https://vital.seals.ac.za/vital/access/manager/Index ${session.getAttribute("locale")} 5 https://vital.seals.ac.za/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:44790 Wed 27 Oct 2021 14:30:53 SAST ]]> https://vital.seals.ac.za/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:45023 Wed 22 Jun 2022 15:05:44 SAST ]]> https://vital.seals.ac.za/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:38367 Wed 12 May 2021 23:40:00 SAST ]]> https://vital.seals.ac.za/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:38746 Wed 12 May 2021 23:03:20 SAST ]]> https://vital.seals.ac.za/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:26616 80 %) feeding, and morning courting behaviour for this species were confirmed. However, during the summer holiday period (mid-December to mid-January) few seahorses were observed on camera, which suggests that the increase in motor boat activity and the related increase in noise had a negative effect on H. capensis feeding and courting behaviour. The marina development, and in particular the Reno mattresses, created a new habitat for this endangered species within the Knysna estuary. In addition to the protection and restoration of natural habitats in which H. capensis is found, the conservation potential of artificial structures such as Reno mattresses should be realised.]]> Wed 12 May 2021 22:34:55 SAST ]]> https://vital.seals.ac.za/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:38362 Wed 12 May 2021 20:37:27 SAST ]]> https://vital.seals.ac.za/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:30555 Wed 12 May 2021 20:35:05 SAST ]]> https://vital.seals.ac.za/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:38196 Wed 12 May 2021 20:32:21 SAST ]]> https://vital.seals.ac.za/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:29156 Wed 12 May 2021 20:12:17 SAST ]]> https://vital.seals.ac.za/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:29202 Wed 12 May 2021 20:11:15 SAST ]]> https://vital.seals.ac.za/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:30691 Wed 12 May 2021 19:55:49 SAST ]]> https://vital.seals.ac.za/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:38352 Wed 12 May 2021 19:51:57 SAST ]]> https://vital.seals.ac.za/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:21327 Wed 12 May 2021 19:29:44 SAST ]]> https://vital.seals.ac.za/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:30681 Wed 12 May 2021 19:17:36 SAST ]]> https://vital.seals.ac.za/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:25993 Wed 12 May 2021 18:54:50 SAST ]]> https://vital.seals.ac.za/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:38249 10, 000 km2) systems. However, there was variability in infertility response between lionesses including adverse reactions in a small proportion of treated individuals. The number of resident prides and male coalitions in a reserve affected lion social behaviour. Lionesses formed larger groups in reserves with a higher density of unknown adult female neighbours, likely driven by territory defence. Lion prides with resident cubs were generally more fragmented, likely in response to reduced competition from unknown adult males. However, in areas with a high density of unknown adult female neighbours, prides with cubs formed larger groups likely in response to heightened territory defence. Therefore, with smaller foraging group sizes, predation rate was increased in reserves with reduced competition from unknown lions. My study supports a metapopulation approach for the management of lions in small, fenced reserves, and the standardisation of lion management procedures and database management. Endorsed by the Biodiversity Management Plan for lions in South Africa, this will enhance the long-term conservation potential of isolated populations.]]> Wed 12 May 2021 18:16:51 SAST ]]> https://vital.seals.ac.za/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:21051 Wed 12 May 2021 17:38:32 SAST ]]> https://vital.seals.ac.za/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:21259 10 kg) carnivores has resulted in a variety of conservation measures being put into practice to prevent extinctions. The establishment of predator-proof fences around protected areas has been a successful tool for reducing human-predator conflict. Furthermore, the re-introduction of large carnivores into small (< 1 000 km²), enclosed reserves has aided in the conservation of many species. Cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) and lions (Panthera leo) have benefitted from such re-introductions. The re-introduction of cheetahs before lions into the Mountain Zebra National Park (MZNP) in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa provided a unique opportunity to study the effects of lions on an already established cheetah population. Spatial data were downloaded remotely from GPS collared individuals (n=4) and cheetah kill data were collected using the GPS cluster method before (2012-2013) and after (2013-2014) the lion (n=3) re-introduction. The same methods were used for lion kill data collection once they had been re-introduced. In general, cheetah home range size did not change after the lion re-introduction. Cheetahs selected areas with a combination of open and closed vegetation covers, while lions selected either open or closed areas of vegetation covers. In addition, as vegetation cover became thicker, the presence of cheetahs decreased. The cheetahs preyed upon seven species before and 11 species after the lion re-introduction. Medium sized prey comprised the bulk of the cheetah diet with kudu (Tragelaphus strepsiceros) and springbok (Antidorcas marsupialis) being the preferred species both before and after the lion re-introduction. The lion diets consisted of medium to large sized prey, with the male lions selecting eland (Tragelaphus oryx) and buffalo (Syncerus caffer) and the lioness selecting red hartebeest (Alcelaphus buselaphus). The cheetahs had no significant dietary overlap with the lions and there was only one record of kleptoparasitism. The results of my study indicate that cheetahs are able to co-exist with lions when lions are at low densities in an enclosed reserve. The cheetahs did not experience landscape-level displacement because they made fine-scale adjustments to avoid lions within their environment. This adaptability may have important management implications for future re-introductions of cheetahs into enclosed game reserves.]]> Wed 12 May 2021 17:37:06 SAST ]]> https://vital.seals.ac.za/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:21331 Wed 12 May 2021 17:14:53 SAST ]]> https://vital.seals.ac.za/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:28042 Wed 12 May 2021 16:22:51 SAST ]]> https://vital.seals.ac.za/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:20739 Wed 12 May 2021 16:21:32 SAST ]]> https://vital.seals.ac.za/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:38177 Wed 12 May 2021 16:20:35 SAST ]]> https://vital.seals.ac.za/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:21281 Wed 12 May 2021 16:15:31 SAST ]]> https://vital.seals.ac.za/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:30554 Wed 12 May 2021 15:47:22 SAST ]]> https://vital.seals.ac.za/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:41920 Wed 12 May 2021 15:01:32 SAST ]]> https://vital.seals.ac.za/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:41439 Wed 12 May 2021 14:58:15 SAST ]]> https://vital.seals.ac.za/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:41441 Wed 12 May 2021 14:56:40 SAST ]]> https://vital.seals.ac.za/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:41332 Wed 12 May 2021 14:56:24 SAST ]]> https://vital.seals.ac.za/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:41278 Wed 12 May 2021 14:40:32 SAST ]]> https://vital.seals.ac.za/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:41488 Wed 12 May 2021 13:53:10 SAST ]]> https://vital.seals.ac.za/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:41501 Wed 12 May 2021 13:47:23 SAST ]]> https://vital.seals.ac.za/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:57006 Wed 09 Nov 2022 09:09:09 SAST ]]> https://vital.seals.ac.za/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:26641 Wed 03 May 2023 13:21:12 SAST ]]> https://vital.seals.ac.za/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:45072 Wed 02 Mar 2022 12:24:25 SAST ]]> https://vital.seals.ac.za/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:28390 Tue 27 Jul 2021 16:09:02 SAST ]]> https://vital.seals.ac.za/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:65790 Tue 25 Jul 2023 16:09:04 SAST ]]> https://vital.seals.ac.za/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:21330 Tue 15 Aug 2023 11:29:32 SAST ]]> https://vital.seals.ac.za/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:42201 Tue 15 Aug 2023 11:29:30 SAST ]]> https://vital.seals.ac.za/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:30710 Tue 15 Aug 2023 11:20:55 SAST ]]> https://vital.seals.ac.za/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:27814 Tue 12 Oct 2021 15:49:22 SAST ]]> https://vital.seals.ac.za/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:45200 Tue 07 Jun 2022 10:32:47 SAST ]]> https://vital.seals.ac.za/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:57288 Thu 13 Oct 2022 11:49:52 SAST ]]> https://vital.seals.ac.za/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:28392 Thu 13 May 2021 07:14:39 SAST ]]> https://vital.seals.ac.za/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:30400 Thu 13 May 2021 07:07:53 SAST ]]> https://vital.seals.ac.za/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:34163 Thu 13 May 2021 06:59:15 SAST ]]> https://vital.seals.ac.za/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:34201 0.05 in all cases). Microplastic counts ranged on average from 55 ± 289 to 930 ± 462 microplastic particles.m-3. With the exception of two instances, microfibres constituted > 50 % (range: 47 to 97 %) of the total microplastic counts. Part two of this study assessed the size range of, and seasonal and spatial patterns in ingested microplastic. No significant differences were found in the number of microplastics ingested within seasons between the mussels Perna perna (Linnaeus, 1758) and Mytilus galloprovincialis (Lamarck, 1819), and the barnacles, Octomeris angulosa (Sowerby, 1825) and Tetraclita serrata (Darwin 1954) (Student’s t-test; d.f = 18; p > 0.05 in all cases), or between the two sites sampled, Kenton-on-Sea, Eastern Cape, and Wilderness, Western Cape (ANOVA; d.f. = 18; p > 0.05 in all cases). The nitric acid digestion technique was used to determine the presence of ingested microplastics. Microplastic loads ranged from 2 ± 1 to 33 ± 19 microplastics.g-1 wwt across all consumers, and the size of ingested microplastics ranged from 1 to 16 μm. Though highly variable, the absence of statistically significant differences in ingestion rates points to a ubiquity in the availability of microplastics within the water column over time and space.]]> Thu 13 May 2021 06:52:15 SAST ]]> https://vital.seals.ac.za/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:39140 Thu 13 May 2021 06:43:16 SAST ]]> https://vital.seals.ac.za/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:28393 70%. The results in this thesis have shown that the concentration of ethanol does not make any significant difference to the proportional change of length and width of the empty pupal casings and the third instar larvae. The recommendation is that when selecting the preservation technique, the integrity of the specimen for examination of other evidence (i.e. DNA or toxicological extraction) should take precedence. Although this thesis has not completely standardised the protocol for forensic entomotoxicology, it has indicated the areas that need to be focused on in order for standardisation to occur. Future studies should focus on standardisation, as this makes studies more comparable and ultimately makes entomotoxicological evidence admissible in the court of law.]]> Thu 13 May 2021 06:41:51 SAST ]]> https://vital.seals.ac.za/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:24044 Thu 13 May 2021 06:35:59 SAST ]]> https://vital.seals.ac.za/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:29788 Thu 13 May 2021 06:19:43 SAST ]]> https://vital.seals.ac.za/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:30765 Thu 13 May 2021 06:11:40 SAST ]]> https://vital.seals.ac.za/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:28546 Thu 13 May 2021 06:02:40 SAST ]]> https://vital.seals.ac.za/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:20726 Thu 13 May 2021 05:55:16 SAST ]]> https://vital.seals.ac.za/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:29223 Thu 13 May 2021 05:43:58 SAST ]]> https://vital.seals.ac.za/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:28067 Thu 13 May 2021 05:31:56 SAST ]]> https://vital.seals.ac.za/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:38747 Thu 13 May 2021 05:31:51 SAST ]]> https://vital.seals.ac.za/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:20803 Thu 13 May 2021 05:25:23 SAST ]]> https://vital.seals.ac.za/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:27812 Thu 13 May 2021 05:20:12 SAST ]]> https://vital.seals.ac.za/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:28213 Thu 13 May 2021 04:33:28 SAST ]]> https://vital.seals.ac.za/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:28391 Thu 13 May 2021 03:53:40 SAST ]]> https://vital.seals.ac.za/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:30613 Thu 13 May 2021 03:47:30 SAST ]]> https://vital.seals.ac.za/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:29207 Thu 13 May 2021 03:15:17 SAST ]]> https://vital.seals.ac.za/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:34197 70% of total counts) of sightings were made inside the MPAs. Short-term boat-based surveys were conducted three times a year between June 2014 and December 2016, contributing to a total of 47 days of surveys divided into three locations: Amathole, Hluleka, and Pondoland, each containing a MPA. Density and group size data were analyzed for both species and photographic identification analysis was performed for photographs of bottlenose dolphin dorsal fins. Results indicate that animal and sighting density did not differ temporally (bottlenose dolphin: sighting density – p=0.398, individual density –p=0.781; common dolphin: sighting density –p=0.472, individual density – p=0.204). Environmental factors (sea surface temperature, depth, substrate, and distance from shore) appeared to have limited effect on individual and sighting density and group size for both species (p>0.05). Photographic identification of bottlenose dolphins resulted in 2149 individuals, with a 11.8% resighting rate, with the highest resighting rate within the Pondoland MPA (16.1%). The resighting count did not differ temporally between monthly survey based on generalized linear models (p=0.866), but did differ between study areas (p<0.0001). These results provide the first evidence of the occurrence of both species of dolphin off the Wild Coast, as they were sighted in this region in all survey months. There was no trend in density based on temporal or environmental factors, which suggests other factors are influencing their occurrence. Resightings of bottlenose dolphins within the area suggest that there is some degree of residency, though the majority of animals were only sighted on a single occasion and there was no plateau in the discovery curve. A total of 256 biopsy samples (bottlenose dolphins =128; common dolphins=128) were collected during boat-based surveys. Bottlenose dolphin samples were also collected from adjacent areas to the southwest (Algoa Bay, n=22) and northeast (KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), n=20) of the Wild Coast to investigate similarities and differences between these areas. Despite a high degree of niche overlap between the two species (41%), common dolphins fed with a broader niche (standard ellipse area probability 0.89) than bottlenose dolphins in the summer and a narrower niche in the winter (probability 0.94). There was a clear spatial variation in the diet of bottlenose dolphins along the coast, with individuals from Algoa Bay and Amathole demonstrating 0% niche overlap with individuals from KZN, but the mechanism for these differences remains unclear as other species from South African waters demonstrate a strong southwest to northeast gradient in nitrogen for the Eastern Cape coastline. This research provides valuable baseline information regarding dolphins off the Wild Coast of South Africa, which remained largely unknown. My results indicate that bottlenose dolphins may be more resident in the Wild Coast than previous predicted, and confirm that common dolphins are highly mobile in this area.]]> Thu 13 May 2021 03:09:09 SAST ]]> https://vital.seals.ac.za/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:28686 Thu 13 May 2021 03:01:37 SAST ]]> https://vital.seals.ac.za/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:39135 Thu 13 May 2021 02:06:50 SAST ]]> https://vital.seals.ac.za/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:32306 Thu 13 May 2021 01:42:04 SAST ]]> https://vital.seals.ac.za/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:24477 Thu 13 May 2021 01:30:35 SAST ]]> https://vital.seals.ac.za/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:34216 Thu 13 May 2021 01:21:34 SAST ]]> https://vital.seals.ac.za/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:28504 Thu 13 May 2021 01:08:15 SAST ]]> https://vital.seals.ac.za/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:31386 Thu 13 May 2021 00:57:15 SAST ]]> https://vital.seals.ac.za/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:38449 Thu 13 May 2021 00:52:26 SAST ]]> https://vital.seals.ac.za/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:20720 3100 m were recorded, their flight skills seemed inadequate. Future management considerations include the initiation of a pre-release exercise regime, the establishment of an acclimatization enclosure removed from the breeding site, and a varied or reduced post-release feeding schedule. Fledglings should be relocated and housed at the release enclosure until they are four years old.]]> Thu 13 May 2021 00:49:15 SAST ]]> https://vital.seals.ac.za/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:28513 Thu 13 May 2021 00:18:31 SAST ]]> https://vital.seals.ac.za/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:21274 slopes> vertical surfaces> tide pools> crevices. The current study found that, while the pulmonate limpets, Siphonaria capensis and S. serrata, preferred rock pools, sloped, vertical and horizontal rock surfaces, the patellogastropod limpets, Cellana capensis and Scutellastra granularis, preferred rock pools and vertical rock surfaces. Furthermore, the pulmonate limpets were only common on horizontal rock surfaces where specific ameliorating conditions would have mitigated thermal stress there. In addition, C. capensis had similar thermal tolerance limits to the pulmonate limpets in air and the pulmonate limpets had similar and/or higher thermal tolerance limits compared to S. granularis in water. This indicates that the pulmonate limpets did not necessarily prefer warmer microhabitats than the patellogastropod limpets and that there were no differences in the collective upper thermal tolerance limits between the two limpet groups in either medium.Consequently, there was no indication from this study that an assumed superior capacity for oxygen supply translates into greater thermal tolerance and that the hypotheses based on the OCLTT were not supported. Although this was an indirect test of the OCLTT theory, I conclude that this study does not support the notion of its general applicability and that mechanisms other than those outlined by the OCLTT theory may help explain the patterns of thermal limitation observed in the current study.]]> Thu 13 May 2021 00:11:29 SAST ]]> https://vital.seals.ac.za/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:65375 Thu 11 Jan 2024 18:15:11 SAST ]]> https://vital.seals.ac.za/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:71935 Thu 04 Apr 2024 19:11:09 SAST ]]> https://vital.seals.ac.za/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:71933 Thu 04 Apr 2024 19:04:14 SAST ]]> https://vital.seals.ac.za/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:71926 Thu 04 Apr 2024 16:59:13 SAST ]]> https://vital.seals.ac.za/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:71925 Thu 04 Apr 2024 16:51:48 SAST ]]> https://vital.seals.ac.za/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:65380 Sun 21 Jan 2024 14:30:44 SAST ]]> https://vital.seals.ac.za/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:65792 Sun 21 Jan 2024 14:23:44 SAST ]]> https://vital.seals.ac.za/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:44749 Sun 14 Nov 2021 08:55:46 SAST ]]> https://vital.seals.ac.za/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:45018 Sat 13 Nov 2021 20:08:39 SAST ]]> https://vital.seals.ac.za/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:44958 Sat 13 Nov 2021 20:02:02 SAST ]]> https://vital.seals.ac.za/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:71957 Sat 06 Apr 2024 13:33:28 SAST ]]> https://vital.seals.ac.za/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:42895 Mon 31 May 2021 10:04:50 SAST ]]> https://vital.seals.ac.za/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:56789 Mon 26 Sep 2022 11:21:46 SAST ]]> https://vital.seals.ac.za/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:57239 Mon 24 Oct 2022 16:23:01 SAST ]]> https://vital.seals.ac.za/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:65782 Mon 24 Jul 2023 09:30:24 SAST ]]> https://vital.seals.ac.za/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:28157 Mon 19 Jul 2021 10:53:40 SAST ]]> https://vital.seals.ac.za/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:45266 Mon 15 Nov 2021 15:27:51 SAST ]]> https://vital.seals.ac.za/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:65668 Mon 10 Jul 2023 19:32:30 SAST ]]> https://vital.seals.ac.za/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:65360 Mon 10 Jul 2023 08:48:06 SAST ]]> https://vital.seals.ac.za/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:50131 Mon 05 Sep 2022 12:59:57 SAST ]]> https://vital.seals.ac.za/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:65359 Mon 03 Jul 2023 14:52:08 SAST ]]> https://vital.seals.ac.za/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:65358 Mon 03 Jul 2023 12:32:02 SAST ]]> https://vital.seals.ac.za/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:49994 Fri 22 Jul 2022 09:08:31 SAST ]]> https://vital.seals.ac.za/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:28158 Fri 06 Aug 2021 10:26:50 SAST ]]> https://vital.seals.ac.za/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:45049 Fri 01 Jul 2022 14:30:38 SAST ]]> https://vital.seals.ac.za/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:45060 Fri 01 Jul 2022 12:49:32 SAST ]]>