17 Result(s)
within
Nigel C Bennett
Zoology
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Article
Open AccessLovers, not fighters: docility influences reproductive fitness, but not survival, in male Cape ground squirrels, Xerus inauris
Over their lifetime, individuals may use different behavioural strategies to maximize their fitness. Some behavioural traits may be consistent among individuals over time (i.e., ‘personality’ traits) resulting...
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Article
Characterization of the reproductive behaviour of the roan antelope (Hippotragus equinus)
Little information exists on the sexual behaviours of the roan antelope (Hippotragus equinus; É. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1803), a species listed vulnerable in southern Africa. To fill this gap, two adult males an...
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Article
Heat tolerance in desert rodents is correlated with microclimate at inter- and intraspecific levels
Physiological diversity in thermoregulatory traits has been extensively investigated in both endo- and ectothermic vertebrates, with many studies revealing that thermal physiology has evolved in response to se...
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Chapter
Social Evolution in African Mole-Rats – A Comparative Overview
The African mole-rat superfamily are a unique group of subterranean rodents that are remarkable for their adaptations to a subterranean lifestyle and their range in sociality, spanning strictly solitary specie...
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Chapter
Neuropeptidergic and Neuroendocrine Systems Underlying Eusociality and the Concomitant Social Regulation of Reproduction in Naked Mole-Rats: A Comparative Approach
The African mole-rat family (Bathyergidae) includes the first mammalian species identified as eusocial: naked mole-rats. Comparative studies of eusocial and solitary mole-rat species have identified difference...
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Article
Photoperiodic effects on the male gonads of the Namibian gerbil, Gerbilliscus cf. leucogaster from central Namibia
Photoperiodism has been shown to be an important synchronizer of seasonal reproduction in many rodent species in the wild; it is a reliable cue as in the southern hemisphere it coincides with the onset of rain...
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Article
No evidence for multimodal body mass distributions and body mass-related capture order in wild-caught Damaraland mole-rats
Division of labour among workers is a universal property of eusocial insect societies. For Damaraland mole-rats (Fukomys damarensis), a eusocial mammal, it was proposed that workers can be divided into morphologi...
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Article
The influence of food restriction and photoperiod on reproduction in male spiny mice (Acomys spinosissimus): Evidence for terminal investment?
Photoperiod and food availability often interact in the regulation of reproductive development in seasonal environments. We tested the effects of a 10% food restriction and short- (SD) and long-day (LD) photop...
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Article
Characterization of 14 polymorphic microsatellite loci developed for an Afrotherian species endemic to southern Africa, Elephantulus myurus (Macroscelidea: Macroscelididae)
Fourteen microsatellite loci were developed for the eastern rock sengi, Elephantulus myurus Thomas & Schwann, 1906 by incorporating genetic diversity from across its range in South Africa. Sengis are small mammal...
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Article
Female reproductive activity and its endocrine correlates in the African lesser bushbaby, Galago moholi
Steroid hormones play an important role in female reproductive physiology and behaviour and are often used to monitor important female reproductive events. However, such studies are often attempted on captive ...
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Article
Reproductive photo-responsiveness in male forest shrews (Myosorex varius) from the Eastern Cape of South Africa
A number of environmental factors regulate the reproductive physiology of an organism. Life history traits, such as length of gestation and ovulation patterns of individual species, may result in reproduction ...
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Article
The pattern of ovulation in the southern African spiny mouse (Acomys spinosissimus)
The pattern of ovulation in mammals is generally considered to be either spontaneous or induced by coitus. The present study aimed to assess the pattern of ovulation in the southern African spiny mice (Acomys spi...
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Article
Open AccessA widespread problem: cryptic diversity in the Libyan jird
The Libyan jird, Meriones libycus, is described as occurring from Morocco to the Mongolian plateau. Three subspecies are known from morphological determinations but not genetic data. We used museum collection loc...
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Article
Spicing up the menu: evidence of fruit feeding in Galago moholi
The African lesser bushbaby, Galago moholi, is described as a food specialist, feeding exclusively on small arthropods and gum primarily from Acacia karroo trees. We studied a population of G. moholi in a highly ...
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Article
Sexual selection and genital allometry in the Hottentot golden mole (Amblysomus hottentotus)
Under sexual selection, genitalia typically undergo rapid and divergent evolution across species and competition between the sexes over control of fertilisation may drive the co-evolution of male and female se...
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Article
Influence of spatial environment on maze learning in an African mole-rat
In subterranean species where excavation is energetically expensive, efficient spatial navigation is vital to reducing the costs of locating important resources such as food and mates. While spatial navigation...
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Chapter
The Reproductive Physiology and Endocrinology of the African Mole-rats: with Special Reference to Southern African Mole-rat Species
