Ben Smit
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View article: Early detection of unusual cryoglobulinemia from automated cell counts and blood films
Early detection of unusual cryoglobulinemia from automated cell counts and blood films Open
Cryoglobulins are circulating immunoglobulins characterized by reversible cold-induced precipitation. The process of serum cryoprecipitation, performed at 4 °C, takes three to seven days, which leads to delays in obtaining cryoglobulinemia…
Using Facebook user photos to quantify surface water dependency in Southern African arid-zone bird species Open
Birds need to maintain their hydration by either gaining water from their food or by drinking surface water. Many arid-zone birds do not need to consume surface water to maintain body condition. Conservationists need to better understand a…
Body mass and condition of a fynbos bird community: investigating impacts of time, weather and raptor abundance from long-term citizen- science datasets Open
Variation in body size, especially mass, is a function of local environmental conditions for any given species. Recent recorded decreases in body size of endotherms have been attributed to climate change in some cases. This prediction is b…
No evidence of genetic structure in a sky island endemic: implications for population persistence under a shrinking thermal niche Open
Mountain habitats physically isolated from one another (“sky islands”) represent a unique system for studying dispersal in seemingly isolated populations. The Cape Fold Belt of southwest South Africa forms a sky island archipelago of high-…
Body mass and condition of a fynbos bird community: investigating impacts of time, weather and raptor abundance from long-term citizen- science datasets Open
Variation in body size, especially mass, is a function of local environmental conditions for any given species. Recent recorded decreases in body size of endotherms have been attributed to climate change in some cases. This prediction is b…
Heat dissipation behaviour of birds in seasonally hot arid‐zones: are there global patterns? Open
Quantifying organismal sensitivity to heat stress provides one means for predicting vulnerability to climate change. Birds are ideal for investigating this approach, as they display quantifiable fitness consequences associated with behavio…
The role of ambient temperature and body mass on body temperature, standard metabolic rate and evaporative water loss in southern African anurans of different habitat specialisation Open
Temperature and water availability are two of the most important variables affecting all aspects of an anuran’s key physiological processes such as body temperature ( T b ), evaporative water loss (EWL) and standard metabolic rate (SMR). S…
Peer Review #2 of "The role of ambient temperature and body mass on body temperature, standard metabolic rate and evaporative water loss in southern African anurans of different habitat specialisation (v0.1)" Open
Temperature and water availability are two of the most important variables affecting all aspects of an anuran's key physiological processes such as body temperature (T b ), evaporative water loss (EWL) and standard metabolic rate (SMR).Sin…
View article: An oversimplification of physiological principles leads to flawed macroecological analyses
An oversimplification of physiological principles leads to flawed macroecological analyses Open
Macrophysiological analyses are useful to predict current and future range limits and improve our understanding of endotherm macroecology, but such analyses too often rely on oversimplifications of endothermic thermoregulatory and energeti…
Wand plant architecture in the Fynbos: Testing the rodent herbivory hypothesis Open
Throughout the Cape Floristic Region, in a range of local environments, can be found a distinctive growth form: "wand" plants. This curious plant architecture comprises perennial plants which have slender (wand-like) stems that extend high…
31° South: Dietary niche of an arid‐zone endemic passerine Open
Balancing energy budgets are thought to be challenging for birds living in arid ecosystems because food supplies are low and unpredictable, and climatic conditions extreme. Thus, to ensure they obtain sufficient energy to fuel daily energe…
The functional significance of facultative hyperthermia varies with body size and phylogeny in birds Open
Facultative hyperthermia, the elevation of body temperature above normothermic levels, during heat exposure, importantly affects the water economy and heat balance of terrestrial endotherms. We currently lack a mechanistic understanding of…
31° South: Dietary niche of an arid-zone endemic passerine Open
Balancing energy budgets is thought to be challenging for birds living in arid ecosystems because food supplies are low and unpredictable, and climatic conditions extreme. Thus, to ensure they obtain sufficient energy to fuel daily energet…
Differences in the use of surface water resources by desert birds are revealed using isotopic tracers Open
The scarcity of free-standing water sources is a key determinant of animal and plant community structure in arid environments, and an understanding of the extent to which particular species use surface water is vital for modelling the effe…
Differences in the use of surface water resources by desert birds is revealed using isotopic tracers Open
The scarcity of free-standing water sources is a key determinant of animal and plant community structure in arid environments, and an understanding of the extent to which particular species use surface water is vital for modelling the effe…
Avian thermoregulation in the heat: is evaporative cooling more economical in nocturnal birds? Open
Evaporative cooling is a prerequisite for avian occupancy of hot, arid environments, and is the only avenue of heat dissipation when air temperatures (T a ) exceed body temperature (T b ). Whereas diurnal birds can potentially rehydrate th…
Seasonal physiological responses to heat in an alpine range-restricted bird: the Cape Rockjumper Open
Hot, dry summer conditions impose physiological stress on endotherms, yet we have a poor understanding of how endotherms seasonally adjust their costs of thermoregulation under hot conditions. We determined whether seasonal phenotypic plas…
Differences in the use of surface water resources by desert birds are revealed using isotopic tracers Open
The scarcity of free-standing water sources is a key determinant of animal and plant community structure in arid environments, and an understanding of the extent to which particular species use surface water is vital for modelling the effe…
Avian thermoregulation in the heat: phylogenetic variation among avian orders in evaporative cooling capacity and heat tolerance Open
Little is known about the phylogenetic variation of avian evaporative cooling efficiency and heat tolerance in hot environments. We quantified thermoregulatory responses to high air temperature (Ta) in ∼100-g representatives of three order…
Comparison of physiological responses to high temperatures in juvenile and adult Cape Rockjumpers <i>Chaetops frenatus</i><sup>*</sup> Open
Concerns about climate change have led to an increase in studies on physiological mechanisms birds possess to cope with increasing temperatures. For range-restricted species such as Cape Rockjumpers Chaetops frenatus, whose population decl…
Comparison of physiological responses to high temperatures in juvenile and adult Cape Rockjumpers <i>Chaetops frenatus</i><sup>*</sup> Open
Concerns about climate change have led to an increase in studies on physiological mechanisms birds possess to cope with increasing temperatures. For range-restricted species such as Cape Rockjumpers Chaetops frenatus, whose population decl…
Avian thermoregulation in the heat: is evaporative cooling more economical in nocturnal birds? Open
Evaporative cooling is a prerequisite for avian occupancy of hot, arid environments, and is the only avenue of heat dissipation when air temperatures (Ta) exceed body temperature (Tb). Whereas diurnal birds can potentially rehydrate throug…
Tag location and risk assessment for passive integrated transponder‐tagging passerines Open
Understanding changes in body temperature is central to several fields in biology, but determining these changes accurately without harming or restraining individuals can be challenging, particularly for small species. We tested first whet…
Avian thermoregulation in the heat: phylogenetic variation among avian orders in evaporative cooling capacity and heat tolerance Open
Little is known about the phylogenetic variation of avian evaporative cooling efficiency and heat tolerance in hot environments. We quantified thermoregulatory responses to high air temperature ( T a ) in ~100-g representatives of three or…
Surface water dependency among Kalahari Desert birds Open
The availability of free-standing water sources is a key determinant of animal and plant community structure in arid environments, and an understanding of the extent to which particular species depend on drinking water is vital for modelli…
Isotope samples of birds in the Kalahari Open
These isotope ratios were used to infer surface water dependency in Kalahari Desert birds.δ2H (referred to as D/H in the file) and δ18O (referred to as O18/O16 in the file) of birds sampled within 2km of an enriched waterhole in Tswalu Kal…