Browsing Masters Degrees (Zoology) by Title
Now showing items 16-35 of 94
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Characterising microsatellite loci in the blue crane (Grus paradisea)
(2007)The blue crane (Grus paradisea) is endemic to southern Africa and has the smallest geographical range of the 15 crane species occurring world-wide. Although this species is still found throughout most of its historic ... -
Comparative aspects of the thermal biology of African and Australian parrots.
(2006)Deserticolous birds inhabit an environment characterised by high ambient temperatures and low rainfall that has low primary productivity. The combination of these factors may lead to the evolution of adaptations that ... -
A comparative study of agonistic behaviour in hairy-footed gerbils of the genus Gerbillurus (Shortridge, 1942)
(1990)Agonistic behaviour was investigated by means of staged encounters in three species and two subspecies of deserticolous rodents of the genus Gerbillurus Indiviuals of the species G.paeba paeba, G.paeba exilis, G. tytonis, ... -
Complementarity between two metrics which use invertebrates to assess riparian conditions of rivers.
(2005)Conservation of streams involves an understanding of their physical , chemical and biological entities. SASS5 is a biomonitoring method developed to monitor the habitat quality of a water body. It is based on differential ... -
Conservation of the great white pelican (Pelecanus onocrotalus) and the pink-backed pelican (P. rufescens) in south eastern Africa.
(2006)Of the seven pelican species found world wide, only the Great White Pelican (Pelecanus onocrotalus) and the Pink-backed Pelican (P. rufescens) are found in Africa. The KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa supports only ... -
A critical assessment of the dendrochirotid subfamilies, sclerodactylinae and thyoninae, with the taxonomic management of the "supergenus" thyone (echinodermata : holothuroidea)
(2011)The key character separating the dendrochirotid families Sclerodactylidae (sensu Pawson & Fell, 1965) and the Phyllophoridae (sensu Pawson & Fell, 1965), i.e. entire or undivided radial processes to the calcareous ring ... -
Designing a dragonfly trail in the National Botanical Gardens, Pietermaritzburg.
(1999)Dragonfly assemblages and their biotope preferences in the National Botanical Gardens, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa were investigated. The information served as background for increasing public awareness and education ... -
Determinants of elephant spatial use, habitat selection and daily movement patterns in Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park.
(2011)The ecological role of large herbivores is increasingly recognized due to their ability to influence ecosystem functioning and their impacts on faunal and floral assemblages. Knowledge on the determinants of spatial ... -
Diet, home range and movement patterns of serval on farmland in Natal.
(1990)Servals (Felis serval) are rare cats occurring in the Natal midlands farmland, Drakensberg mountains and in game reserves in Zululand. They are thought to be extremely uncommon on farmland, yet are sometimes caught and ... -
The distribution and abundance of the humpback dolphin (Sousa chinensis) along the Natal coast, South Africa.
(1994)Populations of the humpback dolphin in Natal, South Africa, are subject to increasing pressures including capture in the shark nets and habitat degradation, and concern has been raised about the status of the population. ... -
Drivers of bat fly diversity and prevalence of six Rhinolophus bat species in southern Africa.
(2016)Demographic and ecological characteristics render obligate cave roosting bats highly susceptible to infestation by ectoparasites. However, the patterns and factors of ectoparasite loads among bat host species are understudied, ... -
Eavesdropping : how do vervet monkeys perceive the alarm calls of other species?.
(2013)Perceived predation risk has a large impact on how prey species utilise landscapes. In an effort to reduce predation risk, individuals tend to utilise safer areas more than unsafe areas. How perceived predation risk affects ... -
Ecological factors influencing the reproductive ecology, territoriality and foraging behaviour of fiscal shrikes.
(1998)This thesis describes the behavioural ecology of South African fiscal shrikes through detailed field observations and experimental manipulations, and discusses these in the context of reproductive ecology, life history ... -
Ecology and behaviour of the Seychelles giant millipede.
(1999)On certain islands in the Seychelles archipelago a large and abundant animal is the Seychelles giant millipede, Seychelleptus seychellamm (Desjardins, 1834). This study quantifies the ecological role of this species in ... -
The ecology of Black Sparrowhawks (Accipiter melanoleucus) in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
(2014)Black Sparrowhawks (Accipiter melanoleucus) are a medium-sized raptor found across much of sub-Saharan Africa. Within South Africa their distribution has historically been across most of the east with no distribution across ... -
The ecology of Nile Crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus) in Pongolapoort Dam, Northern KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
(2010)In general Nile Crocodile Crocodylus niloticus numbers in South Africa appeared to have recovered after persecution and eradication attempts during the last century. Within the last decade, however, the future of South ... -
The effect of different diets on the reproduction of two species of mosquitoes, Aedes aegypti and Culex pipiens.
(1987)Larvae of Culex quinquefasciatus and Aedes aegypti were raised on five different diets and the effects thereof on various parameters was studied. The diets used were: A = Pronutro and Tastee wheat, B = Epo 1 rat cubes, C= ... -
The effect of habitat alteration by elephants on invertebrate diversity in two small reserves in South Africa.
(2005)Balancing increasing elephant numbers with biodiversity conservation in small reserves has become a concern for many protected area managers. Elephants are considered important agents of disturbance creating heterogeneity ... -
The effect of intercropping beans on Eldana saccharina Walker (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) arthropod predator populations in sugarcane.
(1998)Commercial sugarcane in South Africa is a monoculture, and therefore lacks vegetation diversity, which is instrumental in increasing associated faunal diversity. Diverse habitats tend to support more stable populations ... -
The effect of land use on the species composition of amphibians in North Eastern KwaZulu-Natal.
(2010)Global declines in amphibian species have directed research towards investigating why this is happening. One of the major causes of these declines is the fragmentation and loss of habitat. This study examined the effect ...