Level of study: Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Name and surname: Rudi C Swart

Email: swartrudolph90@gmail.com

Research interests: Afromontane Forest Canopies, Insect Conservation, Tree Ecology, Landscape Ecology

Project Description:

Rudi Swart is currently one of our postdoctoral research fellows, hosted by Dr Anina Coetzee and co-hosted by Prof. Sjirk Geerts from CPUT, investigating the pollination of Afrotemperate forest trees across the fragmented southern Cape landscape. His research interests include Afromontane forest ecology, insect diversity conservation and tree ecology. He is an avid tree climber and fascinated by the biodiversity within forest canopies.

Publications:

  • Swart, R. C., Samways, M. J., & Roets (2021). Latitude, paleo-history and forest size matter for Afromontane canopy beetle diversity in a world context. Biodiversity and Conservation, 30, 659-672.
  • Swart, R. C., Samways, M. J., & Roets. (2020). Tree canopy arthropods have idiosyncratic responses to plant ecophysiological traits in a warm, temperate forest complex. Scientific Reports, 10, 19905.
  • Swart, R. C., Samways, M. J., Pryke, J. S., & Roets, F. (2020). Overhead tree canopy species has limited effect on leaf litter decomposition and decomposer communities in a floristically diverse, southern temperate rainforest.  Applied Soil Ecology, 156.
  • Swart, R. C., Samways, M. J., Pryke, J. S., & Roets, F. (2020). Individual tree context and contrast dictate tree physiological features and arthropod biodiversity patterns across multiple trophic levels. Ecological Entomology, 45, 333-344.
  • Swart, R. C., Pryke, J. S., & Roets, F. (2019). The intermediate disturbance hypothesis explains arthropod beta-diversity responses to roads that cut through natural forests. Biological Conservation236, 243-251.
  • Steed, A., Swart, R. C., Pauw, M. J., & Roets, F. (2018). Response of arthropod communities to plant-community rehabilitation efforts after strip mining on the semi-arid west coast of South Africa. African Journal of Range & Forage Science35, 375-385.
  • Swart, R. C., Pryke, J. S., & Roets, F. (2018). Arthropod assemblages deep in natural forests show different responses to surrounding land use. Biodiversity and Conservation27, 583-606.
  • Swart, R. C., Pryke, J. S., & Roets, F. (2017). Optimising the sampling of foliage arthropods from scrubland vegetation for biodiversity studies. African Entomology25, 164-174.

 

Qualifications

BSc Conservation Ecology and Entomology (Stellenbosch University)

MSc Conservation Ecology (Stellenbosch University)

PhD Conservation Ecology (Stellenbosch University)

 

Social Profile:

Twitter - @crispinrudi