Publications by authors named "R Dorrington"
Bacterial symbionts are critical members of many marine sponge holobionts. Some sponge-associated bacterial lineages, such as Poribacteria, sponge-associated unclassified lineage (SAUL), and Tethybacterales, appear to have broad-host ranges and associate with a diversity of sponge species, while others are more species-specific, having adapted to the niche environment of their host. Host-associated spirochete symbionts that are numerically dominant have been documented in several invertebrates including termites, starfish, and corals.
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- Microbialites, which are layered structures formed by microbial mats, are abundant in the fossil record and are currently being identified worldwide, presenting a challenge for understanding their formation and environmental functions.
- Researchers conducted a study on living stromatolites in South Africa, collecting samples from various locations to analyze the composition and small molecule production of microbial communities using advanced techniques like gene sequencing and metabolomics.
- The study identified a new group of metabolites called ibhayipeptolides, highlighting the diverse chemistry present in these microbialites and paving the way for future research on their roles and functions in the environment.
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- Anthropogenic pollution poses a significant threat to aquatic ecosystems, particularly in coastal areas of the Global South, where knowledge of harmful compounds in Dissolved Organic Matter (DOM) is lacking.
- This study utilized non-targeted tandem mass spectrometry to analyze the DOM composition in Algoa Bay and its two estuaries, revealing a wide range of pollutants including pharmaceuticals and pesticides.
- Results showed that the urbanized Swartkops Estuary was dominated by urban pollutants, while the Sundays Estuary was mainly affected by agrochemicals from agriculture, highlighting the diverse sources of pollution in the region.
This paper investigates the effect of under-five mortality, child support grant (CSG) coverage and the rollout of antiretroviral therapy (ART) on fertility in South Africa. The study employs the quality-quantity trade-off framework to analyse the direct and indirect factors affecting fertility using the two stage least squares fixed effects instrumental variable approach. The analysis uses balanced panel data covering nine provinces from 2001-2016.
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