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 (In press).
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.
