Centre for African Ecology

06/11/2024

Post-doctoral fellowship position available in the School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences. See attached advert for details.

25/10/2024

Day 2 of the APES PG symposium with guest speaker our own Dr Justice Muvengwi

25/10/2024

The School of APES is hosting their first Postgraduate Symposium. Today we have the pleasure to host a number of ex Wities who will tell us about their careers post studies. Tomorrow will be the turn of our current MSc and PhD students to showcase their research.

11/10/2024

Great talk by Dr Justice Muvengwi at the Oppenheimer Research Conference today

10/10/2024

10/10/2024

School of APES students presenting at Oppenheimer Research Conference

01/10/2024

https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=pfbid02mbe2exPQRM4Qf3icikhYMfScU8qWFa25oAt3ySAboAXnbJvrjNy3JzHoxcP5v433l&id=61566529525791

Our next Wednesday seminar is tomorrow by Dr Nobuyuki Yamaguchi from the Institute of Tropical Biodiversity and Sustainable Development, University of Malaysia Terengganu.

Seminar title: Energy budget of desert hedgehogs (Paraechinus aethipicus) in Qatar
Seasonal changes in the ecology and behaviour of the desert hedgehog (Paraechinus aethiopicus) in Qatar was investigated, particularly in respect to differences in behaviour between hedgehogs living in arid environments and hedgehogs in temperate mesic environments. Hedgehogs were radio-tracked, and measured home range size, habitat preference, travel speed, activity and body mass. Whilst the results suggested no difference in body mass between males and females (but body mass was heavier in the area with greater human influence), male home range size was over twice as large as that for females (and home rage size was much larger in the area with natural environment). Unlike hedgehogs in Europe, males maintained large home ranges during the non-breeding season. This behaviour may be sustained by the low cost of maintaining a large home range; males travelled less far per hour during the non-breeding season, utilised solar radiation for thermoregulation, and plenty of food was available in rubbish dumps even during cold months. Habitat use was non-random; arid areas with human influence, including rubbish dumping sites, was the most selected habitat type compared with its availability. Dense scrub and/or trees was the most selected habitat for nesting. The recent increase of “lower” level human activities, including irrigated farms and food waste, in harsh arid environments may have influenced the space use by desert hedgehogs.

25/09/2024

Follow what is happening in the School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences at the University of the Witwatersrand: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61566529525791

This is the new page of the School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa.

12/05/2023

A full-time postdoctoral position is available in the Department of Zoology and Entomology at the University of Fort Hare. To apply to the fellowship: Candidates who meet the criteria are invited to forward an application with a motivational letter, updated CV, certified copies of their academic and/or professional certificates, copy of ID documents and the names and contact details of two academic referees to Dr C Tambling ([email protected]) before the 20 May 2023