Doctoral Degrees (Biological Sciences)
Recent Submissions
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Applied carnivore management in a data deficient world: leopard Panthera Pardus as a case study.
(2016)Large carnivores are vital to biodiversity at a global scale, through their role as keystone species, but also present significant challenges for conservation and management due to the lack of basic information on carnivore ... -
Structural, chemical and physiological investigations of bilirubin found in seed arils of strelitzia nicolai.
(2017)In 2009, a team of researchers from the Florida International U niversity discovered bilirubin which is an animal compound in the se ed arils of Strelitzia nicolai , commonly known as the White Bird of Paradise plant. ... -
The role of secondary metabolites in protecting lichens from climate change induced stress.
(2022)Lichen secondary metabolites play a great diversity of roles in lichen biology by acting as UV screens, antimicrobials, herbivore deterrents or allelopathic compounds. The main aim of the work described in this thesis ... -
Aligning elephant conservation with societal aspirations.
(2022)Protection of biodiversity and social development often seem at odds in the world of today. The aim of this thesis is to show that it does not need to be that way. Most global social compacts focus on either economic ... -
The role of nutritional status of soils from grassland and savanna ecosystems on the biochemical and physiological responses of Vigna unguiculata L. (Walp)
(2022)Most arable soils in sub–Saharan Africa savanna and grassland ecosystems are acidic and nutrient deficient with nitrogen and phosphorus being the most limiting and this poses a huge threat to agricultural productivity. ... -
Ecology of some mammals in relation to conservation management in Giant's Castle Game Reserve.
(1982)Abstract available in PDF. -
Impacts of anthropogenic disturbance on persistence patterns of forest mammals in an urban-forest mosaic of eThekwini Municipality, Durban, South Africa.
(2018)The burgeoning human population size and the consequent land development pressures to meet its various needs has led to an unparalleled increase in the rates at which natural environments are converted for anthropogenic ... -
A revision of the taxonomy and phylogenetic background of the South African genus Kazimierzus Plisko, 2006 (Oligochaeta: Kazimierzidae)
(2018)Species identity and distribution information is important in conservation and monitoring of biodiversity. Megadrile fauna is very diverse in Southern Africa with most of the fauna demonstrating high levels of endemism, ... -
A genetic approach to the biodiversity of shallow water alcyonacea in South Africa.
(2018)The cnidarian order Alcyonacea (Octocorallia) represents a diverse group of marine invertebrates that are dominant taxa on shallow and deep reefs. These organisms constitute sensitive indicators of climate change and ... -
Structure, biology and chemistry of plumbago auriculata (plumbaginaceae).
(2017)Plumbago auriculata Lam. is endemic to South Africa and is often cultivated for its ornamental and medicinal uses throughout the world. Belonging to the family Plumbaginaceae this species contains specialized secretory ... -
Parasites of Rattus norvegicus trapped in Durban, eThekwini Municipality, South Africa.
(2018)have acquired as they spread across the globe. This work narrows the gap in our knowledge of endoparasites carried by Rattus norvegicus in the port city of Durban, South Africa. The study was conducted over a one year ... -
Use of invertebrates to evaluate the threat of water resource use on the wellbeing of selected river dominated estuaries in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
(2017)Abstract available in PDF file. -
Pharmacological and phytochemical evaluation of seven plants used for microbial-related ailments in South African traditional medicine.
(2018)Since antiquity, man has always believed in the healing properties of plants. The age-old practice of phytotherapy is now justified by numerous phytochemical and pharmacological studies which substantiate the presence of ... -
Urban ecology of the Vervet Monkey Chlorocebus pygerythrus in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
(2017)The spread of development globally is extensively modifying habitats and often results in competition for space and resources between humans and wildlife. For the last few decades a central goal of urban ecology research ... -
Aspects of the ecology of spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta) in relation to prey availability, land use changes and conflict with humans in western Zimbabwe.
(2018)Patch selection by carnivores is affected by various factors including availability of prey and denning areas, extent of vegetation cover, competition from sympatric large carnivores and anthropogenic habitat change among ... -
The silencing of HER2/neu gene expression in a breast cancer cell model using cationic lipid based delivery systems.
(2016)Abstract available in PDF file. -
Development and utilization of a river system model to integrate human and ecological water requirements in a southeastern United States river basin.
(2016)Abstract available in PDF file. -
The effect of wastewater treatment works on foraging ecology, haematology, detoxification organs and reproduction in an urban adapter, the banana bat (Neoromicia nana).
(2015)Natural land is rapidly becoming urbanized. Wastewater Treatment Works (WWTWs) are a ubiquitous component of this urban landscape. WWTWs may provide profitable foraging areas for insectivorous bats because of their ... -
Socio-economic and environmental deteminants of malaria in four malaria endemic provinces of Zambia.
(2015)A large fraction of the global malaria burden occurs in sub-Saharan Africa and its endemicity depends on the interaction of environmental factors, vectors, parasites and the host. In Zambia, the negative effect of the break ... -
The challenges and opportunities in conserving wide-ranging cross-border species : a case study of the Greater Mapungubwe Transfrontier Conservation Area elephant population.
(2015)Transfrontier conservation areas potentially play a key role in conserving biodiversity and promoting socioeconomic development. However, socio-political factors often affect their effectiveness in achieving biodiversity ...