Browsing Natural and Agricultural Sciences by Author "Weldon, C."
Now showing items 1-20 of 20
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Amphibian diversity and breeding behaviour in the Okavango Delta
(North-West University, 2010)Amphibians are of great ecological importance and a loss of species will have widespread and dire consequences. Recent population declines and extinctions have resulted in amphibians being labelled the most threatened ... -
Analyzing the methodology for the use of eDNA in detecting Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis
(North-West University (South Africa), 2023)Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) is an aquatic fungal pathogen that has caused mass mortalities in amphibian populations globally. Conventional diagnostic assays for the pathogen are invasive, and involve the collection ... -
Apicomplexan diversity of selected southern African snakes and terrapins
(North-West University (South Africa), 2022)Southern Africa has the highest diversity of reptile fauna in Africa. Despite estimates that diversity of reptile associated haematozoans are higher compared to mammals and birds, there is a lack of research regarding ... -
An appraisal of the problems related to species identity and species diversity within chelonian polystomes (Polystomatidae: Monogenea)
(North-West University, 2010)The subfamily Polystomoidinae Yamaguti, 1963, belongs to the class Monogenea that are parasites of terrapins and of the caecilian polystome Nanopolystoma Du Preez et al., 2008. Chelonian polystomes include three genera: ... -
Aspects of amphibian chytrid infections in South Africa
(North-West University, 2008)The waterborne pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), amphibian chytrid, is implicated as being the causative agent for global amphibian declines. The fungus attacks the keratinized skin of adult and postmetamorphic ... -
Assessing the ability of environmental bacteria to inhibit the growth of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis
(North-West University (South Africa), 2021)Amphibians have been facing devastating declines through the decades and it wasn’t until 1998 that the once enigmatic declines of amphibians were attributed to Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis. This lethal fungal pathogen ... -
Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis survey in Ncandu Nature Reserve and fungal ecology
(North-West University (South Africa), 2023)Amphibians across the globe have been experiencing rapid declines, especially in areas with a high amphibian population density. It was assumed that this decline was caused by habitat destruction and climate change. A ... -
Development of DNA-based assays for the detection of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in environmental samples and amphibians
(North-West University (South Africa), 2019)Chytridiomycosis is an emerging infectious disease affecting amphibians on a pandemic scale. The disease causing organism, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, has been recorded on a global scale to be the top causative driver ... -
EcoHealth survey of Herpetofauna in South Africa
(North-West University (South Africa), 2023)In this project, the samples were taken from reptiles’ oral and cloacal cavities. The majority of samples originated from healthy-appearing captive reptiles therefore the bacteria detected in this study form part of the ... -
The ecology of chytrid lineages in southern Africa
(North-West University (South Africa), 2020)The inter- and intraspecific diversity of microbial communities is known to be an important, but difficult to disentangle, factor in pathogen ecology. Conspecific or interspecific microbial interactions may result in ... -
Ecomorphological guilds and diet of exotrophic anuran tadpoles
(North-West University (South Africa), 2014)To test the applicability of anuran tadpole functional ecology with regards to diet as a tool to determine ecosystem function of aquatic habitats, all the presently known as southern Africa anuran species’ tadpoles were ... -
Ecotourism potential of frogs in South Africa
(North-West University, 2018)Ecotourism is the fastest growing sector of the international travel industry, which in turn is one of the worlds’ largest and fastest growing industries. Ecotourism, defined as a visit to a fragile, unspoiled, and protected ... -
Efficacy of F10 against amphibian chytrid fungus
(North-West University, 2014)Outbreaks of pathogens that threaten both human and nature have increased in recent years. Infectious and transmittable diseases, such as chytridiomycosis, which is caused by the emerging pathogen Batrachochytrium ... -
Frogs about town : aspects of the ecology and conservation of frogs in urban habitats of South Africa
(North-West University, 2014)Globally urbanisation impacts on 88% of amphibian species and is recognised as a major cause for the observed amphibian declines. This is as result of habitat fragmentation, alteration in habitat morphology and degradation ... -
Seasonal variation in anuran diversity and activity in the Vredefort Dome conservation area
(North-West University, 2006)On 14 July 2005 the Vredefort Dome was declared the 7th world Heritage Site of South Africa. Today it is generally accepted to be the oldest and largest meteorite impact site in the world. It was formed about 2020 million ... -
Spatial epidemiology of amphibian chytridiomycosis in the Orange River system of South Africa
(North-West University, 2018)South Africa not only hosts a large number of amphibians, but also two different lineages of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, the postulated endemic BdCAPE and the Global Panzootic Lineage (BdGPL). The Orange River is one ... -
Tadpole ecomorphological guilds and gut contents as a proxy for diatom diversity
(North-West University (South Africa), 2021)Tadpole development significantly depends on the availability of water. Metamorphosis will gradually allow tadpoles to inhabit terrestrial environments (Duellman & Trueb, 1986; Duellman & Trueb, 1994; Harvey Pough, 2007). ... -
Tadpole morphology of high altitude frogs from the Drakensberg mountains
(North-West University, 2010)This study resulted from the identification of gaps in the literature pertaining to the morphological descriptions of the tadpoles occurring at high altitudes in the Drakensberg Mountains in South Africa. These tadpoles ... -
The use of a sniffer dog for amphibian conservation ecology
(North-West University (South Africa) , Potchefstroom Campus, 2016)Amphibians are threatened by a variety of factors, of which habitat loss (due to urbanization) and infectious diseases are a few of the largest contributors. Urbanisation and land development is one of the biggest threats ... -
Using spatially explicit call data of Anhydrophryne ngongoniensis to guide conservation actions
(North-West University, 2018)It’s been barely 25 years since the Mistbelt Chirping Frog (Anhydrophryne ngongoniensis) was discovered. This secretive amphibian occurs only in the so-called mistbelt grasslands and montane forest patches of south-central ...
