Read more about the article The dominance-diversity relationship in ants
Plot showing the relationship between species richness and the abundance of dominant ants. The red line shows the decline in local species richness when invasive dominants are present, the orange line shows the pattern when only native dominants are present.

The dominance-diversity relationship in ants

A recent study by a team of international researchers, including former C·I·B post-doctoral associate, Tom Bishop, has shown that invasive dominant ant species have different effects on the diversity of the wider ant community than native dominant species.

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Read more about the article Impacts of snails and slugs as alien species
The African giant land snail (Achatina fulica) is one of the most devastating snails globally as it has decimated native snails on islands. It has not been reported as alien in South Africa to this date, but it is common in the pet trade. (Photo credit: By Thomas Brown [CC BY 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons)]

Impacts of snails and slugs as alien species

Even though snails and slugs (gastropods) are some well-known agricultural pests, environmental systems are more vulnerable to alien gastropod impacts. A recent study by C·I·B Hons student, David Kesner and C·I·B Core Team Member, Dr Sabrina Kumschick, at Stellenbosch University on this topic was published in the journal Ecology and Evolution.

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Read more about the article A “City of Choice” for urban feral cats?
A female feral cat fitted with a GPS tracking collar to monitor its movements at the Pietermaritzburg Airport. (Photo credit: Kerushka Pillay)

A “City of Choice” for urban feral cats?

A recent study by C·I·B masters student, Kerushka Pillay, at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, revealed that home range, habitat use and movement of urban feral cats, Felis catus, were generally centred around supplemental resources such as food, in the town of Pietermaritzburg, also referred to as the “City of Choice”.

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Read more about the article How are invasive alien plants perceived by urban residents?
An urban park wetland covered in a dense mat of Parrot’s feather (Myriophyllum aquaticum) (Photo: LJ Potgieter)

How are invasive alien plants perceived by urban residents?

Invasive alien plants (IAPs) and their management are perceived both negatively and positively by urban residents, but these perceptions are shaped by individuals’ socio-demographic characteristics.

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Read more about the article Residence time and its link to Lantana performance in India and South Africa
The playful contingent; from left to right: Gyan Prakash Sharma (former C·I·B post-doc, now at the University of Delhi, India); Karen J. Esler (C·I·B Core Team Member) and Neha Goyal (PhD student at the University of Delhi, India) (Photo credit: Neha Goyal)

Residence time and its link to Lantana performance in India and South Africa

Invader plants may not be equally successful in varied invaded ranges due to the time that passed since they were first introduced and environmental factors. These were the results from a collaborative study by a team of plant invasion ecologists from India and South Africa. The study was published in the latest issue of the journal Tropical Ecology.

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