The accurate identification of early life history stages of fishes, including larval and transformation stages to species level, is critical in spatial and temporal studies of coastal fish assemblages. This enables a better understanding of species-specific settlement patterns, nursery habitat use, and ontogenetic habitat shifts during fish development. In this study determining the relative roles of two permanently open estuaries (the Swartkops and Sundays estuaries) and adjacent nearshore marine areas of Algoa Bay, South Africa, as settlement and nursery habitats for demersal fishes, DNA barcoding was used to identify species that were morphologically similar and difficult to distinguish in the field, particularly during the postflexion and transformation stages. One hundred specimens were collected for DNA barcoding. Measurements and photographs of large individuals were taken in the field, while a dissecting microscope was used to take photographs and measurements of smaller individuals at the larval and transformation stages. Most of the specimens were at transformation stage (n = 31), followed by postflexion stage (n = 28) and young-of-the-year juveniles (n = 27). Eighty-six specimens were positively identified to species level using cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) mitochondrial gene sequences. While traditional fish identification using morphology led to misidentification of early life stages of demersal marine fish, particularly the cryptic species, DNA barcoding used in this study positively and successfully identified these fish to species level. Moreover, detailed images of the morphology and pigmentation patterns of several larval-and transformation-stage demersal marine fish species, which were previously unavailable, have now been recorded.

Many bird species take part in a dawn chorus, the phenomenon in which the community of songbirds in a particular habitat, show a peak of vocal activity around dawn. Understanding the species-specific extrinsic factors affecting this intensive singing activity is important for us to predict and understand activity patterns of local species for long-term monitoring purposes. This study investigated the effects of air temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, rainfall and moon phase on vocal activity during the dawn chorus in a suite of related songbirds, the African Yellow Warbler (Iduna natalensis Smith A, 1847), Little Rush Warbler (Bradypterus baboecala Vieillot, 1817) and Lesser Swamp Warbler (Acrocephalus gracilirostris Hartlaub, 1864), in a high-elevation wetland in Golden Gate Highlands National Park, South Africa. We deployed acoustic recorders in a rolling-grid layout in the ∼6 km-long wetland from August 2019 to February 2020, recording daily acoustic data from 04:00 to 07:00 Central African Time. Temperature significantly affected the dawn chorus onset of all three species: on cooler days, the dawn chorus started later compared to days with warm temperatures. On days with high relative humidity, the dawn chorus onset of two of the three focal species shifted in opposite directions: one species began singing earlier, while another delayed its onset. Wind speed and rainfall had varied effects on the timing of the dawn chorus across species. Our results demonstrate that meteorological conditions influence the dawn singing of these three birds differently in a shared habitat.

Hairy-footed gerbils (Gerbilliscus (Gerbillurus) spp.) in the Namib Desert play a dual ecological role as both seed dispersers and predators, a behaviour typical of scatter-hoarding species. The fate of seeds following their removal by these gerbils, whether consumed immediately or dispersed, is influenced by a range of factors, including food availability, seed traits and habitat type. This study investigated how local hairy-footed gerbils contribute to the seed dispersal of three common plant species along the lower Kuiseb River in the central Namib Desert. We monitored the fate of marked seeds of Acanthosicyos horridus, Vachellia erioloba and Faidherbia albida, specifically noting whether they were consumed or cached. In addition, we evaluated the distance and depth of the caches, as well as the cache recovery rates and re-caching events. Our results indicate that gerbils removed and cached a higher proportion of A. horridus seeds (removed = 100%, cached = 60.4%) compared to V. erioloba (removed = 12.1%, cached = 40%) and F. albida (removed = 47.3%, cached = 53.7%). Detailed observations of cached A. horridus seeds showed an average dispersal distance of 35.9 ± 1.6 m and a burial depth of 3.76 ± 0.11 cm, with seeds being moved farther from the source with each re-caching event. The cached seeds provided short-term food benefits, with 84% retrieved within 48 hours and only 1.7% remaining unrecovered after 30 days, although some seeds were re-cached in new locations up to four times. Despite the apparent small proportion of seeds that escape predation following dispersal and burial by hairy-footed gerbils, those that remain may gain a competitive advantage by being deposited in microhabitats conducive to germination and seedling establishment.

Natural communities exhibit ecological gradients that result in a variety of competitive interactions and variations in niche patterns. Changes in resource availability affect the size of a species’ niche: it expands when a variety of resources are abundant and contracts when these resources are scarce. The prevalence of ecologically diverse individuals within populations influences individual responses to inter- and intra-species competition or predation, as well as their fitness and population dynamics. Our aim was to compare the isotopic niche width and structures of two trophic groups residing in a xeric and a more mesic environment. We tested an existing hypothesis, based on differences in absolute intake requirement, that large mammalian carnivores exhibit intrapopulation niche structures more frequently than herbivores, and examined whether this was influenced by habitat conditions. Data were collected for within-population trophic niche variation using stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analyses of faeces collected in the Tswalu Kalahari Reserve, South Africa, and the Pendjari Biosphere Reserve, Benin. By analysing the ellipses in isotopic bi-space and employing community-wide metrics on cross-sectional data, we found that populations of carnivores exhibit greater individual separation compared to herbivores, even when accounting for species-level differences in isotopic niche breadths. This supports the prediction that, despite promoting population fitness through reduced competition effects, niche variation across individuals is only a viable strategy if intake requirement is not limiting.

Naturally fragmented indigenous forests in the southern Cape of South Africa are particularly understudied in terms of beetle diversity. This study therefore aimed to determine whether southern Afrotemperate forest dung and carrion beetle diversity differs between continuous forest and naturally occurring forest patches. Beetles were sampled from sixteen sites: eight within a continuous forest and eight within forest patches using three baited pitfall trap types (carrion, pig dung, and carrion plus pig dung). A total of 500 individual beetles were sampled from forest patches and 272 individual beetles from continuous forests. Forest patches supported a richer diversity of dung and carrion beetles (8 spp.) compared to continuous forests (3 spp.), and also supported a higher abundance of generalist species. More individuals and species were collected with a combination of carrion and pig dung while no species exclusively preferred the carrion bait. Body size of two beetle species differed between forest patches and continuous forests, though the pattern was contradictory. The intermediate disturbance hypothesis may explain these results, as forest patches often have human- or animal-made paths that traverse them, increasing their permeability. Predictably, the provision of ecosystem services is thus maintained, or even enhanced, in forest patches, highlighting their conservation significance.

Deciphering the behavioural responses of helmeted guineafowl Numida meleagris (Linnaeus, 1758) to temperature variation is key to understanding its eco-ethology and implementing sound management strategies. Here, we tested the ‘warmer together’ hypothesis, which states that thermoregulatory cost reduction (i.e. body heat conservation) is achieved by individuals grouping in winter. Time-scan sampling data were extracted from a live-stream webcam in Madikwe Game Reserve (South Africa) from September 2020 to August 2021, recording thermoregulatory postures, group size and social distance. We also characterised guineafowl behaviour and habitat use along with environmental variables to further investigate the leading hypothesis. We found that thermoregulatory postures are mainly used to maintain homeostasis since no relationship emerged between variation in group size and air temperature. Moreover, roosting occurred with birds clumped in family units and no physical contact. Our data suggest that body heat loss due to low winter temperatures might spur guineafowl to forage on dry vegetable matter to maintain homeostasis. In addition, drinking frequency and air temperature were strongly related, with their relationship being negative in presence of high windspeed. Based on these findings, we reject the ‘warmer together’ hypothesis in favour of food finding and vigilance as drivers of grouping behaviour in the helmeted guineafowl. We also suggest that habitat heterogeneity is crucial for guineafowls’ daily budget activities, and that, therefore, managing food availability and vegetation cover might be more important than water resources to secure population viability and sustainable hunting of this valuable game species.

Pomadasys furcatus is a relatively common inshore fish species caught in the shore-based linefishery in northern KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), South Africa, yet relatively little is known about the biology and ecology of this species. Movement patterns of this species were studied based on data obtained from a 20-year tag-recapture study conducted in the iSimangaliso Marine Protected Area in northern KZN from 2001 to 2021. A total of 4 983 fish were caught, of which 1 302 were tagged and released and 74 were recaptured. Results showed that P. furcatus is a highly resident species with a linear coastal home-range size of 250–540 m. None of the fish recaptured moved out of the protected area no-take zones in which they were tagged, suggesting limited adult spillover. Based on their residency, options for the future conservation and management of this species are discussed.

In some areas, human and carnivore livelihoods overlap causing human-carnivore conflict (HCC), hence there is a need for carnivore conservation efforts. The decline of most large carnivore populations are linked to HCC, primarily due to the killing of carnivores by farmers to protect their livestock, which has consequences for socio-ecological system’s integrity and resilience. To secure conservation of large carnivores, HCC must be effectively mitigated based on empirical understanding. However, in developing countries such as Botswana, HCC management is most often based on lessons learnt elsewhere. The aim of this study was to identify the most important problem carnivores, analyse temporal patterns and evaluate possible environmental correlates of HCC in the Chobe Enclave based on long-term data collected by the Department of Wildlife and National Parks. The proximity of human settlements and protected conservation areas that contain a high diversity of wildlife makes HCC inevitable in the Chobe Enclave. The most important problem carnivores, in diminishing order, were lion, leopard and spotted hyaena, collectively contributing 97.96% of the recorded 1 175 incidents. Other problem carnivores include wild dog, cheetah and jackals. The diversifying livestock base (e.g. emerging piggery and growing small stock) in the Chobe Enclave will likely expand HCC. Total HCC incidents and lion incidents demonstrated significant seasonality and increase over the 22 years. Leopard and spotted hyaena incidents depicted no seasonal difference but significant annual decline. None of the modelled possible correlates significantly explained patterns of HCC. Results of this study also corroborated the need for site specific understanding of HCC for its effective mitigation.

African pythons are the largest and among the most charismatic species of snake on the continent. Surprisingly little is known about the details of their diets. This may be due to the difficulty of compiling a list of prey items for a generalist species. We used data collected from historical literature and citizen science platforms, in the form of social media, to compile a baseline list of species that the southern African python (Python natalensis) feeds on, including birds, mammals, reptiles and fish. Data collected from social media significantly increased the list of prey species compared with those only known from historical literature records. In addition, the data revealed a shift from avian prey to more mammalian species and an increase in human-animal conflict involving larger pythons. Hunting behaviours were observed and caudal luring documented for the first time in this species. Social media can be a useful data source that, when used correctly, can provide a rich source of raw data that can be usefully analysed and combined with other sources in order to answer questions, as well as enrich and validate prior knowledge about cryptic and difficult-to-research species.