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Article
Open AccessEnvironmental DNA from soil reveals the presence of a “lost” Afrotherian species
Environmental DNA (eDNA) sampling has attracted worldwide attention over the past few years as an emerging approach to characterising and monitoring biodiversity, and has become particularly important for spec...
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Article
Conservation of evolutionary patterns and processes in the Maloti minnow, Pseudobarbus quathlambae (Cyprinidae, Smiliogastrini), a narrow-range stream fish imperiled by water transfer scheme developments in the Lesotho Highlands
Pseudobarbus quathlambae (Barnard, 1938) is a cyprinid minnow with a disjunct distribution divided into tributaries of the Upper Orange River system in the Lesotho Highlands and the Mzimkhulu River system in KwaZ...
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Article
Open AccessSpatial population genetic structure and colony dynamics in Damaraland mole-rats (Fukomys damarensis) from the southern Kalahari
Non-random associations within and among groups of social animals can provide valuable insight into the function of group living and the evolution of social behaviour. Damaraland mole-rats (Fukomys damarensis) de...
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Article
Open AccessHigh diversity, inbreeding and a dynamic Pleistocene demographic history revealed by African buffalo genomes
Genomes retain records of demographic changes and evolutionary forces that shape species and populations. Remnant populations of African buffalo (Syncerus caffer) in South Africa, with varied histories, provide a...
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Article
Anthropogenic movement results in hybridisation in impala in southern Africa
Hybridisation caused by anthropogenic movements of animals is a conservation concern. Black-faced impala (Aepyceros melampus petersi) are endemic to north-western Namibia and south-western Angola and are geograph...
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Article
Genetic rescue of an isolated African lion population
Fragmented wildlife populations are challenged by limited gene flow that can lead to significant inbreeding. The lion (Panthera leo) population in South Africa’s Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park (HiP) started from a small ...
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Article
Open Access‘Intentional Genetic Manipulation’ as a conservation threat
Wildlife ranching including the hunting, collection, sales and husbandry of wild animals in captivity, is practised worldwide and is advocated as an approach towards the conservation of wild species. While man...
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Article
Characterization of genome-wide microsatellite markers in rabbitfishes, an important resource for artisanal fisheries in the Indo-West Pacific
Rabbitfishes are reef-associated fishes that support local fisheries throughout the Indo-West Pacific region. Sound management of the resource requires the development of molecular tools for appropriate stock ...
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Evaluation of microsatellites for common ungulates in the South African wildlife industry
Wildlife is a multi-million dollar industry in South Africa ranging from intensively farmed animals on small properties to free-roaming animals in large functional ecosystems. Specific concerns surrounding the...
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Article
Genetic diversity and population structure of the range restricted rock firefinch Lagonosticta sanguinodorsalis
Understanding the degree of genetic population differentiation is important in conservation genetics for inferring gene flow between populations and for identifying small and isolated threatened populations. W...
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Article
Erratum to: The genetic legacy of lower sea levels: does the confluence of rivers during the last glacial maximum explain the contemporary distribution of a primary freshwater fish (Pseudobarbus burchelli, Cyprinidae) across isolated river systems?
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Article
The genetic legacy of lower sea levels: does the confluence of rivers during the last glacial maximum explain the contemporary distribution of a primary freshwater fish (Pseudobarbus burchelli, Cyprinidae) across isolated river systems?
The primary freshwater fish Pseudobarbus burchelli (Smith 1841) occurs across four presently isolated river systems in the south-western cape floristic region of South Africa. Mitochondrial DNA cytochrome b (701 ...
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Article
Open AccessAncestral polymorphism at the major histocompatibility complex (MHCIIβ) in the Nesospiza bunting species complex and its sister species (Rowettia goughensis)
The major histocompatibility complex (MHC) is an important component of the vertebrate immune system and is frequently used to characterise adaptive variation in wild populations due to its co-evolution with p...
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Article
Management of hybridization in an endemic species: decision making in the face of imperfect information in the case of the black wildebeest—Connochaetes gnou
Hybridization between introduced and endemic ungulates, resulting from anthropogenic actions, has been reported for several species. Several studies of such events contain the common themes of extralimital mov...
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Article
Discovery of Ophiostoma tsotsi on Eucalyptus wood chips in China
Ophiostoma species such as O. quercus are the most frequent causal agents of sapstain of freshly felled hardwood timber and pulpwood. Many species are regarded as economically important agents of wood degradation...
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Article
Open AccessBioregion heterogeneity correlates with extensive mitochondrial DNA diversity in the Namaqua rock mouse, Micaelamys namaquensis(Rodentia: Muridae) from southern Africa - evidence for a species complex
Intraspecific variation within the diverse southern African murine rodents has not been extensively investigated, yet cryptic diversity is evident in several taxa studied to date. The Namaqua rock mouse, Micaelam...
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Article
Ophiostoma tsotsi sp. nov., A Wound-infesting Fungus of Hardwood Trees in Africa
Polymorphic sequence-characterised marker assays from a recent diversity study on the Ascomycete fungus Ophiostoma quercus reported that some isolates from Africa were genetically distinct from O. quercus. In the...
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Article
Open AccessA phylogenetic estimate for golden moles (Mammalia, Afrotheria, Chrysochloridae)
Golden moles (Chrysochloridae) are small, subterranean, afrotherian mammals from South Africa and neighboring regions. Of the 21 species now recognized, some (e.g., Chrysochloris asiatica, Amblysomus hottentotus)...
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Article
Geometric craniometric analysis of sexual dimorphism and ontogenetic variation: A case study based on two geographically disparate species, Aethomys ineptus from southern Africa and Arvicanthis niloticus from Sudan (Rodentia: Muridae)
Non-geographic morphometric variation, particularly at the level of sexual dimorphism and ontogenetic (age-related) variation, has been documented in rodents, and useful for establishing whether to analyse sex...
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Article
Delimitation of Ophiostoma quercus and its synonyms using multiple gene phylogenies
Ophiostoma quercus is a morphologically variable species that causes sapstain on mostly hardwood hosts worldwide. Several species have been suggested as synonyms of O. quercus in the past, including O. fagi, O. r...
