Marine Biology
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Microplastic concentrations on the urban coastline of KwaZulu–Natal, South Africa, and its impact on juvenile fish.
(2018)The global production of plastics per annum has increased from 1.5 million tonnes in the 1950‘s to 300 million tonnes today. Following this increasing production trend, plastic concentrations have increased over time in ... -
Macrobenthos used to validate multi-criteria derived marine biodiversity spatial zones in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
(2017)Compared to terrestrial ecosystems, the characteristics of marine ecosystems remain largely under-explored. Marine and coastal ecosystems provide a number of ecological services and societal benefits (resources for commercial ... -
The fertilisation and recruitment dynamics of scleractinian corals on South Africa's high-latitude reefs
(2018)2 The production of coral offspring and their survival through early ontogeny to sexual maturity 3 are both vitally important for the persistence of coral-dominated reefs. Understanding factors 4 which affect these ... -
Ciliate-zooplankton epibiosis in Lake St Lucia.
(2018)Epibiosis is a symbiotic association of two organisms in which one species (epibiont) uses the surface of another species (basibiont or host) as an attachment substrate. An increasing number of studies are revealing that ... -
An assessment of the effectiveness of the St. Lucia marine reserve (KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa) in the protection of surf-zone angling fish species.
(2016)Abstract available in PDF file. -
Molecular phylogeny and seascape genetics of the panulirus homarus subspecies in the Western Indian Ocean.
(2016)Abstract available in PDF file. -
Community dynamics of meiofauna during a wet phase in the St Lucia estuarine system, South Africa.
(2015)Meiofauna are an important component within the benthic environment of any aquatic habitat. Despite their significance and ubiquitous nature, these organisms are relatively poorly studied in Africa. Following a decade long ... -
Ecophysiology of intertidal corals along the east coast of South Africa : coping in marginal habitats.
(2014)Coral survival in a time of climate change will depend largely on the ability to tolerate, acclimatise and adapt to changes in their natural environment. High-latitude intertidal corals along the east coast of South ... -
An investigation of the population connectivity of sardines (Sardinops sagax) of the KZN sardine run using meristic, morphological and genetic data.
(2014)The Sardine run occurs annually when large schools of sardine (Sardinops sagax) move from the Agulhas Bank towards KwaZulu-Natal, and has significant ecological and anthropogenic importance. Recent investigation has ... -
Diversity and distribution of subtidal soft-bottom macrofauna of the Isimangaliso Wetland Park, South Africa.
(2014)There have been no previous studies describing the subtidal soft-bottom macrofaunal assemblages of the iSimangaliso Wetland Park or how they are influenced by the ecological and environmental processes associated with coral ... -
Impact of turbidity on pseudodiaptomus stuhlmanni, a dominant copepod in Lake St Lucia, iSimangaliso Wetland Park.
(2015)Although the St Lucia Estuary is a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance, it has historically been subjected to human-accelerated ecological stressors. One of these is high turbidity resulting from excessive sediment ... -
Molecular revision of Zoantharia (Anthozoa Hexacorallia) on the east coast of South Africa.
(2014)The order Zoantharia (Cnidaria: Anthozoa) is ubiquitous on the east coast of South Africa, and despite their widespread distribution they are poorly represented in literature. No molecular identification has been carried ... -
Post-Harvest seed physiology and conservation of the germplasm of syzgium cordatum hochst.
(2013)There is global concern about the ex situ conservation of the germplasm/genetic resources of recalcitrant-seeded species. While orthodox (desiccation tolerant) seeds afford an ideal means for ex situ conservation, this is ... -
Chemical cue interactions between alien invasive and native aquatic gastropods in the iSimangaliso Wetland Park, South Africa.
(2013)The importance of chemical cues in mediating interactions among individuals and structuring communities is being increasingly recognized in aquatic environments. Chemical cues have been shown to drive predator-prey ... -
Phosphorus distribution among selected abiotic and biotic components of two KwaZulu-Natal estuaries, South Africa.
(2013)Phosphorus is an essential element since it controls primary productivity in aquatic ecosystems and its excess can lead to eutrophication in receiving systems. The aim of this project was to determine phosphorus distribution ... -
Dietary dynamics of two key fish species in the St Lucia estuarine system, South Africa.
(2014)Among the 155 species of fish recorded so far in the St Lucia estuarine lake, Oreochromis mossambicus and Ambassis ambassis are the two most prominent. Although originally endemic to southern Africa, O. mossambicus is ... -
Evaluating the thermal stress response of South African abalone, Haliotis midae, to biogeographical temperature variability.
(2014)A gradient of sea temperatures is created along the South African coastline by the confluence of the cold Benguela Current on the West coast with the warm Agulhas Current on the East coast. This temperature gradient allows ... -
Development of a sediment toxicity test for the South African coastal environment using the endemic amphipod, Grandidierella lignorum Barnard 1935 (Amphipoda: Aoridae).
(2013)Contaminants introduced in solution to coastal waters eventually accumulate in sediment. Pollution by these contaminants is only evident when biological effects occur. Geochemical procedures lack the ability to identify ... -
Spatio-temporal variations of the sedimentology and geochemistry of six estuaries within the eThekwini Municipality, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
(2014)Estuaries are dynamic features of a coastline whose sediments are influenced by riverine and marine processes. Periodic events such as floods, as well as variations in mouth status, greatly affect the energy levels within ... -
The influence of heterotrophy on the resilience of hard coral Pocillopora damicornis to thermal stress and bleaching.
(2013)Global warming from anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions causes temperature increases in aquatic ecosystems. The rise in environmental temperatures places sensitive organisms under thermal stress. Reef-building corals ...