Masters Degrees (Biological Sciences)
Recent Submissions
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Assemblages of surface-active arthropods in pristine and disturbed savannah.
(2022)Savannahs are structurally complex ecosystems rich in biodiversity, and the conversion of savannahs into human-modified landscapes poses a significant risk to organisms with limited dispersal abilities. Surface-active ... -
Effects of high light intensity and desiccation stress on moss species.
(2021)Bryophytes are desiccant tolerant non-vascular plants, capable of growing and surviving in extreme conditions. They are divided into three groups: liverworts, hornworts, and mosses. Most mosses grow in shady and moist ... -
The curious case of the Satyrium neglectum complex: a taxonomic, ecological, and phylogenetic study.
(2021)Classical herbarium taxonomy uses a combination of morphological features from pressed specimens and distribution information as data in species delimitation. Whilst morphology is critical to species delimitation, ... -
Varying soil nutrition in grassland and savanna ecosystems affect plant-microbe symbiosis, nitrogen nutrition and growth of Pisum sativum L.
(2019)Abstract available in pdf. -
Foliar secretory cavities of Vepris lanceolata (Lam.) G. Don (Rutaceae): micromorphology and chemical composition of the secretion.
(2017)Secretory structures such as ducts, trichomes and cavities consist of cells that are primary sites synthesizing essential oils and other phytochemical compounds with medicinal properties. Little is known about the ... -
Histo-phytochemical evaluation and characterisation of the foliar structures of Tagetes minuta L. (Asteraceae).
(2018)Plants have been used as ethnomedicine for millennia. In recent years, there has been an upward surge of interest in the use of plants as medicine due to the interest in drugs with fewer side effects as well as the fight ... -
Taxonomic revision of the Memecylon natalense species-complex in southern Africa.
(2018)iv ABSTRACT Two Memecylon species (M. natalense and M. bachmannii) were previously recognized in southern Africa, and three species of M. section Buxifolia as occurring in Mozambique (M. natalense, M. torrei and M. ... -
DNA barcoding of KwaZulu-Natal afromontane forest parmelia (parmeliaceae) species: a molecular approach to accurate specimen identification and sensitivity to climate change.
(2018)Accurate species identification is challenging, especially in groups with subtle taxonomically diagnostic characters such as lichens. Molecular-based techniques have shown to be a valuable tool for accurate specimen ... -
Chemokines and haematological profile in Sprague-Dawley rats infected with trichinella Zimbabwensis and Plasmodium berghei ANKA.
(2017)Trichinellosis is an important re-emerging parasitic zoonosis caused by nematode species of the genus Trichinella and Plasmodium falciparum malaria is among the leading causes of mortality and morbidity in sub-Saharan ... -
Screening, selection and clonal propagation of Amaranthus dubius genotypes with different calcium and iron content.
(2018)Decontamination of Amaranthus dubius field-derived nodal explants was achieved in a 10 min soak with 1% (v/v) NaOCl and 2 drops of Tween 20® followed by three rinses in sterile distilled water, immersion in an antibiotic ... -
Molecular identification of hookworm isolates from stray dogs, humans and selected wildlife from KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga provinces of South Africa.
(2019)Hookworms are nematodes that cause infections to the host via skin penetration of the third stage larvae and they are widely distributed in the tropical and subtropical regions. They parasitize a wide range of host species ... -
An investigation of the prerequisite conditions which enable invasion of moist grasslands by Dalbergia obovata.
(2019)Encroachment by Dalbergia obovata into moist coastal grasslands within eThekwini Municipality was identified as a potential threat to the conservation of this threatened habitat type. An investigation was undertaken to ... -
Small mammal responses to Scarp Forest Restoration in the Maputoland-Pondoland-Albany Hotspot, South Africa.
(2017)Restoration ecology is a relatively new field. Although a range of attributes have been used to assess restoration success, they have not been standardised across studies. Recently, three main ecological attributes have ... -
Medicinal properties and micromorphology of Rauvolfia caffra Sond.
(2017)Medicinal plants are effective treatments for various ailments and conditions due to the fact that they are easily accessible, cost effective, trusted and have little to no side effects. Plants produce bioactive or secondary ... -
Selection and micropropagation of solanum nigrum genotypes with varying calcium and iron content.
(2018)A direct organogenesis protocol was established for Solanum nigrum using leaf explants from seedling plants. The post acclimatisation yield of the seedling-derived leaf explants was 25 plants/explant. It included decontaminating ... -
Secretory structures of croton gratissimus Burch. Var. gratissimus (Euphorbiaceae): Micromorphology and Histophytochemistry.
(2018)Croton gratissimus Burch. variety (var.) gratissimus (Euphorbiaceae) has a widespread distribution in tropical Africa and is frequently used in African traditional medicine to treat various ailments. In South Africa, ... -
Roles of ROS scavenging enzymes and ABA in desiccation tolerance in ferns.
(2018)The fern species Loxogramme abyssinica and Crepidomanes inopinatum occur widely in KwaZulu Natal Afromontane forests. Although both species are suspected to be desiccation tolerant (DT), little is known about their mechanisms ... -
Y-STR studies of genetic genealogy, population and forensic genetics of Indian and Zulu groups in the Durban, KwaZulu-Natal area of South Africa.
(2018)The combination of molecular genetics and surname analysis of short tandem repeat (STR) data has the potential to shed light on population structure and history, falling within the field of forensic deoxyribonucleic acid ... -
The functional role of birds as pollinators in southern Cape fynbos.
(2018)Nectarivorous birds, particularly sunbirds, are important pollinators of plants in the Cape Flora of South Africa, being responsible for pollinating approximately 5% of plant species. However, interactions between plants ...
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