Hot Birds Research Project
M.Sc. Students
Abiodun Ademola
Impacts of fluctuating human presence on behaviour and physiology of urban
Supervisors: A/Prof. Susie Cunningham and Dr Celiwe Ngcamphalala
Contact
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Abiodun Ademola
FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology
DST-NRF Centre of Excellence
University of Cape Town
Rondebosch, 7701
South Africa
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Email: abiodunademola500@gmail.com
Hailing from Nigeria, Abiodun has an undergraduate degree in Forestry and Wildlife Management from the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta. She is a goal-oriented young lady, passionate about nature conservation. Abi is interested in improving species and ecosystem interactions to improve conservation management across all landscapes.
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Abi is committed to conserving biodiversity for posterity by working to solve conservation challenges in her country and Africa at large. During her undergraduate studies, she reached out to students and neighbouring communities of the University on the need to make wise use of the natural resources for posterity. This was made possible through her position of President of the Forestry and Wildlife Student Association (FOWISA).
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Abi's MSc study will investigate whether human presence affects Red-winged starlings and their chicks. Her objectives are:
(1) to verify that the relationship between high numbers of high human presence days and poor nestling growth is still present post covid-19 and assess whether this is associated with increased GCMs in nestlings exposed to high human traffic on campus
(2) to assess whether the negative relationship between fGCMs and pedestrian traffic in non-breeding adult Red-winged starlings In winter is reversed in breeding adult starlings in summer, and examine relationships with body mass maintenance and behaviour.
Martiné Van Den Berg
Supervisors: A/Prof Susie Cunningham and Dr Shannon Conradie
Contact
Martiné Van Den Berg
FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology
DST-NRF Centre of Excellence
University of Cape Town
Rondebosch, 7701
South Africa
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Email: VBRMAR025@myuct.ac.za
Surrounded by the environmental riches of South Africa and encouraged by a couple of ecologist parents, it was only natural that I would develop a love for the outdoors early on. Even from a young age I knew that I wanted to spend my lifetime studying the world around me. Thus, after matriculating, I moved from my hometown of Potchefstroom to pursue a B.Sc. at the University of Cape Town, where I was eager to receive an education with one of the world’s greatest biodiversity hotspots on my doorstep. It was here that it quickly became apparent to me that I have a special interest in better understanding how global change is influencing the natural world which I love so much. This lead to my Honours project, where I investigated the ability of a biophysical model to predict thermoregulation in a desert bird. This project opened my mind to the possibilities of mechanistic modeling and how we can use this tool to explore how species will be affected by a changing world. Completing my Honours only confirmed to me that I have a passion for research and I was excited to continue exploring how biophysical models can be used to better understand the challenges that species face.
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For my M.Sc. dissertation, I now turn my attention to Fynbos birds. The study aims to combine a microclimate model of habitats with different post-fire ages, with a biophysical model for predicting thermoregulation in twelve bird species in the Fynbos region. In this manner, I hope to get a more accurate picture of how birds in this biodiversity hotspot will be influenced by rising temperatures and changing fire regimes.
Nazley Liddle
Supervisors: Dr. Susan Cunningham, Prof. Andrew McKechnie
Contact
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Nazley Liddle
FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology
DST-NRF Centre of Excellence
University of Cape Town
Rondebosch, 7701
South Africa
Email: nazleyliddle@gmail.com
Growing up in Cape Town allowed me to appreciate the close interactions between humans and nature. As I got older, I became increasingly concerned with how animals navigate our growing anthropogenic world. I felt the need to address these concerns and decided to embark on a career in behavioural ecology, with a focus on anthropogenic change and conservation. My BScHons degree at the University of Cape Town explored the impacts of human presence and activity on wildlife by assessing baboon behavioural responses to spatial overlap with urban spaces.
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Like the charismatic baboons, birds hold a special place in my heart. For my MSc degree, I will investigate blue waxbill behavioural responses to high temperature and humidity in northern KwaZulu-Natal. Under the supervision of Dr Susan Cunningham and Prof Andrew Mckechnie, we aim to understand how climate change might affect the breeding success and survival of small passerines in mesic environments. This study could potentially highlight the importance of including humidity in thermoregulatory studies on birds. Furthermore, it could also identify whether blue waxbills have reduced capacity to tolerate global heating, therefore urging greater research effort and conservation interventions to help maintain population persistence.
Jochen Voges
Supervisors: Prof Andrew E. McKechnie, Dr Marc T. Freeman
Contact
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Jochen Voges
Department of Zoology and Entomology
University of Pretoria
Pretoria, 0002
South Africa
Email: jj.voges@tuks.co.za
Growing up in the Magaliesberg mountains, I’ve always loved and admired the natural world around me, especially the birds. Further inspired by documentaries by Sir David Attenborough and articles in Birdlife and National Geographic magazines, I chose to study birds and enrolled at the University of Pretoria for a BSc in Zoology. During my undergraduate studies, I became more interested in the physiology of birds and how they are affected by climate change. I therefore did my BScHons investigating hypometabolism during thermoregulation in the heat under the supervision of Dr Marc Freeman and Prof Andrew McKechnie, finding that hypometabolism during heat exposure is widespread across the avian phylogeny, reducing metabolic heat production and thereby reducing evaporative cooling requirements.
Currently I am doing my MSc in Zoology at the University of Pretoria investigating how birds' physiological responses to heat change between seasons. I will also be investigating the role of heat shock proteins in birds' thermoregulatory response. This will help us inform better predictive models for these species for future climate scenarios and will give insight into the adaptive capacity of these birds to changing conditions. Additionally, this study will increase our understanding of the molecular responses of avian thermoregulation in the heat and how these differ between different orders.
Makgoshi Mogotsi
Frazzled in the heat? Effects of temperature on cognition in Fork-tailed Drongo
Supervisors: Prof Andrew E. McKechnie, A/Prof Susie Cunningham, Benjamin Murphy
Contact
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Makgoshi Mogotsi
Department of Zoology and Entomology
University of Pretoria
Pretoria, 0002
South Africa
Given the lack of natural landscapes in the township of Gauteng where I come from, natural spaces have always been my favourite playground choice and a source of fascination for me. Since I was young, I have been intrigued by how things evolve and adapt, particularly living organisms. This curiosity has driven my interest in behavioural evolution, a field I am eager to explore further. As an aspiring exobiologist/astrobiologist, my ultimate research goals involve studying the habitability of exoplanets for living organisms and understanding the evolution of extra-terrestrial life under different exoplanet environment conditions.
My academic research journey began at the University of the Witwatersrand, where I pursued a BSc in Biological Sciences and Geography, followed by a BSc Honours degree. During my final undergraduate years, I had the opportunity to explore exobiological research, focusing on evaluating the Cambrian oceans to understand the potential habitability of exoplanets for macro-organisms. This project, supervised by Jaganmoy Jodder at the Evolutionary Studies Institute, provided me with the necessary foundation in scientific skills. For my Honours project, I was introduced to birds. I studied the direct effects of behavioural and physiological acclimatisation to hotter conditions in white-browed sparrow-weaver birds under the supervision of Dr Matthew Noakes and A/Prof Susie Cunningham.
Building on these experiences, I am now pursuing an MSc in Zoology at the University of Pretoria, where I will conduct extensive fieldwork on the cognitive abilities of drongos in response to extreme heat. My research will focus on two main components: firstly, assessing whether adult drongos' cognitive abilities decline during extremely hot days using cognitive tests, and secondly, investigating the long-term effects of early-life heat exposure on cognitive abilities in juvenile drongos. This research will help us understand how increasing heat waves may impact avian foraging behaviour due to declines in cognitive performance caused by rapid global heating.
James Short
Supervisors: Prof Andrew E. McKechnie, A/Prof Susie Cunningham
Contact
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James Short
Department of Zoology and Entomology
University of Pretoria
Pretoria, 0002
South Africa
Email: shortjames76@gmail.com
Growing up, I was privileged enough to go on numerous camping and hiking adventures during the school holidays. It was these early interactions with nature that ignited my passion for animals and their conservation. After matriculating from Pretoria Boys’ High School in 2016, I decided to pursue this passion by enrolling in a BSc Zoology degree at the University of Pretoria. During these undergraduate years I became fascinated with the field of avian thermal physiology and its applications in an ever-changing world. Keen to gain a better understanding of this field of research, I pursued an honours degree in zoology under the supervision of Prof. Andrew McKechnie and Dr Marc Freeman. Here, my honours research project focused on the physiological methodology of respirometry, and whether different respirometry protocols yield different patterns and values of avian thermoregulation at high air temperatures.
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My MSc research focuses on investigating the physiological and behavioural aspects of climate change vulnerability in ground-foraging passerines inhabiting the Tankwa Karoo, one of South Africa’s most extreme desert environments. Data collected from this study will provide valuable insights into the impacts of changing climatic conditions on this avifaunal community and their future persistence in this extreme environment.
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My research interests lie in understanding how avian communities respond to an ever-changing environment, both physiologically and behaviourally, and how we can use this understanding to better conserve these communities in the future.