MSc Stellenbosch 老虎机游戏_pt老虎机-平台*官网 (2009)
PhD Stellenbosch 老虎机游戏_pt老虎机-平台*官网 (2013)
Phone: +27[0]46 603 8086
Fax: +27[0]46 622 8959
Email: s.edwards@ru.ac.za
The amazing complexity of the natural world never ceases to amaze me, and I am truly privileged to be able to call myself an evolutionary biologist. After completing my undergraduate studies in Biodiversity and Ecology, I remained at the 老虎机游戏_pt老虎机-平台*官网 of Stellenbosch to complete both my BSc (Hons) and MSc degrees in Zoology. It was during my position of research assistant at the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) in Cape Town in 2009 that I became interested in herpetofauna, and I completed my PhD work in 2013 at SANBI (though registered at Stellenbosch 老虎机游戏_pt老虎机-平台*官网). In 2015, I accepted the position of lecturer in the Department of Zoology and Entomology, Rhodes 老虎机游戏_pt老虎机-平台*官网. I was promoted to Associate Professor in 2023, and am currently the Interim Deputy Dean of Science (Research Porfolio).
In my research to date, I have been interested in how different species have adapted and evolved, and what the driving forces are for speciation events. In addition, I am interested in the seeming lack of congruence between genetic structure and morphological groupings in both small mammals, reptiles and amphibians in the southern African region. To explore these biological research questions, I have utilised a multidisciplinary approach to understanding the evolutionary processes in various vertebrate taxa (namely southern African mammals, reptiles and amphibians). I have used phylogenetic and phylogeographic techniques to determine genetic variation and relationships, morphometric techniques to investigate body shape, analyses to determine diets, and performance analyses to investigate the functional aspects of the various species.
For my doctoral work, I investigated the radiations of the southern African lacertid lizards from a genetic, morphological, functional, and ecological viewpoint. These lizards have got to be the highlight of my career thus far, as they are quite simply fascinating. I realise that every biologist feels that their study species is top notch, but it is the fact that these lizards seem to be so adept at adapting to their environments that truly fascinates me.
My postdoctoral work and my current research builds on the techniques that I learned during my postgraduate years, and I have expanded the range of taxa that I work on, to include amphibians, snakes, insects, and arachnids. I will be furthering my research by including 3D geometric morphometrics and SEM analyses in my research. In the future, I hope to continue to work with global taxa, as I feel that the processes driving speciation of our fauna needs to be understood, in order for it to be protected.
I am currently involved in the following research projects:
Herpetofaunal and arachnid species diversity in the Eastern Cape.
Genetic uniqueness of South African south coastal species.
Evolutionary history of herpetofauna in the Eastern Cape region.
Invasion origins of Hemidactylus mabouia in the Eastern Cape province.
Phylogenetics and taxonomy of various snake, lizard and spider species.
Students graduated/postdoctoral researchers completed:
MSc (main supervisor):
Mr Anthony Evlambiou
Ms Alungile Jeme
Mr Bruce Roestof
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MSc (co-supervisor):
Mr (now Dr) Clarke Van Steenderen
Ms Cassandra Barker
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PhD (main supervisor):
Dr Chad Keates
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PhD (co-supervisor):
Dr Krista Oswald
Postdoctoral researcher:
Dr Jessica Comley
Current students/postdoctoral researchers:
??MSc (main supervisor):
Mr Salmaan Banoo
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MSc (co-supervisor):
Ms Asante Msimang
Ms Elelwani Emercia Nemanashi
Ms Zizonke Dlamini
For more information on the Zoology and Entomology Molecular Laboratory research group click here.
For more information on publications by Shelley Edwards, please visit her ResearchGate profile: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Shelley_Edwards or visit her personal website: https://gingerfishshell.wixsite.com/shelleyedwards/publication-list
Msimang A, Edwards S, Alloggio S, Tandlich R. (2024) Human wellbeing and animal welfare: Is there an ethical link to be implemented from the COVID19 pandemic into the practice of emergency management? American Journal of Disaster Management. In press.
De la Fontaine B, Edwards S. (2024) Are larger termite mounds more resistant to fire? a study of two southern African termites (Isoptera: Termitidae). Austral Entomology. 63(2): 262-269. LINK
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Craig A, Edwards S. (2024) Counting Common Starlings: is this species invasive in rural South Africa? Ostrich. 2024: 1-9 LINK
Edwards S, Bessinger R. (2024) Morphological variations of auditory bullae in otomyine rodents (Rodentia: Otomyini) in southern African biomes. Journal of Morphology. 285: e21680. LINK
Mshiywa F, Edwards S, Bradley G. (2023) Rhodophyta DNA Barcoding: ribulose-1, 5-bisphosphate carboxylase Gene and Novel Universal Primers. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 25(1): 58. LINK
Baptista NL, Vaz Pinto P, Keates C, Lobón-Rovira J, Edwards S, Rödel M-O. (2023) Two new Poyntonophrynus species (Anura: Bufonidae) highlight the importance of Angolan centres of endemism. Vertebrate Zoology. 73: 991-1031. LINK
Zhao Z, Conradie W, Pietersen DW, Jordaan A, Nicolau GK, Edwards S, Riekert S, Heideman N. (2023) Diversification of the African legless skinks in the subfamily Acontinae (Family Scincidae). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 182: 107747. LINK
Nicolau GK, Edwards S. (2023) Diversity and endemism of South African gekkonids linked with the escarpment has implications for conservation priorities. Diversity. 15(2): 306. LINK
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Edwards S. (2022) One and done, or a bundle and stumble?: An exploration of assessment methods in undergraduate science classes. Acta Educationis Generalis. 12(3): 47-61 LINK
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Lobon-Rovira J, Conradie W, VazPinto P, Keates C, Edwards S, Du Plessis A, Branch WR. (2022) Systematic revision of Afrogecko ansorgii Boulenger, 1907 (Sauria: Gekkonidae) from western Angola. Zootaxa. 5124(4), 401-430. LINK
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Baptista NL, Vaz Pinto P, Keates C, Edwards S, Rodel M-O, Conradie W. (2021) A new species of red toad, Schismaderma Smith, 1849 (Anura: Bufonidae), from central Angola. Zootaxa. 5081(3): 301-332. LINK
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Villet M, Edwards S. (2021) Phylogenetic position of the African cicada genus Tugelana Distant, 1912 (Hemiptera: Cicadidae). African Invertebrates. 62(2): 399-410. LINK
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Nicolau GK, Petford M, Edwards S, Busschau T, Lynch K, Kemp L, Balmer J, Keates C, Hundermark CR, Weeber J, Conradie W. (2021) New insights into the geographical distribution, ecology and conservation status of South Africa’s endemic Coastal Leaf-toed Gecko, Cryptactites peringueyi (Boulenger, 1910). Herpetology Notes. 14: 439-450. LINK
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Conradie W, Nicolau GK, Kemp L, Edwards S, Snaken-Borg K, Reeves B. (2020). Lygodactylus capensis: New records for Makhanda area. African Herp News. 74: 78-82
van Steenderen CJM, Paterson ID, Edwards S, Day MD. (2020). Addressing the red flags in cochineal identification: The use of molecular techniques to identify cochineal insects that are used as biological control agents for invasive alien cacti. Biol. Control. 152: 104426. LINK
Keates C, Conradie W, Greenbaum E, Edwards S. (2019) A snake in the grass: Genetic structuring of the widespread African grass snake (Psammophylax Fitzinger 1843), with the description of a new genus and a new species. J. Zool. Syst. Evol. Res. 57(4): 1039-1066. LINK
Rink A, Bowie R, Altweg R, Edwards S, Colville J. (2019) Contest dynamics and assessment strategies in combatant monkey beetles (Scarabaeidae: Hopliini). Behav. Ecol. 30(3): 713-723. LINK
Branch WR, Baptista N, Keates C, Edwards S. (2019) Rediscovery, taxonomic status, and phylogenetic relationships of two rare and endemic snakes (Serpentes: Psammophiinae) from the southwestern Angolan plateau. Zootaxa. 4590(3): 342-366. LINK
Last Modified: Thu, 01 Aug 2024 12:41:50 SAST