Browsing by Author "21250545 - Smit, Nicholas Jacobus"
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Acute and chronic effects of acidic pH on four subtropical frog species
Farquharson, Charon; Wepener, Victor; Smit, Nico J. (Water Research Commission, 2016)Acidic precipitation is implicated as a possible cause of global amphibian decline. Even protected areas such as Kruger National Park receive acid rain which may lead to possible negative effects on the park’s natural ... -
Age, growth rate and size at sexual maturity of Labeobarbus aeneus (Teleostei: Cyprinidae) in the middle Vaal River, South Africa
Gerber, R.; Smit, Nicholas Jacobus; Wagenaar, G.M. (Taylor & Francis, 2012)Age structure, growth and size at sexual maturity of smallmouth yellowfish, Labeobarbus aeneus (Burchell), were assessed in 2008–2009. Despite its angling and food importance, little has been published on many aspects of ... -
Alien freshwater fish parasites from South Africa: diversity, distribution, status and the way forward
Smit, Nico J.; Malherbe, Wynand; Hadfield, Kerry A. (Elsevier, 2017)The global translocation and introduction of freshwater fish into non-native regions has created the perfect opportunity for the co-introduction of their parasites. In a recent review on non-native freshwater fish introductions ... -
Application of a Sediment Quality Index for the assessment and monitoring of metals and organochlorines in a premier conservation area
Gerber, Ruan; Smit, Nico J.; Ikenaka, Yoshinori; Wepener, Victor; Van Vuren, Johan H.J. (Springer, 2015)The physical and chemical characteristics of surface sediments from a leading conservation area, namely the Kruger National Park, were determined in order to identify potential stressors in the systems that may contribute ... -
The application of artificial mussels in conjunction with transplanted bivalves to assess elemental exposure in a platinum mining area
Labuschagne, Marelize; Wepener, Victor; Zimmermann, Sonja; Smit, Nico J.; Nachev, Milen (MDPI, 2020)There is increasing evidence that platinum group elements (PGE) are pollutants of emerging concern worldwide. Limited information exists on levels, particularly in regions where PGEs are mined. A passive sampling device ... -
Application of multivariate statistics and toxicity indices to evaluate the water quality suitability for fish of three rivers in the Kruger National Park, South Africa
Gerber, R.; Wepener, V.; Smit, N.J. (NISC, 2015)The water quality of the Olifants, Letaba and Luvuvhu rivers within the Kruger National Park was assessed for their suitability to sustain fish populations. Since water quality assessments result in huge datasets, principal ... -
Assessment of DDT contamination in house rat as a possible bioindicator in DDT-sprayed areas from Ethiopia and South Africa
Yohannes, Yared Beyene; Ikenaka, Yoshinori; Wepener, Victor; Smit, Nico J.; Ito, Gengo (Springer, 2017)Ethiopia and South Africa are among the few countries to still implement indoor residual spraying with dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane (DDT) for malaria vector control. In this study, we investigated the levels and ... -
Bioaccumulation and human health risk assessment of DDT and other organochlorine pesticides in an apex aquatic predator from a premier conservation area
Gerber, Ruan; Smit, Nico; Ikenaka, Yoshinori; Wepener, Victor; Van Vuren, Johan H.J. (Elsevier, 2016)With the second highest gross domestic product in Africa, South Africa is known to have a high pesticide usage, including the highly persistent and banned group of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs). South Africa is also one ... -
Bioaccumulation and metal-associated biomarker responses in a freshwater mussel, Dreissena polymorpha, following short-term platinum exposure
Brand, Sarel J.; Erasmus, Johannes H.; Labuschagne, Marelize; Wepener, Victor; Smit, Nico (Elsevier, 2019)Due to the increasing presence of platinum (Pt) in the environment, the caveat arises to identify its toxic potential in species at risk of being exposed – especially those found in aquatic environments where pollutants ... -
Bioaccumulation of persistent organic pollutants and their trophic transfer through the food web: human health risks to the rural communities reliant on fish from South Africa's largest floodplain
Volschenk, C.M.; Gerber, R.; Ikenaka, Y.; Van Vuren, J.H.J.; Wepener, V.; Smit, N.J. (Elsevier, 2019)The Phongolo River Floodplain (PRF) is South Africa's largest floodplain, unique in being the only large floodplain able to sustain permanent waters throughout the dry season (Kyle, 2002). This highly productive region ... -
Biomarker responses in the freshwater shrimp Caridina nilotica as indicators of persistent pollutant exposure
Jansen van Rensburg, Gregg; Smit, Nico J.; Wepener, Victor; Bervoets, Lieven; Van Vuren, Johan (Springer, 2020)Biomarkers are applied as early warning indicators of organisms’ exposure to pollutants. The aim of this study was to utilise a multi-biomarker approach in the freshwater shrimp Caridina nilotica (Decapoda: Atyidae) as ... -
Biomarkers in tigerfish (Hydrocynus vittatus) as indicators of metal and organic pollution in ecologically sensitive subtropical rivers
Gerber, R.; Smit, N.J.; Van Vuren, J.H.J.; Ikenaka, Y.; Wepener, V. (Elsevier, 2018)Studies have shown high levels of contamination of both metals and organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in aquatic systems of the world renowned Kruger National Park, South Africa. With effects evident in top predators, ... -
Blood parasite biodiversity of reef-associated fishes of the eastern Caribbean
Cook, Courtney A.; Sikkel, Paul C.; Renoux, Lance P.; Smit, Nico J. (Inter–Research, 2015)Parasitic micro-organisms can influence multiple ecological processes, from growth, mortality, and behavior, to community structure and trophic interactions, yet are typically ignored components of marine biodiversity. ... -
The butterfly effect: parasite diversity, environment, and emerging disease in aquatic wildlife
Adlard, Robert D.; Smit, Nico J.; Miller, Terrence L. (Elsevier, 2015)Aquatic wildlife is increasingly subjected to emerging diseases often due to perturbations of the existing dynamic balance between hosts and their parasites. Accel- erating changes in environmental factors, together ... -
The case for environmental flow determination for the Phongolo River, South Africa
Dube, T.; Wepener, V.; Smit, N.J.; Van Vuren, J.H.J.; Brendonck, L. (Natl Inquiry Services Centre Pty Ltd, 2015)The construction of Pongolapoort Dam in 1973 on the Phongolo River in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, has considerably altered the hydrological behaviour and ecological response of the downstream floodplain. Changes in the ... -
Ceratothoa retusa (Schiœdte & Meinert, 1883) (Isopoda, Cymothoidae), a variable species of fish parasitic marine isopod from the Indian Ocean
Hadfield, Kerry A.; Bruce, Niel L.; Szinetár, Csaba; Smit, Nico J. (Brill Academic Publishers, 2014)Ceratothoa retusa (Schiœdte & Meinert, 1883) is redescribed from the lectotype (here designated) collected from Mozambique, and the range is extended to include the Gulf of Suez in the Red Sea. Ceratothoa retusa is distinctive ... -
Checklist of acanthocephalan parasites of South Africa
Halajian, Ali; Smit, Nico J.; Smales, Lesley R.; Tavakol, Sareh; Luus-Powell, Wilmien J. (Pensoft, 2018)Twenty-one species of acanthocephalans, representative of thirteen genera from ten families of seven orders and three classes, are included in this updated checklist of acanthocephalans in South Africa. Although South ... -
Co-introduction of ancyrocephalid monogeneans on their invasive host, the largemouth bass, Micropterus salmoides (Lacepéde, 1802) in South Africa
Truter, Marliese; Prikrylová, Iva; Smit, Nico J.; Weyl, Olaf L. (Elsevier, 2017)Largemouth bass, Micropterus salmoides (Lacepéde, 1802) were sampled from three provinces (Eastern Cape EC, North West NWP and KwaZulu-Natal KZN) in South Africa to assess for parasite diversity and community composition. ... -
Comparative behavioural assessment of an established and a new tigerfish Hydrocynus vittatus population in two man–made lakes in the Limpopo River catchment, Southern Africa
Smit, N.J.; O'Brien, G.C.; Bulfin, J.B.; Husted, A. (Taylor & Francis, 2012)With the continued establishment of man-made lakes within the natural distribution range of tigerfish in southern Africa, many artificial tigerfish populations now exist in the region. Very little of the behavioural ecology ... -
Comparative histomorphological assessment of the testes of two Clarias species from the Okavango Delta Panhandle, Botswana
Mokae, L.M.; Smit, N.J.; Wagenaar, G.M. (Elsevier, 2013)The testes of two Clarias species from the Okavango Delta Panhandle were histomorphologically assessed for differences in structure mainly because the testes varied externally in colour, with Clarias ngamensis having ...