Article
Agronomy
Zaineb Hayder, Roukaya Ben Gaied, Abderrazak Tlili, Imed Sbissi, Mohamed Tarhouni
Summary: This study investigates the morphology and molecular characteristics of Salicornia and Sarcocornia species in the southern dryland of Tunisia. The results confirm the presence of three species, including two newly recorded ones. Flowers and seeds are effective indicators for distinguishing different specimens.
GENETIC RESOURCES AND CROP EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
S. Plon, N. Roussouw, R. Uren, K. Naidoo, U. Siebert, G. Cliff, H. Bouwman
Summary: We examined the concentration of various elements in muscle tissue of three dolphin species accidentally caught off the coast of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. We found significant differences in concentration of 11 elements among the Indian Ocean humpback dolphin, Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin, and Common dolphin. The mercury concentrations were higher than those found in other coastal dolphin species. This study confirms the high levels of organic pollutants in these species and highlights the need to reduce pollution sources.
MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Liezl Retief, Christian T. Chimimba, Marinda C. Oosthuizen, Asiashu Matshotshi, Armanda D. S. Bastos
Summary: Invasive Rattus species in South Africa were found to have high prevalence of haemotropic Mycoplasmas, with significant differences between species. The study also identified three distinct lineages of haemoplasmas, expanding the known distribution of these pathogens.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Rita C. Lima, Patricia F. Neres, Andre M. Esteves
Summary: Three new species of Microlaimus are described from the Campos Basin in Brazil, including Microlaimus campiensis, Microlaimus alexandri, and Microlaimus vitorius. Each species is characterized by different anatomical features and modifications to the diagnosis of the genus are proposed.
Article
Zoology
Sergey G. Ermilov, Elizabeth A. Hugo-Coetzee, Alexander A. Khaustov
Summary: This article describes three new species of oribatid mites of the family Galumnidae from Hogsback State Forest in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. Each new species, Pilogalumna hogsbackensis sp. nov., Pergalumna amatholensis sp. nov., and Stictozetes ihaguensis sp. nov., is distinguished from other related species based on morphological characteristics.
Article
Plant Sciences
N. Zide, D. I. W. Euston-Brown, A. R. Magee
Summary: Passerina ternata, a new species discovered in the Baviaanskloof mountains of Eastern Cape Province in South Africa, is described. It is a multi-stemmed resprouting shrub with linear leaves arranged in whorls of three. The species is currently known from a single population in Kouga Sandstone Fynbos. Passerina ternata differs from Passerina falcifolia in the inner surface of its apically falcate bracts, where it has dense villous in the lower three-quarters and shortly setose in the upper quarter. The addition of Passerina ternata brings the total number of recognized species within Passerina L. to 21.
SOUTH AFRICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY
(2022)
Article
Mycology
Hyppolite L. Aignon, Sana Jabeen, Arooj Naseer, Nourou S. Yorou, Martin Ryberg
Summary: Three new species of Inosperma from Tropical Africa were described, with morphological and molecular data confirming their novelty. Phylogenetic placements of these species were inferred based on molecular evidence, alongside interspecific variation analysis using ITS dataset. Complete descriptions, illustrations, and a new combination proposal were provided for each species.
Article
Ecology
Jake M. Mulvaney, Michael Cherry, Conrad A. Matthee
Summary: The study reveals the impact of Pleistocene climate shifts on the genetic diversity and population structure of forest-dependent bird species in subtropical Afromontane and scarp forests in south-eastern South Africa. It suggests that these forests served as refugia for subtropical African avian forest biota during the late Pleistocene.
JOURNAL OF BIOGEOGRAPHY
(2022)
Article
Agronomy
L. Rufo, M. T. Iglesias-Lopez, V. de la Fuente
Summary: Despite variations in edaphic and climatic variables, the studied plant's variables showed slight changes throughout the year, with magnesium being the most reflective of climatic changes. Salty precipitates and crystallizations were mainly distributed in specific tissues, and observed crystals were compatible with various minerals. This study supports the notion that inland S. carinata behaves similarly to other succulent halophytes, with element concentrations and abundance patterns depending largely on adaptation mechanisms.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Chi-Woo Lee, Gi-Sik Min
Summary: New species of subterranean pseudocrangonyctid amphipods were described from South Korean limestone caves, and their molecular characteristics were determined. Molecular phylogenetic analyses revealed that these new species, together with endemic species from Korean caves, formed a monophylum.
Article
Plant Sciences
P. Goldblatt, J. C. Manning, J. A. van der Walt
Summary: The newly discovered Geissorhiza mellimontana is a narrow endemic species of Western Cape, South Africa, closely related to the relatively widespread G. scillaris A.Dietr. It exhibits larger and more robust characteristics with distinct floral features compared to its relative species.
SOUTH AFRICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Maria Angeles Alonso, Manuel B. Crespo, Mario Martinez-Azorin, Ladislav Mucina
Summary: The plant incorrectly named Spergularia hanoverensis Simon in central-western South Africa has been revisited. After revising herbarium material and conducting taxonomic research, it was found that this plant is distinct from other South African species and has therefore been effectively published under the name S. hanoverensis. A detailed description of its morphology, ecology, distribution, and genetic relationships has been provided.
Article
Fisheries
Carryn L. de Moor, Douglas S. Butterworth, Susan Johnston
Summary: South Africa is renowned for being an early adopter of the Management Strategy Evaluation (MSE) and has implemented Operational Management Procedures (OMPs) for its important commercial fisheries. While the first two decades saw successful implementation of OMPs and sustainable fisheries management, the past decade has seen deviations from OMP outputs due to Exceptional Circumstances (ECs).
ICES JOURNAL OF MARINE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
D. A. Snijman
Summary: A new species of Cyrtanthus within the monogeneric tribe Cyrtantheae has been discovered in the low-lying Agulhas Plain, Western Cape, South Africa. This species, named Cyrtanthus novus-annus, shares morphological similarities with C. guthrieae but differs in flower size, coloring, markings, and flowering time. This finding suggests that C. novus-annus and C. guthrieae may represent geographically differentiated sister taxa.
SOUTH AFRICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Sanet Janse van Vuuren, Anatoliy Levanets, Dmitry Kapustin
Summary: Four species of the genus Mallomonas and one species of Synura were found in the Mooi River, South Africa. Using scanning electron microscopy, intact Mallomonas cells with scales and bristles were accurately identified. Synura curtispina cells with distinct scales were also discovered. This study provides descriptions, dimensions, and distribution records for these species in Africa and South Africa.
SOUTH AFRICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY
(2023)
