Ric Bernard
PhD University of Natal (Pietermartitzburg) (1980)
Professor of Zoology and Dean of Science
'phone +27 [0]46 603 7232
Fax +27 [0]46 622-8959
e-mail dean.science@ru.ac.za
Research interests
Professor Bernard is the full-time Dean of Science at Rhodes University but retains research ties with the Zoology and Entomology Department as the Director of the Wildlife and Reserve Management Research Group
Post-graduate supervision
Current students
Rebecca Klein (MSc) - The conservation of cheetahs in Botswana.
Rox Brummer (MSc) - Census techniques for carnivores in Limpopo.
John O'Brien (PhD) - Carnivore ecology in the Eastern Cape.
Some recent publications
Bissett, C. Bernard, R.T.F. Parker, D.M. 2012. The response of lions (Panthera leo) to changes in prey abundance on an enclosed reserve in South Africa. Acta Theriologica. 57: 225-231.
Bissett, C. & Bernard, R.T.F. 2011. The demography of cheetahs in fenced reserves in South Africa: implications for conservation. South African Journal of Wildlife Research 41: 181-191.
Whittington-Jones, G.M. Bernard, R.T.F. Parker, D.M. 2011. Aardvark burrows: a potential resource for animals in arid and semi-arid environments. African Zoology. 46(2): 362-370.
Parker, D.M. Bernard, R.T.F. & Fike, B. 2009. Consumption of grass by black rhinoceroses in the Thicket Biome. African Journal of Ecology 47: 454-456.
Parker, D.M. Bernard, R.T.F. & Adendorff, J. 2009. Do elephants influence the organisation and function of a South African grassland? The Rangeland Journal 31(4): 395-403.
Roux, C. & Bernard, R.T.F. 2009. Home range size, spatial distribution and habitat use of elephants in two enclosed reserves in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. African Journal of Ecology 47: 146-153.
Parker, D.M. & Bernard, R.T.F. 2009. Levels of aloe mortality with and without elephants in the Thicket Biome of South Africa. African Journal of Ecology 47: 246-251.
Whittington-Jones, G.M. Bernard, R.T.F. & Parker, D.M. 2008. Bushclumps as refugia for small mammals in two Eastern Cape conservation areas. African Zoology. 43: 273-276.
Parker, D. & Bernard, R. 2008. Lessons from aloes in the Thicket Biome: Reconstructing past elephant browsing to understand the present. South African Journal of Science 104: 163-164.
Rapson, J.A. & Bernard, R.T.F. 2007. Interpreting the diet of lions (Panthera leo); a comparison of various methods of analysis. South African Journal of Wildlife Research 37: 179-187.
