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Thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Master of Technology: Nature Conservation in the Faculty of Applied Sciences at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology / In the Cape Floristic Region the Olifants- Doorn River (ODR) system is a known biodiversity hotspot in terms of endemic freshwater fish. Eight of the 10 described native freshwater fish species are endemic to this river system. One of the main threats to these fish is predation by introduced predatory fishes. Three species of alien invasive black bass (Micropterus salmoides, Micropterus dolomieu and Micropterus punctulatus) were introduced into the ODR system during the 1930s but prior to this study, their distribution and impacts had never been quantified on a system-wide basis. This study aimed to clarify the current distribution, distribution barriers, predatory impact and best management options for black bass in the ODR system. This was achieved by conducting a system-wide survey of 578 km of stream covering 41 tributaries in the ODR system. Black bass presence was tracked upstream within each tributary to its uppermost distribution point where physical barriers preventing further spread were identified and described. Fish species composition, abundance and size were recorded directly above and below these barriers to quantify black bass impact on the native fish. This research demonstrated that since introduction, natural and human assisted dispersal has facilitated not only the establishment of black bass in the Olifants and Doring main streams but also facilitated the invasions into 22 tributaries. Based on survey results it was estimated that 81.5 % of the ODR system that was previously occupied by native cyprinids is now invaded by black bass. Assessments of native fish abundance and size distribution above and below black bass invasion barriers demonstrated that in invaded tributaries only adults of larger cyprinids (Labeo seeberi, Labeobarbus capensis and Barbus serra) were able to co-occur with black bass species. Smaller fish such as juvenile L. seeberi, L. capensis and B. serra and native minnows (Barbus calidus, Pseudobarbus phlegethon and Barbus anoplus) were absent from the black bass invaded reaches. The findings of this catchment scale study are consistent with findings from other studies in the region. As a result, most native fishes are now restricted to streams above the natural barriers that limit the upstream invasions of black bass. Black bass eradication from invaded reaches is therefore necessary for habitat restoration. Effective eradication will however depend on the presence of barriers to prevent re-invasion from downstream sources. To better understand what constitutes the nature of such barriers, this study characterised the natural barriers that inhibited black bass invasions in 17 tributaries. Natural barriers comprised of 15 waterfalls, two cascades and one chute ranging in height from 0.49 m to 3.5 m with an average vertical drop of 1.21 ± 0.67 m. These findings suggest that black bass have poor jumping abilities and the recommended height of artificial barriers as part of a black bass management program should be between 80 and 100 cm depending on the size of the tributary. As a result, the presence of natural barriers or the construction of artificial barriers to prevent black bass invasions is considered a vital component of native fish conservation projects. Finally, the study assessed the feasibility of black bass eradication from the 22 invaded tributaries in the ODR system based on eight criterion covering aspects of biological, physical, anthropogenic and logistical importance. This assessment showed that effective eradication was most likely only feasible in seven tributaries. Prioritisation of these seven tributaries for black bass eradication based on the threatened status of the resident native species, the land-use in the respective catchments and the tributary length available for rehabilitation indicate that the Breekkrans, Biedouw and Thee Rivers should receive the highest priority.

The logistic Lotka-Volterra predator-prey equations with diffusion based on Luckinbill's experiment with Didinium nasutum as predator and Paramecium aurelia as prey, have been solved numerically along with a third equation to include prey taxis in the system. The effect of taxis on the dynamics of the population has been examined under three different non-uniform initial conditions and four different response functions of predators. The four response functions are Holling Type 2 Response, Beddington Type Response or Holling Type 3 Response, a response function involving predator interference and a modified sigmoid response function. The operator splitting method and forward difference Euler scheme have been used to solve the differential equations. The stability of the solutions has been established for each model using Routh - Hurwitz conditions, variational matrix. This has been further verified through numerical simulations. The numerical solutions have been obtained both with and without prey-taxis coefficient. The effect of bifurcation value of prey-taxis coe�cient on the numerical solution has been examined. It has been observed that as the value of the taxis coefficient is increased significantly from the bifurcation value chaotic dynamics develops for each model. The introduction of diffusion in predator velocity in the system restores it back to normal periodic behaviour. A brief study of coexistence of low population densities both with and without prey-taxis has also been done.

Rio Grande wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo intermedia) numbers in the southeastern region of the Edwards Plateau (EP) have shown a significant decline since the 1970s; however, the remainder of the EP had stable populations during this period. Since 2001, research has been conducted in the southeastern EP evaluating factors which could be responsible for the decline of Rio Grande turkeys in this region of Texas. I used digital cameras to evaluate the effect of nest predation on the reproductive success of Rio Grande wild turkeys in the region. Nest predation was the leading cause of nest loss in my study and I documented frequent predation events involving ≥1 predator species. While studying nest predation, I examined the effects of my methods, and those commonly used by others, on nest success. Nests with cameras failed at the same frequency as those without cameras but at a faster rate. Predation rates observed for artificial nests underestimated predation rates of real nests. Additionally, I photographed known turkey nest predators at 27% of random points with no eggs, suggesting that nest predation could be a random process depending on the nest predator’s unique search image. I also examined the spatial structure of the habitat surrounding nest locations of turkeys on my study sites to evaluate the effect of disturbance on nest-site selection. Out of 59 nests located on the Kerr Wildlife Management Area from 2005 through 2007, only 5 were in areas that had not been burned in the 9 years prior. Turkeys in my study consistently chose areas characteristic of the fire maintained, oak–juniper savanna historically found in the region.

Thesis (M.S.)--Oregon State University, 2010. / Printout. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 88-95). Also available on the World Wide Web.

Plankton sampling established the presence of a plaice spawning ground off the west coast of the Isle of Man in the Irish Sea. The total production of stage I plaice eggs from this spawning ground in 1993 was estimated at 7.6 x 101 • Theoretically this spawning ground could supply the local nurseries with plaice larvae. Spawning was most intense in March, before the peak in the plankton bloom in the Irish Sea. Predation on plaice eggs by clupeids was studied in March in an area of high plaice egg density to the east of the Isle of Man. Fish eggs formed the bulk of the stomach contents of sprat and herring due to the lack of alternative zooplankton food at this time of year. The later developmental stages of plaice eggs were more vulnerable to predation. This was thought to be due to the increase in pigmentation with embryonic development increasing the contrast between the egg and the water to predators that detect prey visually. Sprat and herring >80 mm showed a strong selection for plaice eggs over smaller pelagic fish eggs. However, the large eggs of plaice had a refuge in size from predation by sprat <80 mm. Smaller clupeids were feeding more actively than larger clupeids, as indicated by stomach fullness and the total number of fish eggs in stomachs. Stomach content data was combined with published biomass estimates and the daily instantaneous mortality rate of plaice eggs due to predation was estimated at 0.023 for sprat and 0.001 for herring. Sprat were therefore an important predator of plaice eggs in the Irish sea, whereas herring seemed of limited significance. Predation by fishes on O-group flatfishes was studied on a Scottish nursery ground by stomach content analysis. Fish predation was shown to be a significant source of mortality and I-group grey gurnards and gadoids were the major predators. Flounder suffered higher predation rates than plaice or dab due to the smaller size at settlement. Predation on plaice and dab was size-selective, concentrated on the smaller individuals. Smaller flatfishes were vulnerable to a greater size range and greater taxonomic range of predators. Predation by O-group cod on O-group dab was limited by the sizes of predator and prey. It was hypothesised that the times of recruitment of flatfishes and their predators to nurseries, and relative growth rates, would affect predation and hence mortality. The handling time of O-group flatfishes by O-group cod in laboratory experiments was positively related to flatfish size and negatively related to cod size. The handling time of plaice was longer than for dab of a similar size due to the difference in body shape. Profitability of flatfishes (wet weight gained per unit handling time) decreased monotonically with flatfish size over the range of prey and predator sizes used. It was therefore predicted that when O-group cod forage in the field the smallest O-group flatfishes would be the most profitable and would be behaviourally selected for. However, the selection of prey by cod was suggested to be determined by both behavioural and physical processes. There was evidence that behavioural selection of prey occurred at the ingestion stage of feeding. The current evidence for density-dependent processes in the juvenile stage of plaice was reviewed. Both the data in support of, and the processes thought to cause, density-dependent mortality in the juvenile phase were equivocal. It was hypothesised that density-dependent mortality occurs in the early egg stages of plaice and evidence, and the rationale for a potential predatory process resulting in such mortality, were presented.

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Anthocyanin pigment and physical pitcher characteristics were directly proportional to captured prey mass by Sarracenia leucophylla Raf. Few experiments have been conducted to test the role of anthocyanin on insect capture in Sarracenia. Though the role of predation by Sarracenia on insects has long been known, the factors responsible for attraction of prey have yet to be fully evaluated. I sampled S. leucophylla leaves from both red and anthocyanin-free (green) subjects, including measuring pitcher height, mouth width and weighing dried prey mass. There were no significant differences in dried prey mass between red and green phenotypes. Prey mass was positively correlated to pitcher height as well as mouth width. Differences in nectary counts and pitcher temperature were also not statistically significant between red and green groups. This study did not find support for anthocyanin as a prey attractant, and nectar may play a more important role in prey attraction. / Department of Biology

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