Andrea Fuller

Andrea Fuller

Andrea Fuller

PhD

Professor, School of Physiology, University of the Witwatersrand; and Extraordinary Lecturer, Department of Paraclinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria)

https://www.wildlifeconservationphysiology.com/

Research Sub-theme

Wildlife conservation physiology and climate change

Climate change may affect animals directly, for example through the effects of heat on physiological tolerance and performance, or indirectly, for example through changes in resource availability. Predicting how successfully animals will cope requires not only knowledge of the changing habitat structure and macroclimate, but also an understanding of the animal’s sensitivity and exposure, its physiological plasticity, the role of trophic interactions and the microclimate variability within the macroclimate. By improving our understanding of how free-living animals function, we aim to contribute to informed conservation and management of wildlife, particularly within the arid-zones of southern Africa.

Research Projects

  • Body temperature and activity patterns of free-living ground pangolins in the Kalahari.
  • Physiological performance and space use of dispersing juvenile ground pangolins in a semi-arid environment.
  • Nutritional physiology and thermal ecology of free-living bat-eared foxes in a semi-arid environment.
  • Variability of body temperature, metabolic rate, digestive capacity and activity patterns in free-living blue wildebeest: understanding the role of physiological plasticity in buffering climate change.
  • Body temperature patterns as an indication of nutritional well-being in African buffaloes.
  • The effect of environmental change on core body temperature patterns in a free-living desert bird, the white-browed sparrow-weaver.

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