{"id":{"repo_id":"cape-town","oai_identifier":"oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/38834"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/cape-town/oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/38834","repository":{"repo_id":"cape-town","name":"University of Cape Town","base_url":"https://open.uct.ac.za/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"The energetics of sociality in the molerats (Bathyergidae)","abstract":"Primarily, this thesis attempts to resolve the debate concerning the factors selecting for the characteristic physiological traits of subterranean rodents. It also isolates the the probable causes of eusociality within the molerats (Bathyergidae). The bathyergids display the widest range of sociality of all mammals, from strictly solitary genera (Bathyergus, Georychus, Heliophobius), to social and eusocial genera (Cryptomys and Heterocephalus). Sufficient ecological data on key species (e.g., Cryptomys damarensis) were obtained to confirm trends in resource distributions associated with an aridity gradient and increasing sociality. This included data on resource characteristics, seasonal soil and burrow temperature regimes, burrow structures, colony structures, and the activity patterns of C. damarensis. Thermoregulation, including measurements of body temperature (Tb) and resting metabolic rates (RMR), was investigated for Bathyergus, Cryptomys, and Georychus, and compared with data from other workers obtained for Heterocephalus and Heliophobius. The cost of burrowing was measured for C. damarensis and H. glaber","abstract_html":"Primarily, this thesis attempts to resolve the debate concerning the factors selecting for the characteristic physiological traits of subterranean rodents. It also isolates the the probable causes of eusociality within the molerats (Bathyergidae). The bathyergids display the widest range of sociality of all mammals, from strictly solitary genera (Bathyergus, Georychus, Heliophobius), to social and eusocial genera (Cryptomys and Heterocephalus). Sufficient ecological data on key species (e.g., Cryptomys damarensis) were obtained to confirm trends in resource distributions associated with an aridity gradient and increasing sociality. This included data on resource characteristics, seasonal soil and burrow temperature regimes, burrow structures, colony structures, and the activity patterns of C. damarensis. Thermoregulation, including measurements of body temperature (Tb) and resting metabolic rates (RMR), was investigated for Bathyergus, Cryptomys, and Georychus, and compared with data from other workers obtained for Heterocephalus and Heliophobius. The cost of burrowing was measured for C. damarensis and H. glaber","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Lovegrove, Barry Gordon"],"institution":"Department of Biological Sciences","degree_name":null,"degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":["Lauw, Gideon"],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":1987,"date_issued":"1987","date_published":"1987","updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:22:46Z","subjects":["Bathyergidae"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"http://hdl.handle.net/11427/38834","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier.uri"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor.advisor","label":"Advisor","values":["Lauw, Gideon"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Lovegrove, Barry Gordon"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.accessioned","label":"Dc Date Accessioned","values":["2023-09-22T13:33:07Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2023-09-22T13:33:07Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["1987"]},{"key":"dc:publisher.department","label":"Dc Publisher Department","values":["Department of Biological Sciences"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Doctoral Thesis"]},{"key":"dc:type.qualificationlevel","label":"Dc Type Qualificationlevel","values":["Doctoral","PhD"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Bathyergidae"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.uri","label":"Identifier URI","values":["http://hdl.handle.net/11427/38834"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Primarily, this thesis attempts to resolve the debate concerning the factors selecting for the characteristic physiological traits of subterranean rodents. It also isolates the the probable causes of eusociality within the molerats (Bathyergidae). The bathyergids display the widest range of sociality of all mammals, from strictly solitary genera (Bathyergus, Georychus, Heliophobius), to social and eusocial genera (Cryptomys and Heterocephalus). Sufficient ecological data on key species (e.g., Cryptomys damarensis) were obtained to confirm trends in resource distributions associated with an aridity gradient and increasing sociality. This included data on resource characteristics, seasonal soil and burrow temperature regimes, burrow structures, colony structures, and the activity patterns of C. damarensis. Thermoregulation, including measurements of body temperature (Tb) and resting metabolic rates (RMR), was investigated for Bathyergus, Cryptomys, and Georychus, and compared with data from other workers obtained for Heterocephalus and Heliophobius. The cost of burrowing was measured for C. damarensis and H. glaber"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["The energetics of sociality in the molerats (Bathyergidae)"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor.advisor":["Lauw, Gideon"],"dc:creator":["Lovegrove, Barry Gordon"],"dc:date.accessioned":["2023-09-22T13:33:07Z"],"dc:date.available":["2023-09-22T13:33:07Z"],"dc:date.issued":["1987"],"dc:description.abstract":["Primarily, this thesis attempts to resolve the debate concerning the factors selecting for the characteristic physiological traits of subterranean rodents. It also isolates the the probable causes of eusociality within the molerats (Bathyergidae). The bathyergids display the widest range of sociality of all mammals, from strictly solitary genera (Bathyergus, Georychus, Heliophobius), to social and eusocial genera (Cryptomys and Heterocephalus). Sufficient ecological data on key species (e.g., Cryptomys damarensis) were obtained to confirm trends in resource distributions associated with an aridity gradient and increasing sociality. This included data on resource characteristics, seasonal soil and burrow temperature regimes, burrow structures, colony structures, and the activity patterns of C. damarensis. Thermoregulation, including measurements of body temperature (Tb) and resting metabolic rates (RMR), was investigated for Bathyergus, Cryptomys, and Georychus, and compared with data from other workers obtained for Heterocephalus and Heliophobius. The cost of burrowing was measured for C. damarensis and H. glaber"],"dc:identifier.uri":["http://hdl.handle.net/11427/38834"],"dc:publisher.department":["Department of Biological Sciences"],"dc:subject":["Bathyergidae"],"dc:title":["The energetics of sociality in the molerats (Bathyergidae)"],"dc:type":["Doctoral Thesis"],"dc:type.qualificationlevel":["Doctoral","PhD"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:22:46Z"}