Southern ground-hornbills Bucorvus leadbeateri are large, terrestrial, carnivorous birds that inhabit the savanna and bushveld habitats of much of Africa, south of the equator. They were once prevalent in north-eastern ...

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Herbivore diet selection is influenced by plant quality and availability. For browsing and mixed-feeding herbivores, such as elephants, which consume trees and shrubs, plant quality is influenced by the concentrations of ...

Many mammal species communicate olfactorily via specialised scent glandular secretions, urine and/or dung. Despite a large body of work on olfactory communication, the extent to which mammals communicate via dung odours, ...

Given the ever-increasing demand for resources due to an increasing human population, vast ranges of natural areas have undergone land use change, either due to urbanisation or production and exploitation of resources. In ...

There are numerous factors that contribute to a bird species becoming threatened and in need of increased conservation efforts in order to survive. Compared with fossil records, current extinction rates are much higher ...

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The increase in dominance of woody species, observed in many grasslands and savannas worldwide, highlights the sensitivity of woody herbaceous biomass ratios to changed environmental conditions. While the major factors ...

Invasive alien species threaten ecosystems throughout South Africa through alteration of the habitat and loss of biodiversity. Emerging invasive alien plants are those that have small populations, but have the potential ...

KwaZulu-Natal Sandstone Sourveld (KZNSS) is an endangered vegetation type in South Africa. Approximately 68% of KZNSS is transformed, with remaining patches existing within an urban and suburban matrix. Fragmented patches ...