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Staff Details

Dr. Serban Proches Senior Lecturer, Honours Coordinator

Qualifications: BBiol, MSc (Bucharest), PhD (Durban-Westville)

E-mail: setapion@gmail.com

Telephone: +27-31-2601278

Research:

  • Global biogeography
  • Biodiversity patterns in southern Africa
  • The Maputaland-Pondoland-Albany biodiversity hotspot
  • Plant invasions
  • Plant-insect interactions
  • Weevils (Coleoptera: Curculionoidea)
See research team website: http://sites.google.com/site/serbanproches/Home

Journal Articles:

Authors Year Title Journal Volume Pages
Proches S., Warren M., McGeoch M.A. and Marshall D.J. 2010 Spatial transitions in pneumatophore arthropod assemblages. Ecography In press
Proches S, Forest F, Veldtman R, Wilson JRU, Chown SL, Cowling RM, Johnson SD, Richardson DM, and Savolainen V. 2009 Dissecting the plant-insect diversity relationship Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 51 94-99
Johnson S.D., Harris L.F. and Proches S. 2009 Pollination and breeding systems of selected wildflowers in a southern African grassland community. South African Journal of Botany 75 630 - 645
Proches S. and Johnson S.D. 2009 Beetle pollination of the fruit-scented cones of the South African cycad Stangeria eriopus American Journal of Botany 96 1722 - 1730
Wilson JRU, Proches S, Braschler BM, Dixon E, Richardson DM. 2009 Organismal complexity is an indicator of species existence value - Reply. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 6 299-300
Cowling RM, Proches S, and Partridge TC. 2009 Explaining the uniqueness of the Cape flora: Incorporating geomorphic evolution as a factor for explaining its diversification. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 51 64-74
Proches, S., Wilson, J.R.U., Richardson, D.M. and Rejmanek, M. 2008 Searching for phylogenetic pattern in biological invasions Global Ecology and Biogeography 17 5-10
Proches, S. 2008 Three ways to split a continent. Journal of Biogeography 35 195-196
Proches S, Wilson JRU, Richardson DM, and Chown SL. 2008 Herbivores, but not other insects, are scarce on alien plants. Austral Ecology 691-700
Heelemann S, Proches S, van Wilgen BW, Rebelo AG, Porembski S, and Cowling RM. 2008 Fire season effects on the recruitment of non-sprouting serotinous Proteaceae in the eastern (bimodal-rainfall) fynbos biome, South Africa. Austral Ecology 33 119-127
Proches S, Wilson JRU, Vamosi JC, and Richardson DM. 2008 Plant diversity in the human diet: weak phylogenetic signal indicates breadth. BioScience 58 151-159
Wilson, J.R.U., Richardson, D.M., Rouget, M., Proches, S., Amis, M.A., Henderson, L. and Thuiller, W. 2007 Residence time and potential range: crucial considerations in modeling plant invasions Diversity and Distributions 13 11-22
Wilson, J.R.U., Proches, S., Braschler, B.M., Dixon, E. and Richardson, D.M. 2007 The (bio)diversity of research reflects the interests of society Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 5 409-414
Richardson, D.M., Rundel, P.W., Jackson, S.T., Teskey, R.O., Aronson, J., Bytnerowicz, A., Wingfield, M.J. and Proches, S. 2007 Human impacts in pine forests: past, present and future. Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution and Systematics 38 275-297
Milton, S.J., Wilson, J.R.U., Richardson, D.M., Seymour, C.L., Dean, W.R.J., Iponga, D.M. and Proches, S. 2007 Invasive alien plants infiltrate bird-mediated shrub nucleation processes in arid savanna. Journal of Ecology 95 648-661
Proches, S. and Cowling, R.M. 2007 Do insect distributions fit our biomes? South African Journal of Science 103 258-261
Proches, S. 2006 Latitudinal and longitudinal barriers in global biogeography Biology Letters 2 69-72
Proches, S., Cowling, R.M., Goldblatt, P., Manning, J.C. and Snijman, D.A. 2006 An overview of the Cape geophytes. Society Biological Journal of the Linnean 87 27-43
Proches, S., Wilson, J.R.U. and Cowling, R.M. 2006 How much evolutionary history in a 10 x 10m plot? Proceedings of Royal Society of London B, Biological Sciences 273 1143-1148
Thuiller, W., Richardson, D.M., Rouget, M., Proches, S. and Wilson, J.R.U. 2006 Interactions between environment, species traits and human uses describe patterns of plant invasions Ecology 87 1755-1769
Hoare, D.B., Mucina, L., Rutherford, M.C., Vlok, J.H.J., Euston-Brown, D.I.W., Palmer, A.R., Powrie, L.W., Lechmere-Oertel, R.G., Proches, S., Dold, A.P. and Ward, R.A. 2006 Albany Thicket biome. Strelitzia 19 540-567
Forest, F., Grenyer, R., Rouget, M., Cowling, R.M., Balmford, A., Davies, T.J., Faith, D.P., Manning, J.C., Proches, S., van der Bank, M., Reeves, G., Hedderson, T.A.J. and Savolainen, V. 2006 Preserving the evolutionary potential of floras in biodiversity hotspots. Nature 445 757-760
Proches, S. and Cowling, R.M. 2006 Insect diversity in Cape fynbos and neighbouring South African vegetation. Global Ecology and Biogeography 15 445-451
Proches, S., Wilson, J.R.U., Veldtman, R., Kalwij, J.M., Richardson, D.M. and Chown, S.L. 2005 Landscape corridors: possible dangers? Science 310 779-781
Proches, S. 2005 Pieces in the plant puzzle Diversity and Distributions 11 475-476
Proches, S., Cowling, R.M. and du Preez, D.R. 2005 Patterns of geophyte diversity and storage organ size in the winter rainfall region of southern Africa. Diversity and Distributions 11 101-109
Cowling, R.M. and Proches, S. 2005 Patterns and evolution of plant diversity in the Cape Floristic Region. Biologiske Skrifter 55 273-288
Cowling, R.M., Proches, S. and Vlok, J.H.J. 2005 On the origin of South African subtropical thicket. South African Journal of Botany 71 1-23
Proches, S. 2005 World’s biogeographic regions: cluster analyses based on bat distributions Journal of Biogeography 32 607-614
Proches, S. 2004 Ecological associations between organisms of different evolutionary histories: mangrove pneumatophore arthropods as a case study. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 84 341-344
Proches, S., Cowling, R.M. and Mucina, L. 2003 Releve-based species-area curves for the the Cape Floristic Region. South African Journal of Science 99 474-476
Proches, S. and Marshall, D.J. 2002 Diversity and biogeography of southern African marine Acari Journal of Biogeography 29 1201-1216
Proches, S. 2002 The first records of the genus Simognathus (Acari: Halacaridae) from southern Africa, with a species description. African Entomology 10 354-356
Proches, S. and Marshall, D.J. 2002 Algal growth and sediment deposition as determinants of distribution and abundance in mangrove pneumatophore arthropods. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 82 937-942
Proches, S. 2002 New species of Copidognathinae (Acari: Halacaridae) from southern Africa. Journal of Natural History 36 999-1007
Proches, S., Marshall, D.J., Ugrasen, K. and Ramcharan, A. 2001 Mangrove pneumatophore arthropod assemblages and seasonality patterns Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 81 545-552
Proches, S. and Marshall, D.J. 2001 Global distribution patterns of non-halacarid marine intertidal mites: implications for their origins in marine habitats. Journal of Biogeography 28 47-58
Proches, S. 2001 Back to the sea: secondary marine organisms from a biogeographical perspective. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 74 197-203
Marshall, D.J., Perissinotto, R., Nozais, C., Haines, C-J. and Proches, S. 2001 Occurrence of the astigmatid mite Tyrophagus (Acari: Astigmata) in the estuarine environment. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 81 889-890
Proches, S. 2001 Halacaropsis praecognita n. sp. (Acari: Halacaridae) from southern Africa. Transactions of the Royal Society of South Africa 56 41-43
Proches, S. 1999 Five weevil species (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) new for the Romanian fauna. Travaux du Museum d’Histoire Naturelle -Grigore Antipa 41 325-330
Marinescu, F. and Proches, S. 1999 Serafimea bergeri, n. sp. (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) from the Romanian Miocene. Travaux du Museum d’Histoire Naturelle “Grigore Antipa” 41 465-471
Proches, S. 1998 The superfamily Curculionoidea (Coleoptera) in Maramures (Romania) Travaux du Museum d’Histoire Naturelle - Grigore Antipa 40 525-545
Proches, S. 1997 Stag beetles (Coleoptera: Lucanidae) of Romania. A biogeographical and ecological review. Analele Universitatii Bucuresti 46 99-104

Books:

Authors Year Title Publisher Place Pages Description
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Chapters in Books:

Authors Year Chapter Title Book Title Editors Publisher Place Pages
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Conferences:

Authors Year Title Conference Place Date Abstract
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Other publications:

Authors Year Title Publication Title Publisher Place Description Pages
Proches, S. 2007 Wild almond ark: Brabejum stellatifolium and its unique load of passengers Veld and Flora 93 86-88
Proches, S. 2003 Every plant has its weevil: intimate relationships between plants and weevils in the Baviaanskloof Veld and Flora 89 118-120

Graduate Students:

Name Degree Status Year Project
Ms Rebecca Joubert MSc Current 0 Wetland evolution in Wakkerstroom Vlei in Mpumalanga.
Mr Joshua Olowoyo Post Doc Current 0
Mr Yerdashen Padayachi BScHons Current 0 Beetle assemblages on the fruit of one indigenous Tabernaemontana and one alien Passiflora species in Durban.
Mr Sandun Perera PhD Current 0 Animal endemism in the Maputaland-Pondoland-Albany biodiversity hotspot
Ms Sarisha Perumal BScHons Current 0 Spatial distribution of petaloid monocots in Palmiet Nature Reserve.
Mr Syd Ramdhani Post Doc Current 0 Plant phylogenetic diversity patterns in eastern South Africa.

Professional Activities:

Associate editor, Journal of Biogeography

Community Involvement:
 
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