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Current MSc Students

Liam Macleod Reynolds (BSc Hons, RU)

Room 001, 1st floor

Elevated CO2 and photosynthetic type influence leaf water potential, stomatal conductance, and hydraulic vulnerability: Implications for savanna tree-grass interactions

My thesis will investigate how prevailing carbon dioxide levels and water availability during plant growth will affect hydraulic and photosynthetic function in C3 and C4 savanna species. I will test stem hydraulic conductivity, xylem vulnerability, stomatal conductance, and photosystem II energy quenching. Field data investigating the relationship between size class and water availability for C3 species will also be included in this analysis.

Supervisors: Prof. Brad Ripley, Dr. Tiffany Pillay

Rachel Putzier (MSc, Rhodes University)

rachelputzier1998@gmail.com

Room 103, 2nd floor

Spatial point pattern analysis of thicket expansion into a semi-arid savanna using LiDAR and RGB imagery

My thesis investigates the processes of thicket expansion at Endwell Farm, a semi-arid savanna in the Eastern Cape. Spatial point pattern analyses allow us to infer what interactions take place between Acacia karroo (savanna species) and the emerging thicket species. We explore whether these interactions change from facilitation to competition as succession shifts from open savanna to closed canopy thicket, as well as whether this change in succession influences tree mortality of savanna species. 中国足彩网 these interactions will help us understand the processes shaping this environment and help explain what is driving the shift from savanna to the thicket.

Supervisor/s: Dr Tiffany Pillay (Primary) and Dr Susanne Vetter (Co-Supervisor)

Katharine Khoury (BSc Hons, RU)

katharinekhoury@gmail.com

Room 204, 3rd floor

Disentangling the role of biotic and abiotic drivers in the diversification of the Gladiolus carneus species complex

My thesis explores how soil properties, microclimate, pollinators, herbivores, and their interactions contribute to the diversification of seven previously described varieties of Gladiolus carneus. I use species distribution modeling, phylogenetic analysis, natural history observations, and local adaptation experiments in my approach.

Supervisor/s: Dr. Ethan Newman

Publications: Newman, E. L., Khoury, K. L., Niekerk, S. E. V., & Peter, C. I. (2022). Structural anther mimics improve reproductive success through dishonest signaling that enhances both attraction and the morphological fit of pollinators with flowers. Evolution, 76(8), 1749-1761

Alice-Jane Marais (MSc, RU)

alicejanemarais@gmail.com

Room 102, 2nd floor

The use of trapping structures for the housing of mutualistic microbial communities in the “carnivorous” aquatic plant Utricularia stellaris (Lentibulariaceae)

My thesis explores the possibility that bladderworts are not, for the most part, carnivorous but are more reliant on the benefits derived from the housing of living microbial communities within traps. In order to gain insight into these interactions I am assessing the effect of environmental parameters on the success of plants and investment in trapping structures, determining the influences of trap contents on plant photosynthetic output, and employing stable isotope analysis to trace the movement of nutrients between pond biota and U. stellaris.

Supervisors: Prof. Craig Peter, Dr. Ethan Newman, Prof. Brad Ripley

Tressia Chikodza BSc (MSc Botany, RU)

tressiachikodza9@gmail.com

Room F8, Zoology, and Entomology

The effect of biological control agents on the population dynamics of Pontederia crassipes (C. Mart) Solms (Pontederiaceae) and Salvinia minima Baker (Salviniales: Salviniaceae)

Short description of thesis: This thesis investigates the competitive ability of P. crassipes and S. minima with and without their respective control agent to determine the impact of biological control when the two plants are competing for resources and to better predict the population dynamics of the two invasive weeds at the Hartbeespoort Dam.

Supervisor: Prof Julie Coetzee

Last Modified: Mon, 13 Feb 2023 06:30:26 SAST