African Zoology最新文献

{"title":"Fine-Scale Drivers of Extinction Risk: Tadpole Occupancy Dynamics of the Table Mountain Ghost Frog (Heleophryne rosei)","authors":"Joshua Weeber, R. Altwegg, Jeanne Tarrant, K. Tolley","doi":"10.1080/15627020.2023.2282448","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/15627020.2023.2282448","url":null,"abstract":"Over the last four decades much progress has been made towards recognising causes of global amphibian declines, but knowledge of fine scale drivers, particularly for specialised species, remains poor, inhibiting conservation effectiveness. The case of the Table Mountain Ghost frog (Heleophryne rosei) provides an example of this, listed as Critically Endangered for the last 15 years with limited conservation actions identified due to a lack of information about threat mechanisms and magnitude of declines. To address this, we investigated H. rosei tadpole occupancy dynamics over three years in stream pools on Table Mountain in Cape Town, South Africa, the only locality where this species occurs. Tadpole spatiotemporal distribution was examined as a function of abiotic and biotic factors to quantify habitat requirements, rank threats, and identify conservation actions. Heleophryne rosei tadpole occupancy was negatively correlated with levels of fine sediments (silt and sand), which embed larger substrates and decrease the diversity of benthic microhabitat. Increased abundance of these fine sediments was also associated with higher extinction probabilities. Localised habitat degradation from hiking paths, alien vegetation, and flow manipulation were identified as the primary threats to this species, increasing the sources of fine sediments and inhibiting the fluvial systems ability to effectively flush these sediments out. Our results demonstrate the importance of pore space refugia for mountain headwater stream-adapted amphibians and provides the required data to inform management decisions for this Critically Endangered species.","PeriodicalId":55548,"journal":{"name":"African Zoology","volume":"41 4","pages":"106 - 119"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2023-12-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139008397","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A New Record of a Chick Falling from a Nest in Limpopo Province, South Africa, Adds to the Known Causes of Hooded Vulture Necrosyrtes monachus Mortality","authors":"Lindy J. Thompson, John P. Davies, Clément Daboné, Gareth J Tate1, J. Therrien","doi":"10.1080/15627020.2023.2270500","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/15627020.2023.2270500","url":null,"abstract":"For all species, causes of mortality, both anthropogenic and natural, should be recorded. In Critically Endangered species these records are even more important, owing to their potential impacts on small and/or declining populations. Here we present a case of natural mortality that occurred when a 20-day old Hooded Vulture nestling fell from its nest in Limpopo province, South Africa, which is a new cause of mortality for the Critically Endangered Hooded Vulture Necrosyrtes monachus throughout its range. We also compile all known causes of mortality for Hooded Vultures from the scientific and grey literature. The carcass of this nestling was found on the ground below the nest some 25 days later. This cause of mortality is previously undocumented for this vulture species, and it was recorded on a series of photographs taken by a camera trap in the nest tree. We believe this cause of mortality to be uncommon when compared to other threats faced by this species.","PeriodicalId":55548,"journal":{"name":"African Zoology","volume":"1 2","pages":"120 - 128"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2023-12-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139008847","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Status of COI and 12S rRNA DNA Barcode Reference Libraries for Freshwater Fish in South Africa: Implications for Future eDNA Projects","authors":"Mahlatse F Mashaphu, Gordon C. O'Brien, Colleen T. Downs, S. Willows‐Munro","doi":"10.1080/15627020.2023.2274334","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/15627020.2023.2274334","url":null,"abstract":"Environmental DNA metabarcoding (eDNA) is a rapidly emerging field in which high-throughput sequencing is used to catalogue the biodiversity of ecosystems through the amplification of DNA extracted from environmental samples (water, air, faeces and soil). Although eDNA has strong links to DNA barcoding, the molecular marker most often used to detect vertebrates in eDNA studies is a portion of the mitochondrial 12S ribosomal RNA (12S rRNA) and not the standard cytochrome oxidase I (COI) marker used in traditional DNA barcoding. eDNA methods rely on a comprehensive reference library to link sequence data to species, which are often lacking in hyper-diverse countries such as South Africa. In this study, we review the present state of DNA barcode reference databases for both 12S rRNA and COI for freshwater fish (native and introduced) found in South African aquatic systems. Analysis of DNA records available on GenBank and the Barcode of Life Database (BOLD) revealed incomplete records of the examined taxa for both markers. Our findings showed that 34 species, 6 genera and 0 families of native South African freshwater fish lack COI barcode records, while 86 species, 22 genera and 8 families lack 12S rRNA records. Unlike the native freshwater fish, the non-native fish all had barcode records available for both COI and 12S rRNA. Producing comprehensive reference libraries for both markers is an important first step in developing an eDNA protocol for the non-invasive monitoring of native and non-native freshwater fish in South Africa.","PeriodicalId":55548,"journal":{"name":"African Zoology","volume":"129 ","pages":"97 - 105"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2023-11-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139245818","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Population status, distribution and seasonal range of Grevy’s zebra <i>(Equus grevyi)</i> in a protected savannah area","authors":"Tolera Abirham, Afework Bekele, Mesele Yihune","doi":"10.1080/15627020.2023.2257246","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/15627020.2023.2257246","url":null,"abstract":"AbstractThe genus Equus comprises six species and 22 subspecies. Ethiopia is the only country in the world that has all three surviving species of zebra. The population status, structure, and seasonal range of Grevy’s zebra (Equus grevyi) were studied in the Hallaydeghe Asebot Protected Area (HAPA), southeast Ethiopia, using line transects and silent detection methods. Data were collected from 2021 to 2022 covering both the wet and dry seasons. The seasonal range of Grevy’s zebra was studied using the minimum convex polygon method. We counted 89 and 61 Grevy’s zebra during the wet and dry seasons, respectively. The total population size was estimated to be 75 individuals with a 95% confidence interval of 60–90 individuals. The adult to sub-adult ratio was 3.1:1.0 during the wet season and 4:1 during the dry season. The sex ratio of adult female to adult male was 5:1 during the wet season and 4:1 during the dry season. The seasonal range of the species in the HAPA was 477 km2 (n = 89) during the wet season and 711 km2 (n = 61) during the dry season. During the dry season Grevy’s zebra move out of the protected area to the Blen hot spring and its associated wetlands for green grazing and water. Hence, further study is needed on the possibility of incorporating the Blen hot spring and its associated wetlands into the protected area to promote the sustainable conservation of the species in the HAPA.Keywords: age structureanimal movementconservationzebra populationsprotected areaseasonssex structure","PeriodicalId":55548,"journal":{"name":"African Zoology","volume":"116 3","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-11-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135540027","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Species delimitation and molecular phylogeny of the grasshopper subfamily Gomphocerinae (Orthoptera: Acrididae) from Algeria based on mitochondrial and nuclear DNA markers","authors":"Rachida Hafayed, Abdelhamid Moussi, Huihui Chang, Yuan Huang","doi":"10.1080/15627020.2023.2263498","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/15627020.2023.2263498","url":null,"abstract":"AbstractGomphocerinae grasshoppers (Orthoptera: Acrididae) are generally characterised by their polymorphism and cryptic diversity, which can be confusing when relying on morphological identification alone. DNA taxonomy serves as a powerful molecular tool for species identification and biodiversity assessment. In the context of zoogeography and the biodiversity conservation of animal resources in ecosystems, DNA barcoding data for Algerian Gomphocerinae fauna remains limited in global databases, despite their agroeconomic and environmental importance. Therefore, in this study, we collected various species of this subfamily from the Biskra region in Algeria and conducted DNA barcoding analysis, employing different molecular species delimitation methods (the automatic barcode gap discovery, assemble species by automatic partitioning, single-threshold general mixed Yule coalescent model, Bayesian Poisson tree process and multi-rate Poisson tree process methods), as well as phylogenetic analyses (maximum-likelihood and Bayesian inference) based on two molecular markers (COI and ITS). The results of the 163 newly generated sequences demonstrated that DNA barcoding technology is highly efficient and valuable for species identification in the subfamily Gomphocerinae, showing strong congruence with morphological evidence for 12 species, including eight species that were sequenced for the first time. This study also reported a new record of the genus Stenohippus Uvarov, 1926 in Algeria, comprising two species. Additionally, taxonomic revision allowed the species Dociostaurus biskrensis Moussi & Petit, 2014, to be transferred to the genus Stenohippus. Molecular tree analyses revealed the phylogenetic positions of the newly sequenced species within the subfamily Gomphocerinae and provided insights into their evolutionary relationships. These new data serve as a starting point for future research in other geographical areas, enabling a better understanding of the biodiversity of this insect group in Algeria.Keywords: BiskraCOI and ITSDNA barcodingmolecular taxonomynew recordStenohippus","PeriodicalId":55548,"journal":{"name":"African Zoology","volume":"43 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-11-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135634597","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Lepidoptera as a tool for the assessment of human disturbance impacting ecological and taxonomic diversity in the Choke Mountains, Ethiopia","authors":"Tesfu F Tujuba, Anna Simonetto, Gianni Gilioli, Andrea Sciarretta","doi":"10.1080/15627020.2023.2260835","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/15627020.2023.2260835","url":null,"abstract":"AbstractIn tropical countries, frequent anthropogenic disturbances are primary drivers of the reduction in community diversity and local extinction of many insect taxa, including Lepidoptera. We assessed the impact of anthropogenic disturbances on lepidopteran assemblages across five different land use types (Fragmented Forest, Crop Fields, Pasture Land, Rural Settlements and undisturbed Natural Forest) in the Choke Mountains, Ethiopia. Lepidoptera were sampled using 20 W UV LED lights in 19 sites for 12 consecutive months. A total of 4 559 specimens representing 14 families and 339 species were sampled. The highest diversity was obtained from the Natural Forest, followed by the Fragmented Forest, Rural Settlements, Pasture Land and Crop Fields. The monthly trends of the diversity estimates showed strong differences among the five land use types, with months when the highest Hill–Shannon and Hill– Simpson values were observed not in the Natural Forest, but in the Rural Settlements and Fragmented Forest. The highest dominance values were observed in the Crop Fields and Pasture Land, with dominant species percentages of about 10%. The multivariate results clearly highlight the separation of the Natural Forest sites from all other sites and, in general, great consistency within each land use. A high positive linear relationship between the number of vascular plants and sampled Lepidoptera species was observed. The results of this study will be useful for guiding conservation management priorities to prevent irreversible biodiversity loss and maintain ecosystem provisioning services that are essential for the sustainable development of rural communities.Keywords: mothsAfricaland useecosystem monitoringdiversity measures","PeriodicalId":55548,"journal":{"name":"African Zoology","volume":"17 8","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-11-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135820966","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Dietary Niche Breadth and Overlap of Four Sympatric Southern African Myrmecophagous Mammal Species, as Inferred from the Literature","authors":"D. W. Pietersen, M. Robertson","doi":"10.1080/15627020.2023.2231974","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/15627020.2023.2231974","url":null,"abstract":"Five myrmecophagous mammal species occur sympatrically over large parts of southern Africa. Of these, the diets of four species have been studied in sufficient detail to facilitate interspecific comparisons. The diets of the aardvark Orycteropus afer, aardwolf Proteles cristatus, bat-eared fox Otocyon megalotis and Temminck's pangolin Smutsia temminckii were compared based on the overall prey categories utilised and the proportion of each prey category in their diets, while Meller's mongoose Rhynchogale melleri had too few data to be assessed. Bat-eared fox fed on the greatest number of prey categories (n = 116) and had the greatest dietary niche breadth (4.71), while aardwolf utilised the fewest prey categories (n = 28) and had the lowest dietary niche breadth (1.19) when analysing the proportion of each prey category in the diet at the genus level. Temminck's pangolin was the only species that was observed to feed exclusively on ants and termites. The diets of Temminck's pangolin and aardvark showed a moderate degree of overlap (dietary niche breadth 0.49–0.57), but overlap was low between all other species pairs (0.01–0.26) when analysing the proportion of each prey item in the diet at the genus level. The results suggest that these myrmecophages have low to moderate dietary overlap, which combined with the high abundance of ants and termites and differences in their feeding ecologies, likely reduces interspecific competition.","PeriodicalId":55548,"journal":{"name":"African Zoology","volume":"15 4 1","pages":"29 - 38"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2023-04-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"59918655","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Anuran Diversity in a West African Valley","authors":"Houénafa Chrysostome Aimé Gansa, H. Agadjihouèdé, Mahugnon Benjamin Hounkanrin","doi":"10.1080/15627020.2023.2238011","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/15627020.2023.2238011","url":null,"abstract":"Anurans are subject to strong anthropic pressures in Benin, as in most of the West African countries, due to their socio-economic and environmental importance. To protect these organisms and to gather basic knowledge, an anuran biodiversity study was conducted in the lower Ouémé Valley in Benin. Anurans were inventoried in five types of habitats in four municipalities. Visual and auditory detections were used to observe, count and/or catch specimens at night, aided by headlamps. Five physico-chemical parameters were simultaneously measured. Species were determined using identification keys, authenticated by specialists at the Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science's Museum für Naturkunde, Berlin. Our study observed 28 species, with several species living in degraded forests. Afrixalus fulvovittatus (Cope 1860) was recorded for the first time in Benin; and the taxonomic status of three anuran species, Sclerophrys sp., Hyperolius sp. and Arthroleptis sp., still require clarification. Among the species inventoried, Hyperolius torrentis is listed as vulnerable by the IUCN category. Anuran distribution was closely related to ambient air temperature and soil humidity, with abundance increasing with low ambient air temperature and high soil humidity. We note the importance of protecting these organisms' habitats in order to maintain the optimal environment for their growth and breeding.","PeriodicalId":55548,"journal":{"name":"African Zoology","volume":"58 1","pages":"39 - 56"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2023-04-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42776074","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Movement Patterns and Growth Rate of Scotsman Polysteganus praeorbitalis (Sparidae) Tagged in the Pondoland Marine Protected Area, Eastern Cape, South Africa","authors":"B. Mann, W. Dalton, G. Jordaan, R. Daly","doi":"10.1080/15627020.2023.2170717","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/15627020.2023.2170717","url":null,"abstract":"A tag-recapture study was undertaken on Polysteganus praeorbitalis in the Pondoland Marine Protected Area (PMPA) on the east coast of South Africa. A total of 1 042 fish were tagged over a period of 16 years and 255 individuals (24.5%) were recaptured, some of them on multiple occasions. Data analysis showed that 84.7% of recaptured fish remained in relatively small home ranges (∼750 m linear distance), while 13.3% abandoned their home ranges and undertook unidirectional movements (of 21–1 211 km) along the KwaZulu-Natal coast in a north-easterly direction, most likely to spawn. While the no-take area of the PMPA provides effective protection for resident fish, the export of adult P. praeorbitalis provides strong evidence of the benefits that no-take MPAs can offer to adjacent fisheries. Based on the tag-recapture length data, the growth rate was found to be relatively slow, averaging 46 mm y–1. This growth rate was similar to that determined by a study of ageing using sectioned otoliths. Reliable tag-recapture data can thus be used to provide a valuable means of validating growth rates determined by other methods.","PeriodicalId":55548,"journal":{"name":"African Zoology","volume":"58 1","pages":"6 - 17"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2023-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47571690","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Second-Hand Housing: A Review of Avian Species Using Hamerkop Nests for Breeding","authors":"Jonah Gula, C. Downs","doi":"10.1080/15627020.2023.2188905","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/15627020.2023.2188905","url":null,"abstract":"Nest-building is an energetically expensive activity for birds. Consequently, some species opportunistically use other species' nests. The Hamerkop Scopus umbretta, an endemic sub-Saharan African waterbird, constructs one of the largest nests of any bird in the world. Little is documented on the role of Hamerkop nests in the breeding biology of other avian species. Therefore, we assessed this from the literature and first-hand observations to determine which species use Hamerkop nests and their associated behaviours. We found at least 20 avian species using Hamerkop nests for breeding in 18 African countries. The Barn Owl Tyto alba was the most commonly reported species using Hamerkop nests. Six species actively usurp nests from Hamerkop pairs. Nine species nested inside the nest chamber, and eight nested on top of the structure. This highlights the role of Hamerkop nests in other avian species' breeding.","PeriodicalId":55548,"journal":{"name":"African Zoology","volume":"58 1","pages":"1 - 5"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2023-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44833130","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}