagles in human-modified landscapes of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
(2019)Loss of natural habitats due to land use change is threatening biodiversity globally, a cause for concern given the resulting loss of essential ecosystem services. Conservation of biodiversity within human-modified landscapes ... -
DNA barcoding of KwaZulu-Natal afromontane forest parmelia (parmeliaceae) species: a molecular approach to accurate specimen identification and sensitivity to climate change.
(2018)Accurate species identification is challenging, especially in groups with subtle taxonomically diagnostic characters such as lichens. Molecular-based techniques have shown to be a valuable tool for accurate specimen ... -
A revision of the taxonomy and phylogenetic background of the South African genus Kazimierzus Plisko, 2006 (Oligochaeta: Kazimierzidae)
(2018)Species identity and distribution information is important in conservation and monitoring of biodiversity. Megadrile fauna is very diverse in Southern Africa with most of the fauna demonstrating high levels of endemism, ... -
A genetic approach to the biodiversity of shallow water alcyonacea in South Africa.
(2018)The cnidarian order Alcyonacea (Octocorallia) represents a diverse group of marine invertebrates that are dominant taxa on shallow and deep reefs. These organisms constitute sensitive indicators of climate change and ...
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