http://vital.seals.ac.za:8080/vital/access/manager/Index en-us 5 http://vital.seals.ac.za:8080/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:71911 Wed 27 Mar 2024 10:39:41 SAST ]]> http://vital.seals.ac.za:8080/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:73647 Wed 26 Jun 2024 11:52:05 SAST ]]> http://vital.seals.ac.za:8080/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:65942 Wed 26 Jul 2023 15:22:10 SAST ]]> http://vital.seals.ac.za:8080/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:69765 Wed 15 Nov 2023 11:34:54 SAST ]]> http://vital.seals.ac.za:8080/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:69762 Wed 15 Nov 2023 10:45:02 SAST ]]> http://vital.seals.ac.za:8080/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:69755 Wed 15 Nov 2023 10:01:01 SAST ]]> http://vital.seals.ac.za:8080/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:70687 Wed 13 Mar 2024 14:06:06 SAST ]]> http://vital.seals.ac.za:8080/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:70635 Wed 13 Mar 2024 14:05:11 SAST ]]> http://vital.seals.ac.za:8080/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:68916 Wed 11 Oct 2023 10:52:24 SAST ]]> http://vital.seals.ac.za:8080/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:70077 Tue 28 Nov 2023 15:39:17 SAST ]]> http://vital.seals.ac.za:8080/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:70065 Tue 28 Nov 2023 14:51:55 SAST ]]> http://vital.seals.ac.za:8080/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:70044 Tue 28 Nov 2023 12:39:10 SAST ]]> http://vital.seals.ac.za:8080/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:72811 Tue 28 May 2024 15:52:21 SAST ]]> http://vital.seals.ac.za:8080/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:66574 Tue 15 Aug 2023 12:42:53 SAST ]]> http://vital.seals.ac.za:8080/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:69715 Tue 14 Nov 2023 09:57:15 SAST ]]> http://vital.seals.ac.za:8080/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:70622 272 kh). The Fe/Cr and Fe/Mo ratios in overall carbides decreased from 5 and 10 (initial state) to 1 and 2 (>272 kh), respectively. The TKD analysis indicated that the relative phase proportion of M2C and M7C3 carbides, relative to the total extracted carbides, is positively correlated with service exposure. These microstructural features correlate with the creep life fraction consumed and could potentially be used as another indicator of the remnant creep life.]]> Tue 12 Dec 2023 15:05:41 SAST ]]> http://vital.seals.ac.za:8080/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:70618 Tue 12 Dec 2023 13:39:22 SAST ]]> http://vital.seals.ac.za:8080/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:72935 Tue 04 Jun 2024 09:17:19 SAST ]]> http://vital.seals.ac.za:8080/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:72934 Tue 04 Jun 2024 08:40:58 SAST ]]> http://vital.seals.ac.za:8080/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:73735 Tue 02 Jul 2024 09:02:10 SAST ]]> http://vital.seals.ac.za:8080/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:72821 Thu 30 May 2024 15:19:48 SAST ]]> http://vital.seals.ac.za:8080/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:73660 Thu 27 Jun 2024 15:06:01 SAST ]]> http://vital.seals.ac.za:8080/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:73658 Thu 27 Jun 2024 14:51:41 SAST ]]> http://vital.seals.ac.za:8080/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:73657 Thu 27 Jun 2024 14:30:42 SAST ]]> http://vital.seals.ac.za:8080/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:73656 Thu 27 Jun 2024 13:28:10 SAST ]]> http://vital.seals.ac.za:8080/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:73655 Thu 27 Jun 2024 13:06:49 SAST ]]> http://vital.seals.ac.za:8080/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:73654 Thu 27 Jun 2024 12:46:18 SAST ]]> http://vital.seals.ac.za:8080/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:73653 Thu 27 Jun 2024 12:17:45 SAST ]]> http://vital.seals.ac.za:8080/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:73651 Thu 27 Jun 2024 11:49:46 SAST ]]> http://vital.seals.ac.za:8080/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:72754 Thu 23 May 2024 12:33:21 SAST ]]> http://vital.seals.ac.za:8080/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:72736 Thu 23 May 2024 10:26:18 SAST ]]> http://vital.seals.ac.za:8080/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:72728 Thu 23 May 2024 10:00:39 SAST ]]> http://vital.seals.ac.za:8080/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:72675 Thu 23 May 2024 08:54:53 SAST ]]> http://vital.seals.ac.za:8080/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:73566 Thu 20 Jun 2024 16:01:55 SAST ]]> http://vital.seals.ac.za:8080/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:73562 7-ONE > 8-ONE > 5-ONE which correlated exactly with results from binary guest/guest competition experiments, where 6-ONE was always preferred by H1, while 5-ONE was consistently disfavoured. Single crystal X-ray diffraction (SCXRD) analyses demonstrated that each guest compound was retained in the crystals by means of a hydrogen bond with an alcohol moiety of the host compound. Furthermore, preferred guests 6- and 7-ONE produced crystals with greater densities than guests less favoured (5- and 8-ONE). A conformational analysis of the guest geometries in the four complexes with H1 revealed that the low energy guest conformers were present. The host selectivity for 6- and 7-ONE was proposed to be due to the improved molecular packing in the crystals of the complexes containing these two guest compounds, observed from their higher crystal densities. Hirshfeld surface analyses were not useful in explaining the preference of H1 for 6-ONE relative to 7-ONE (these types of analyses were not possible for the 5-ONE and 8-ONE-containing inclusion compounds due to the nature and degree of disorder present in the guest molecules). H1 was also crystallized from γ-butyrolactone (GBL), 2-pyrrolidone (NP), N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) and N-ethyl-2-pyrrolidone (NEP), and 1H-NMR spectroscopy revealed that all but GBL were included. The host compound was also presented with these guest solvents in various mixtures, and it was observed that NMP was an extremely favoured guest solvent, followed by NEP and NP, with GBL being consistently disfavoured in every experiment. It was therefore shown that in certain instances, H1 may serve as an alternative tool for separating some of these mixtures through host-guest chemistry strategies. The hydrogen bonding motifs present in each of the successfully formed complexes were extensively investigated through SCXRD analysis, as was the thermal behaviour of these complexes. In the latter instance, the peak temperature of the endotherm (from the DSC trace) representing the guest release was greater for the inclusion compound with favoured NMP (145.5 °C) relative to the complexes with NP (139.8 °C) and NEP (120.5 °C). Host compounds H2 and H3 were revealed to have the ability to include each of pyridine (PYR), 2-methylpyridine (2MP), 3-methylpyridine (3MP) and 4-methylpyridine (4MP). H2 displayed selective behaviour for 3MP and 4MP when presented with mixtures of these guest compounds, whilst H3 preferred PYR. In the latter case, this PYR-containing inclusion compound was also the more stable one (the guest release onset temperature was highest, Ton 66.0 °C). It was demonstrated that H2 has the ability to separate very many binary mixtures of these pyridines on a practical platform, since K (the selectivity coefficient) values were 10 or greater in many instances. However, unfortunately, the more difficult-to-separate mixtures containing 3MP and 4MP cannot be purified or separated by employing H2 and supramolecular chemistry strategies. H3 was also shown to be a likely candidate for binary guest separations in very many of the guest solutions considered here, where K was also 10 or greater, and even infinity in many cases. SCXRD demonstrated that 2MP, 3MP and 4MP were retained in the crystals of their complexes by means of classical hydrogen bonds with the host compound. Satisfyingly, this hydrogen bond between 2MP and H2 (3.0213(18) Å) was significantly longer than that between this host compound and both disorder components of 3MP (2.875(2) and 2.825(9) Å) and that between H2 and 4MP (2.8458(13) Å). This observation explains the affinity of H2 for both 3MP and 4MP, and why 2MP was disfavoured. The results of thermal experiments did not wholly concur with observations from the guest/guest competition experiments. Hirshfeld surface analyses were also conducted but were not entirely conclusive with respect to explaining the host selectivity behaviour. In the case of H3, SCXRD analyses revealed that favoured PYR experienced a classical hydrogen bond with the host compound that was statistically significantly shorter (2.795(2) Å, 165°) than those between the other guest compounds and H3. Additionally, this guest compound was the only one to be involved in a (host)C−H···π(guest) interaction (2.91 Å, 139°) and also a non-classical hydrogen bond with the host compound ((host)C−H···N−C(guest), 2.77 Å (144°)). Finally, Hirshfeld surface analyses showed also that preferred PYR experienced a greater percentage of C···H/H···C (33.1%) and H···N/N···H (11.1%) interactions compared with the complexes with 2MP, 3MP and 4MP. However, it is not clear whether these Hirshfeld observations explain the affinity of H3 for PYR.]]> Thu 20 Jun 2024 15:42:01 SAST ]]> http://vital.seals.ac.za:8080/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:73554 Thu 20 Jun 2024 14:46:36 SAST ]]> http://vital.seals.ac.za:8080/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:69807 Thu 16 Nov 2023 15:07:51 SAST ]]> http://vital.seals.ac.za:8080/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:69791 Thu 16 Nov 2023 10:59:47 SAST ]]> http://vital.seals.ac.za:8080/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:70692 Thu 14 Dec 2023 11:51:39 SAST ]]> http://vital.seals.ac.za:8080/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:72779 Mon 27 May 2024 13:13:53 SAST ]]> http://vital.seals.ac.za:8080/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:72778 hawksbills > loggerheads > leatherbacks). However, sightings per unit effort (SPUE) showed that loggerheads were more prevalent than hawksbills in iSimangaliso, likely due to its proximity to this loggerhead rookery. Reefs supported mixed size aggregations with juvenile to adult-sized green turtles (straight carapace lengths, SCLs of 44.9–99.2 cm), whilst hawksbills were mostly juveniles or subadults (SCL range: 37.4–73.4 cm) and loggerheads were mostly adult-sized (SCL range: 66.9–81 cm). Adult sex ratios were slightly female-biased but not significantly different from 1:1. The longest minimum residence periods recorded for individual subadult green and hawksbill turtles (676 and 675 days respectively) and adult-sized loggerheads (621 days) were suggestive of residency. Resident sea turtle activities were typical; they wereobserved foraging, resting, cleaning and interacting year-round, whilst only loggerheads and leatherbacks were observed in breeding behaviour (e.g., patrolling and mating) just after the seasonal arrival of transient individuals. This study thus reveals that the east coast of South Africa hosts regionally important resident and transient sea turtle aggregations with some of the highest SPUE results recorded for the region. This first attempt at monitoring foraging grounds using a variety of techniques and stakeholder groups can serve as the baseline assessment for future work and the foundation for a long-term in-water monitoring programme, allowing for expansion along the entire coastline.]]> Mon 27 May 2024 12:24:52 SAST ]]> http://vital.seals.ac.za:8080/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:73614 Mon 24 Jun 2024 15:41:42 SAST ]]> http://vital.seals.ac.za:8080/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:73613 Mon 24 Jun 2024 14:52:00 SAST ]]> http://vital.seals.ac.za:8080/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:69690 Mon 13 Nov 2023 12:55:18 SAST ]]> http://vital.seals.ac.za:8080/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:69686 Mon 13 Nov 2023 12:10:26 SAST ]]> http://vital.seals.ac.za:8080/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:72933 Mon 03 Jun 2024 15:51:46 SAST ]]> http://vital.seals.ac.za:8080/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:72932 Mon 03 Jun 2024 15:36:53 SAST ]]> http://vital.seals.ac.za:8080/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:72931 200 m depth) are challenging to access and remain poorly studied globally. Epifaunal invertebrates comprise a critical trophic level in benthic ecosystems and can serve as indicators of the overall health and functioning. There is limited knowledge of South Africa’s offshore marine environment and benthic ecosystem functioning due to limitations in funding, resources, and the lack of suitable science-based monitoring tools which are vital for sustainable management into the future. The aim of this research was to improve the understanding of epifaunal functioning as well as their potential physical drivers in 13 South African offshore biogeographic ecotypes. The objectives of this study were threefold: 1) to investigate the functional composition of benthic epifauna from 13 biogeographic ecotypes, 2) to quantify the Functional Diversity (FD) associated with epifaunal traits between the different assemblages (i.e. biogeographic ecotypes), and 3) to evaluate the relationship between physical variables and epifaunal functional traits at the biogeographic ecotype level. Biological trait-based approaches were applied to a subset of 80 benthic epifaunal species collected from 909 offshore stations along the west and south coasts of South Africa. Nine biological traits (associated with life history, morphology and behavioural characteristics exhibited by each species) were classified into 39 modalities and weighted with biomass. Community Weighted Means (CWMs) were used to evaluate the benthic epifaunal functional trait composition of the 13 biogeographic ecotypes. Functional composition across the 13 ecotype assemblages on the west and south coast appeared to be dominated by species with similar trait compositions, such as large, long-lived, surface crawling/burrowing/filter-feeding epifauna with medium to no mobility, however, their percentage of contribution to trait expression (CWMs) was higher on the west coast. Functional diversity indices (alpha and beta) showed higher overall FD for west coast ecotypes, with most ecotypes on the continental shelf (except slopes and canyons) being significantly different (p<0.05) from ecotypes on the south coast. The global RLQ (three-table co-inertia) test did not reveal a significant relationship between biomass and physical variables or between biomass and traits (p>0.05). The fourth-corner method was used to test the significance of individual traitenvironment relationships. The fourth-corner results were similar overall to the RLQ analysis, revealing that three physical variables (temperature, depth, and fluorescence) were significantly correlated to two trait modalities belonging to the feeding mode filter-feeders (FM1) and scavengers (FM5). Scavengers were positively correlated with depth and negatively with temperature, while filter-feeders were positively correlated with fluorescence levels. This indicated that the presence of scavenging epifauna increased with a decrease in temperature and an increase in depth. While a positive significant correlation between filter-feeders and fluorescence suggested their potential tolerance or preference for environmental conditions with high levels of fluorescence. This research was the first such study to explore the functional composition and diversity of benthic epifauna and their relationship with potential physical drivers in offshore west and south coast benthic biogeographic ecotypes of South Africa. The application of new tools to quantify the functional diversity of epifauna as indicators of ecosystem health, and their potential physical drivers. This provided a platform on which to advance our understanding of benthic communities and the roles they play in ecosystem functioning under changing environments. Functional trait-based approaches such as those applied in this study can provide us with vital information on the relationship between biodiversity, ecosystem functioning, and physical drivers. Environmental stressors and changing climate patterns threaten to impact marine ecosystems and their functioning. Benthic epifauna are especially sensitive to changes in their environment and these fluctuations could potentially lead to the loss of certain benthic functionality, altering the thresholds these ecosystems have to response to disturbances. This undermines the stability of these ecosystems which can have ripple effects on the health of these ecosystems and their ability to provide the ecosystem services humans dependent on. Having suitable tools to track current and predict future changes will therefore be vital to inform management and conservation strategies for sustainable ocean utilisation.]]> Mon 03 Jun 2024 15:17:03 SAST ]]> http://vital.seals.ac.za:8080/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:72925 Mon 03 Jun 2024 14:40:41 SAST ]]> http://vital.seals.ac.za:8080/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:72912 Mon 03 Jun 2024 13:47:30 SAST ]]> http://vital.seals.ac.za:8080/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:72907 Mon 03 Jun 2024 12:33:03 SAST ]]> http://vital.seals.ac.za:8080/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:72887 Mon 03 Jun 2024 12:06:31 SAST ]]> http://vital.seals.ac.za:8080/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:72906 Mon 03 Jun 2024 11:17:32 SAST ]]> http://vital.seals.ac.za:8080/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:72899 100 years) and harbours forest species, many of which were vertical growers. The second unit, thicket, is exposed to moderate levels of fire frequency (50-100 years) and is dominated by lateral spreaders. The last unit, fynbos-thicket, is exposed to high levels of fire frequency (10-50 years) and here hedge-forming shrubs dominate the canopy cover. Forest-thicket and fynbos-thicket had a diverse set of shrub species with many being restricted to their respective vegetation type, whereas thicket had a lower diversity with no unique shrub species.]]> Mon 03 Jun 2024 09:44:46 SAST ]]> http://vital.seals.ac.za:8080/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:73713 Mon 01 Jul 2024 12:25:56 SAST ]]> http://vital.seals.ac.za:8080/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:73710 Mon 01 Jul 2024 12:04:49 SAST ]]> http://vital.seals.ac.za:8080/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:73704 Mon 01 Jul 2024 11:50:51 SAST ]]> http://vital.seals.ac.za:8080/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:73695 Mon 01 Jul 2024 11:40:14 SAST ]]> http://vital.seals.ac.za:8080/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:73692 Mon 01 Jul 2024 10:32:59 SAST ]]> http://vital.seals.ac.za:8080/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:73689 Mon 01 Jul 2024 10:16:44 SAST ]]> http://vital.seals.ac.za:8080/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:73684 Mon 01 Jul 2024 09:58:01 SAST ]]> http://vital.seals.ac.za:8080/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:72828 Fri 31 May 2024 14:09:47 SAST ]]> http://vital.seals.ac.za:8080/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:72827 Fri 31 May 2024 13:48:47 SAST ]]> http://vital.seals.ac.za:8080/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:72826 Fri 31 May 2024 13:20:48 SAST ]]> http://vital.seals.ac.za:8080/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:72825 Fri 31 May 2024 12:52:54 SAST ]]> http://vital.seals.ac.za:8080/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:72824 Fri 31 May 2024 10:41:16 SAST ]]> http://vital.seals.ac.za:8080/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:72823 Fri 31 May 2024 10:32:54 SAST ]]> http://vital.seals.ac.za:8080/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:72822 Fri 31 May 2024 10:11:48 SAST ]]> http://vital.seals.ac.za:8080/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:73677 mangrove bee honey > U. fasciata > S. oligocystum > 2-PAA > green rooibos. Unexpected results were demonstrated for green rooibos in the presence and absence of red light, which included decreased ATP production and collagen biosynthesis. Further investigation is therefore needed to have a better understanding of these unanticipated results.]]> Fri 28 Jun 2024 15:29:32 SAST ]]> http://vital.seals.ac.za:8080/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:73668 Fri 28 Jun 2024 14:52:16 SAST ]]> http://vital.seals.ac.za:8080/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:73676 Fri 28 Jun 2024 14:39:11 SAST ]]> http://vital.seals.ac.za:8080/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:73675 Fri 28 Jun 2024 14:25:06 SAST ]]> http://vital.seals.ac.za:8080/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:73674 Fri 28 Jun 2024 14:11:11 SAST ]]> http://vital.seals.ac.za:8080/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:73672 Fri 28 Jun 2024 13:49:34 SAST ]]> http://vital.seals.ac.za:8080/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:73671 Fri 28 Jun 2024 13:35:15 SAST ]]> http://vital.seals.ac.za:8080/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:73670 Fri 28 Jun 2024 12:46:39 SAST ]]> http://vital.seals.ac.za:8080/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:73669 Fri 28 Jun 2024 12:19:02 SAST ]]> http://vital.seals.ac.za:8080/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:73666 Fri 28 Jun 2024 11:30:50 SAST ]]> http://vital.seals.ac.za:8080/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:73665 Fri 28 Jun 2024 11:02:49 SAST ]]> http://vital.seals.ac.za:8080/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:73664 Fri 28 Jun 2024 10:20:48 SAST ]]> http://vital.seals.ac.za:8080/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:73663 Fri 28 Jun 2024 10:05:59 SAST ]]> http://vital.seals.ac.za:8080/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:73659 Fri 28 Jun 2024 08:05:57 SAST ]]> http://vital.seals.ac.za:8080/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:66017 Fri 28 Jul 2023 14:58:10 SAST ]]> http://vital.seals.ac.za:8080/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:66741 Fri 25 Aug 2023 10:39:58 SAST ]]> http://vital.seals.ac.za:8080/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:73597 Fri 21 Jun 2024 15:41:26 SAST ]]> http://vital.seals.ac.za:8080/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:73596 Fri 21 Jun 2024 14:52:56 SAST ]]> http://vital.seals.ac.za:8080/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:73595 Fri 21 Jun 2024 14:31:16 SAST ]]> http://vital.seals.ac.za:8080/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:73594 Fri 21 Jun 2024 14:09:53 SAST ]]> http://vital.seals.ac.za:8080/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:73593 Fri 21 Jun 2024 13:49:49 SAST ]]> http://vital.seals.ac.za:8080/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:73592 Fri 21 Jun 2024 13:14:49 SAST ]]> http://vital.seals.ac.za:8080/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:73590 Fri 21 Jun 2024 12:18:50 SAST ]]> http://vital.seals.ac.za:8080/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:73589 Fri 21 Jun 2024 12:03:47 SAST ]]> http://vital.seals.ac.za:8080/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:73578 Fri 21 Jun 2024 10:26:35 SAST ]]> http://vital.seals.ac.za:8080/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:73576 Fri 21 Jun 2024 10:05:31 SAST ]]> http://vital.seals.ac.za:8080/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:73571 Fri 21 Jun 2024 08:33:46 SAST ]]> http://vital.seals.ac.za:8080/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:69847 Fri 17 Nov 2023 14:53:15 SAST ]]> http://vital.seals.ac.za:8080/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:69844 Fri 17 Nov 2023 14:19:01 SAST ]]> http://vital.seals.ac.za:8080/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:69828 Fri 17 Nov 2023 13:20:56 SAST ]]> http://vital.seals.ac.za:8080/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:69851 Fri 15 Mar 2024 12:52:01 SAST ]]> http://vital.seals.ac.za:8080/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:70688 Fri 15 Mar 2024 12:04:38 SAST ]]>