Prof Dave Richardson from the DST-NRF Centre of Excellence for Invasion Biology (CIB) at Stellenbosch University (SU) and a world leading scientist in the field of invasion biology, is the recipient of the 2018 Kwame Nkrumah Award for Scientific Excellence.
Alien grasses occurring in South Africa have been associated with negative environmental and socio-economic impact across the globe. Some grasses can increase the intensity and frequency of fires due to their large biomass, and many grass species invade areas such as agricultural land leading to reduced crop yield and quality.
The most effective method to sample recreational vessels for marine alien fouling species is to combine diver-based and lab-based methods, a study reported. Published in the Journal of Environmental Management, the study was conducted by C·I·B Post-doctoral associate, Koebraa Peters, C·I·B Core Team Member, Tammy Robinson and SANBI’s Marine Programme Manager, Kerry Sink.
Many marine organisms move around the world on the bottom of ships and yachts. This living layer is commonly referred to as hull fouling. Unfortunately, hull fouling not only increases both the drag and fuel consumption of vessels, but is also one of the major contributors to the introduction and spread of invasive species.
Predicting the future is hard. A recent review on climate change vulnerability assessments of species attempts to make this task easier for climate change biologists and conservation practitioners.
