List of Titles

Derivation of quantitative management objectives for annual instream water temperatures in the Sabie River using a biological index

- Rivers-Moore, N A, Jewitt, G P W, Weeks, D C

Authors: Rivers-Moore, N A , Jewitt, G P W , Weeks, D C
Date: 2005
Language: English
Type: text , Article
Identifier: vital:7093 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1012426
Description: Adaptive management of river systems assumes uncertainty and makes provision for system variability. Inherent within this management approach is that perceived limits of 'acceptable' system variability are regarded not only as testable hypotheses, but also as playing a central role in maintaining biodiversity. While the Kruger National Park currently functions as a flagship conservation area in South Africa, projected increases in air temperatures as a consequence of global climate change present challenges in conserving this biodiversity inside the established land boundaries. Within the rivers of the Kruger National Park, a management goal of maintaining biodiversity requires a clearer understanding of system variability. One component of this is water temperature, an important water quality parameter defining the distribution patterns of aquatic organisms. In this study, Chiloglanis anoterus Crass (1960) (Pisces: Mochokidae) was selected as a biological indicator of changes in annual water temperatures within the Sabie River in the southern Kruger National Park. Relative abundances of C. anoterus were determined using standard electro-fishing surveys. The presence or absence of C. anoterus was linked to cumulative annual heat units using a logistic regression model, and a critical annual cumulative water temperature threshold estimated. A correlative relationship between this temperature threshold and a biological index using a C. anoterus condition factor provides river ecologists with a tool to assess ecologically significant warming trends in Sabie River water temperatures. A similar approach could be applied with relative ease to other Southern African river systems. Further testing of this hypothesis is suggested, as part of the adaptive management cycle.
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Date Issued: 2005

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Detecting change in local ecological knowledge: an application of an index of taxonomic distinctness to an ethnoichthyological classification in the Solomon Islands

- Aswani, Shankar, Ferse, Sebastian C A, Stäbler, Moritz, Chong-Montenegro, Carolina

Authors: Aswani, Shankar , Ferse, Sebastian C A , Stäbler, Moritz , Chong-Montenegro, Carolina
Date: 2020
Language: English
Type: text , article
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/179059 , vital:40103 , https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2020.106865
Description: The global accelerating loss of biodiversity is having immediate repercussions for ecosystems and human wellbeing, particularly in areas where people depend intimately on their natural environment for their livelihoods. Dovetailing this loss is the demise of local/traditional knowledge systems resulting from factors such as changing lifestyle and the transformation of local belief systems. While the importance of local ecological knowledge (LEK) for documentation of biodiversity and environmental change and development of management responses is well established, quantitative tools to analyze and systematically compare LEK are scarce. In this research, we analyze the complexity of local ecological knowledge used by respondents to classify locally-recognized marine species. We do so by applying a modified index of taxonomic distinctness to an ethnoichthyological classification in coastal communities in the Solomon Islands. In addition, we assess simple taxonomic diversity (richness in locally-recognized species names) by comparing taxonomies collected in 1992–1995 and 2014–2015.
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Date Issued: 2020

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Determination of species and instars of the larvae of the Afrotropical species of Thanatophilus Leach, 1817 (Coleoptera, Silphidae)

- Daniel, Claire A, Midgley, John M, Villet, Martin H

Authors: Daniel, Claire A , Midgley, John M , Villet, Martin H
Date: 2017
Language: English
Type: article , text
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/59682 , vital:27638 , doi: 10.3897/afrinvertebr.58.12966
Description: Thanatophilus micans and T. mutilatus have significance for forensic entomology. Their larvae are therefore described and a key is provided for identifying the larvae of Afrotropical Silphidae based on morphological characters. It is shown that seven common species of Thanatophilus can be distinguished by a 360 bp mtDNA sequence from the cytochrome oxidase I gene.
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Date Issued: 2017

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Development and validation of the Xhosa translations of the Beck Inventories: 1. Challenges of the translation process

- Steele, Gary I, Edwards, David J A

Authors: Steele, Gary I , Edwards, David J A
Date: 2008
Language: English
Type: Article
Identifier: vital:6248 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1007866
Description: This article describes the translation of the Beck Depression Inventory-II, the Beck Hopeless Scale, and the Beck Anxiety Inventory, into Xhosa the language spoken in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. The processes of translation, back-translation and committee discussion failed to yield trustworthy translations because of practical difficulties in working with translators. Critical words and phrases were identified which gave rise to lack of agreement. For each, a range of options was generated and the advantages and disadvantages evaluated in terms of criteria such as conceptual and idiomatic equivalence, and extensiveness of usage. Examples are given of the problems encountered and the way in which final decisions were made. A pilot clinical trial demonstrated the acceptability of the translated Instruments. Two further articles report the psychometric evaluation of the translated scales.
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Date Issued: 2008

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Developmental and spatial variations in the diet signatures of hyperbenthic shrimp Nauticaris marionis at the Prince Edward Islands based on stable isotope ratios and fatty acid profiles

- Richoux, Nicole B, Allan, Elizabeth L, Froneman, P William

Authors: Richoux, Nicole B , Allan, Elizabeth L , Froneman, P William
Date: 2016
Language: English
Type: text , article
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/67923 , vital:29169 , https://doi.org/10.1016/j.csr.2016.02.0131
Description: Publisher version , The caridean shrimp Nauticaris marionis is an ecologically important species in the benthic community around the sub-Antarctic Prince Edward Islands (PEI) as it represents a key prey item for a variety of top predators breeding on the islands. We hypothesized that the diet of N. marionis shifts during its development, and that spatial variability in food availability results in differentiation in the diet signatures of specimens collected from various locations of the shelf waters around the PEI. Specimens were collected from nine stations (depth range 70 to 240 m) around the PEI at inter-island shelf (from west to east: upstream, between and downstream) and nearshore regions during austral autumn 2009. Stable isotope and fatty acid data both revealed spatial and developmental variations in the shrimp diet. Nearshore shrimp were more 13C-enriched than those from the inter-island region, suggesting increased kelp detritus entered the food web in the nearshore regions. The shrimp showed increases in δ13C and δ15N signatures (and trophic position) with an increase in body size, resulting in distinctions between size classes that reflected shifts in their trophic niche through development. The fatty acid profiles similarly indicated distinctions in diet with increased shrimp size (in the deep regions), and spatial variability was evident in relation to region and depth. All shrimp contained large proportions of polyunsaturated and essential fatty acids, indicating that the quality of food consumed was similar between regions despite the diet variability. Our results provide new dietary information about a key species operating near the base of the food web at the highly productive PEI, and show that there were no areas of enhanced nutrition available to the shrimp. As such, there was no nutritional advantage to shrimp inhabiting any specific region around the PEI.
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Date Issued: 2016

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Does the absence of community involvement underpin the demise of urban neighbourhood parks in the Eastern Cape, South Africa?:

- Shackleton, Charlie M, Njwaxu, Afrika

Authors: Shackleton, Charlie M , Njwaxu, Afrika
Date: 2021
Language: English
Type: text , article
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/175791 , vital:42624 , https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2020.104006
Description: Public urban green spaces are essential for urban sustainability and the physical and mental wellbeing of urban residents. Yet in some settings they may face a number of threats, ranging from land transformation and development, through to poor maintenance and vandalism. It has been posited that community engagement is a crucial strategy in addressing or minimising many of these threats. Here we report on the condition of 11 newly created or renovated parks in poorer neighbourhoods of six towns over a three year period, along with in-depth interviews regarding the sentiments of local residents and officials to the (re)creation of the parks and their subsequent deterioration.
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Date Issued: 2021

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Ecological impacts of small dams on South African rivers Part 2: Biotic response – abundance and composition of macroinvertebrate communities

- Mantel, Sukhmani K, Muller, N W J, Hughes, Denis A

Authors: Mantel, Sukhmani K , Muller, N W J , Hughes, Denis A
Date: 2010
Language: English
Type: text , Article
Identifier: vital:7095 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1012437
Description: This paper investigates the cumulative impacts of small dams on invertebrate communities in 2 regions of South Africa – the Western Cape and Mpumalanga. Previous research found reduced discharge, increased total dissolved salts, and a decrease in average score per taxon (ASPT; collected using SASS4 methods) at sites with high density of small dams in their catchment. These changes in ASPT are investigated using the invertebrate abundance data available in the River Health Programme. Multivariate analyses found differences in invertebrate communities in rivers with high densities of small dams in their catchment in foothill-gravel streams (in both Western Cape and Mpumalanga) and in foothill-cobble streams (in Western Cape only). Opportunistic taxa that are tolerant of pollution, and capable of exploiting various habitats, and those that prefer slower currents increased in numbers, while other taxa that are sensitive to pollution and disturbance declined in numbers. Some regional differences were noted possibly reflecting climatic differences between the regions. Since the results of this study are correlative, it highlights the need for a systematic (by sites and seasons) and detailed (at species level) collection of data to verify the results of cumulative effects of small dams. This can further the development of a framework for small-dam construction and management that will limit their impact on river catchments.
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Date Issued: 2010

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Environmental limits to the distribution of Scaevola plumieri along the South African coast

- Peter, Craig I, Ripley, Bradley S, Robertson, Mark P

Authors: Peter, Craig I , Ripley, Bradley S , Robertson, Mark P
Date: 2003
Language: English
Type: Article
Identifier: vital:6872 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1011617
Description: Scaevola plumieri is an important pioneer on many tropical and subtropical sand dunes, forming a large perennial subterranean plant with only the tips of the branches emerging above accreting sand. In South Africa it is the dominant pioneer on sandy beaches along the east coast, less abundant on the south coast and absent from the southwest and west coasts. Transpiration rates (E) of S. plumieri are predictably related to atmospheric vapour pressure deficit under a wide range of conditions and can therefore be predicted from measurement of ambient temperature and relative humidity. Scaling measurements of E at the leaf level to the canopy level has been demonstrated previously. Using a geographic information system, digital maps of regional climatic variables were used to calculate digital maps of potential transpiration from mean monthly temperature and relative humidity values, effectively scaling canopy level transpiration rates to a regional level. Monthly potential transpiration was subtracted from the monthly median rainfall to produce a map of mean monthly water balance. Seasonal growth was correlated with seasonal water balance. Localities along the coast with water deficits in summer corresponded with the recorded absence of S. plumieri, which grows and reproduces most actively in the summer months. This suggests that reduced water availability during the summer growth period limits the distribution of S. plumieri along the southwest coast, where water deficits develop in summer. Temperature is also important in limiting the distribution of S. plumieri on the southwest coast of South Africa through its effects on the growth and phenology of the plant.
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Date Issued: 2003

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Eudicella trimeni Janson, 1884 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Cetoniinae: Goliathini): Description of larva with notes on conservation status, biology and taxonomy

- Perissinotto, R, Orozco, Jesús (Entomologist)

Authors: Perissinotto, R , Orozco, Jesús (Entomologist)
Date: 2013
Subjects: Afrotropical , Goliathini , Eudicella trimeni , Scarab beetles , Fruit chafers , Flower chafers , Larva , Grubs , Rosenkäfer
Language: English
Type: Article
Identifier: vital:6559 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1006605 , http://africaninvertebrates.org/ojs/index.php/AI/article/view/307
Description: Eudicella trimeni is reportedly one of the most endangered species of the genus, having been declared virtually extinct until recently. Present research has shown that the species occurs in an area wider than previously known. However, its habitat is disappearing at a fast rate and the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal populations appear to be sufficiently different from each other to warrant at least subspecies status and further investigation. Third instar larvae of the northern population were collected recently in the Karkloof Nature Reserve, KwaZulu-Natal. They were reared to adulthood under environmentally controlled conditions and are here described.
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Date Issued: 2013

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Events tourism as a conduit to promote underdeveloped tourist destinations, with specific reference to the Mooiplaas Homecoming Music Event in East London, South Africa

- Mxunyelwa, Siyabonga, Kilani, Khuselwa Busisiwe

Authors: Mxunyelwa, Siyabonga , Kilani, Khuselwa Busisiwe
Date: 2020
Language: English
Type: text , article
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/11260/1958 , vital:39809 , https://www.ajhtl.com/uploads/7/1/6/3/7163688/article_9_vol_9_2__2020_wsu.pdf
Description: Events tourism has demonstrated growth over the years, and has been used as a tool to boost local economies. Hosting such events creates benefits, these include the boost in the local economy, improvement of infrastructure on destinations and job creation. The purpose of this paper was to investigate how events tourism could be utilised as a conduit to promote underdeveloped tourist destinations in Mooiplaas. Secondary data sources were consulted to understand the role of events tourism in the local community of Mooiplaas. This paper utilised a survey questionnaire to collect data. The simple random sampling method was utilised to select the respondents. The findings indicate that 70% of the respondents agreed that they are consulted about the events that promote their community. Furthermore, the findings elucidates that 82% of the respondents concur that events can potentially create entrepreneurial opportunities. These findings contribute significantly in developing the local economic strategies of the municipalities in underdeveloped regions. As such it is recommended that events are planned in a coherent, systematic manner in order to achieve local economic development objectives. Furthermore, the paper provided a foundation on how to plan, organise, lead and control events that can potentially unearth tourism demand particularly in developing tourist destinations. Moreover, it is hoped that the paper will serve as the basis to plan future events in the context of regions such as Mooiplaas that are still engulfed with developmental challenges, these contribute to triple threat of unemployed, poverty and inequality.
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Date Issued: 2020

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Evidence of genetic differentiation in cigar wrasse Cheilio inermis (Labridae) within the western Indian Ocean:

- Mayekiso, Sisanda, Gouws, Gavin, Mwale, Monica, Gon, Ofer

Authors: Mayekiso, Sisanda , Gouws, Gavin , Mwale, Monica , Gon, Ofer
Date: 2020
Language: English
Type: text , article
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/163499 , vital:41043 , https://doi.org/10.1139/gen-2019-0185
Description: Patterns of genetic structure and connectivity of the monotypic cigar wrasse Cheilio inermis within western Indian Ocean (WIO) are poorly understood. Whether the species exists as a single panmictic population across the WIO is unclear. Sequence data were generated from two mitochondrial genes (cytochrome b and ATPase 6) and one nuclear intron (S7 intron I). High levels of haplotype and allelic diversity (h = 0.88–0.98; A = 0.95–0.98), along with low nucleotide diversities were observed across all markers.
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Date Issued: 2020

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Evolutionary significance of Holapogon, a new genus of cardinal fishes (Apogonidae), with a redescription of its type-species, Apogon maximus

- Fraser, Thomas H, Rhodes University. J.L.B. Smith Institute of Ichthyology

Authors: Fraser, Thomas H , Rhodes University. J.L.B. Smith Institute of Ichthyology
Date: 1973-04
Subjects: Holapogon , Holapogon maximus , Fishes -- Classification , Fishes -- Indian Ocean
Language: English
Type: text , book
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/69640 , vital:29562 , Margaret Smith Library (South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity (SAIAB)) Periodicals Margaret Smith Library (South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity (SAIAB))
Description: Online version of original print edition of the Special Publication of the J.L.B. Smith Institute of Ichthyology; No. 10 , A new genus is erected for Apogon maximus, a deep water cardinal fish occurring off the coast of southern Arabia in the Indian Ocean. Holapogon is a primitive genus near the ancestor which gave rise to all the living Apogoninae. The type-species, Apogon maximus Boulenger, 1887, is redescribed and aspects of its anatomy are investigated.
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Date Issued: 1973-04

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Expanding the SAR of Nontoxic Antiplasmodial Indolyl-3-ethanone Ethers and Thioethers:

- Lunga, Mayibongwe J, Chisango, Ruramai L, Weyers, Carli, Isaacs, Michelle, Taylor, Dale, Edkins, Adrienne L, Khanye, Setshaba D, Hoppe, Heinrich C, Veale, Clinton G L

Authors: Lunga, Mayibongwe J , Chisango, Ruramai L , Weyers, Carli , Isaacs, Michelle , Taylor, Dale , Edkins, Adrienne L , Khanye, Setshaba D , Hoppe, Heinrich C , Veale, Clinton G L
Date: 2018
Language: English
Type: text , article
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/164389 , vital:41114 , DOI: 10.1002/cmdc.201800235
Description: Despite major strides in reducing Plasmodium falciparum infections, this parasite still accounts for roughly half a million annual deaths. This problem is compounded by the decreased efficacy of artemisinin combination therapies. Therefore, the development and optimisation of novel antimalarial chemotypes is critical. In this study, we describe our strategic approach to optimise a class of previously reported antimalarials, resulting in the discovery of 1-(5-chloro-1H-indol-3-yl)-2-[(4-cyanophenyl)thio]ethanone (13) and 1-(5-chloro-1H-indol-3-yl)-2-[(4-nitrophenyl)thio]ethanone (14), whose activity was equipotent to that of chloroquine against the P. falciparum 3D7 strain.
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Date Issued: 2018

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Exploring risk related to future climates through role-playing games: the African catchment game

- Rowntree, Kate M, Fraenkel, Linda A, Fox, Roddy C

Authors: Rowntree, Kate M , Fraenkel, Linda A , Fox, Roddy C
Date: 2009
Language: English
Type: Conference paper
Identifier: vital:6671 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1006807
Description: Risk is the result of two interacting components: hazard and vulnerability. Climatic hazards are related to extrinsic factors such as drought or severe storms. Vul- nerability is the result of intrinsic factors that often arise from the socio-political- economic context. The interplay of risk and vulnerability is difficult to predict. Although computer models have been widely used to forecast climate related risk, albeit with con- siderable uncertainty, they can never capture sufficiently the vulnerability of human sys- tems to these hazards. Role-playing games can be used more realistically to simulate pos- sible outcomes of different climate change scenarios, and allow players to reflect on their significance. The authors have developed the African Catchment Game to simulate a wa- ter scarce African country. Risk can be modelled mechanistically by changing the nature of the annual rainfall input. Vulnerability can in part be modelled by changing the start- ing parameters (such as access to land and resources) and, secondly, through the unpredictable response of players to game dynamics. Players’ reflections demonstrate that through the game they become more aware of the concept of risk and the complex response of individuals and societies that determine their vulnerability to climatic hazards. This paper reflects on the potential for developing the game further as a tool for participatory learning around climate change, based on the authors’ experience of playing the game with participants from South Africa.
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Date Issued: 2009

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Fish predation regimes modify benthic diatom community structures: experimental evidence from an in situ mesocosm study

- Wasserman, Ryan J, Vink, Tim J F, Dalu, Tatenda, Froneman, P William

Authors: Wasserman, Ryan J , Vink, Tim J F , Dalu, Tatenda , Froneman, P William
Date: 2015
Language: English
Type: text , article
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/68052 , vital:29190 , https://doi.org/10.1111/aec.12255
Description: Publisher version , Diatoms are important primary producers in shallow water environments. Few studies have assessed the importance of biological interactions in structuring these communities. In the present study, benthic diatom community structure in relation to manipulated food webs was assessed using in situ mesocosms, whereby predator-free environments and environments comprising two different fish species were assessed. Zooplankton abundance, settled algal biomass and the diatom community were monitored over a 12‐day period across each of the three trophic scenarios. Differences among treatments over time were observed in zooplankton abundances, particularly copepods. Similarly, the benthic diatom community structure changed significantly over time across the three trophic treatments. However, no differences in total algal biomass were found among treatments. This was likely the result of non‐diatom phytoplankton contributions. We propose that the benthic diatom community structure within the mesocosms was influenced by trophic cascades and potentially through direct consumption by the fish. The study highlights that not only are organisms at the base of the food web affected by predators at the top of the food web, but that predator identity is potentially an important consideration for predator–prey interaction outcomes with consequences for multiple trophic levels.
Full Text: false
Date Issued: 2015

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Glasnost and glaciers, yurts and yaks : a scientist in Soviet Central Asia

- Lewis, Colin A

Authors: Lewis, Colin A
Date: 1991
Language: English
Type: Article
Identifier: vital:6707 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1006744
Description: Why are glaciers retreating, and are all glaciers retreating? There is much evidence to suggest that, globally, mean annual air temperatures are rising. Yet not all areas of the world have experienced temperature increases. In 1989 a Joint UNESCO/IGCP research project, Project 297, was initiated in order to identify and correlate geocryological features in mountain areas. A visit to the Alpine Geocryology station of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR to study rock glaciers afforded the author a glimpse of Soviet Asian evidence of climatic change and caused him to revise his interpretation of rock glacier and other geocryological remains in the eastern Cape Drakensberg.
Full Text: false
Date Issued: 1991

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