Wanyoike Wamiti

• Doctor of Philosophy
• Researcher at National Museums of Kenya

Increases in the abundance of woody species have been reported to affect the provisioning of ecosystem services in drylands worldwide. However, it is virtually unknown how multiple biotic and abiotic drivers, such as climate, grazing, and fire, interact to determine woody dominance across global drylands. We conducted a standardized field survey in...

Aim: Changing biodiversity and environmental conditions may allow multi-host pathogens to spread among host species and affect prevalence. There are several widely acknowledged theories about mechanisms that may influence variation in pathogen prevalence, including the controversially debated dilution effect and abundance-occupancy relationship hyp...

Animal tolerance towards humans can be a key factor facilitating wildlife–human coexistence, yet traits predicting its direction and magnitude across tropical animals are poorly known. Using 10,249 observations for 842 bird species inhabiting open tropical ecosystems in Africa, South America, and Australia, we find that avian tolerance towards huma...

Grazing represents the most extensive use of land worldwide. Yet its impacts on ecosystem services remain uncertain because pervasive interactions between grazing pressure, climate, soil properties, and biodiversity may occur but have never been addressed simultaneously. Using a standardized survey at 98 sites across six continents, we show that in...

Grazing represents the most extensive use of land worldwide. Yet its impacts on ecosystem services remain uncertain because pervasive interactions between grazing pressure, climate, soil properties, and biodiversity may occur but have never been addressed simultaneously. Using a standardized survey at 98 sites across six continents, we show that in...

Information on breeding habits of grey crowned crane ( Balearica regulorum ) in Kenya is currently lacking. Investigations were therefore carried out between 2017 and 2020 to determine its nesting habits in Lake Ol’ Bolossat basin including nest‐site features, number and distribution of territorial pairs, clutch size, eggs, and duration of breeding...

Aim: Macroecological analyses provide valuable insights into factors that influence how parasites are distributed across space and among hosts. Amid large uncertainties that arise when generalizing from local and regional findings, hierarchical approaches applied to global datasets are required to determine whether drivers of parasite infection pat...

Between 25 February and 11 March 2019, Grey Crowned Cranes Balearica regulorum were surveyed in 28 of Kenya’s 47 counties. Sites were chosen based on the species’ habitat preferences, reporting rates on Kenya Bird Map and historical distribution records. Vehicle-based transects were used to count the species from roads and driveable tracks. A total...

Quill mites (Acariformes: Prostigmata: Syringophilidae) parasitizing waxbills of genus Estrilda Swainson (Aves: Passeriformes: Estrildidae) from the Sub-Saharan region are studied for the first time. Among them, a new species, Syringophiloidus estrildus sp. nov., is described and new host species for Neosyringophilopsis lonchurus Skoracki, 2008, Ne...

History of zoogeographical views and actual distribution of 23 determined species of Tabanidae from three subfamilies, five tribes and 8 genera (Philoliche Wiedemann, 1828 – 4 species; Chrysops Meigen, 1803 – 3; Thaumastocera Grünberg, 1906 – 1; Ancala Enderlein, 1922 – 1; Atylotus Osten-Sacken, 1876 – 1; Tabanus Linnaeus, 1758 – 8; Haematopota Mei...

The study was carried out in six Kenyan rift valley lakes, Nakuru, Magadi, Oloiden, Crater (Sonachi), Bogoria and Elementaita with the aim to determine the levels of heavy metals and other metal elements (Co, Mn, Zn, Cu, Cr, Cd, Pb, Ni, Hg and As) in water and sediment samples as well as assess its association with water bird distribution. High lev...

The first comprehensive Kenyan hippoboscid checklist is presented. All reliable and available data of louse flies (Diptera: Hippoboscidae) from Kenya are summarised. First records of two species of louse flies from Kenya are given: Icosta (Icosta) mecorrhina Maa, 1964 and Ornithomya marginalis Maa, 1964. A louse fly collected from Narina's Trogon A...

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Two new species of the subfamily Picobiinae (Acari: Prostigmata: Syringophilidae) are described: Picobia ploceus sp. n. from Ploceus ocularis Smith (Passeriformes: Ploceidae) and Picobia lamprotornis sp. n. from Lamprotornis superbus (Riippell) (Passeriformes: Stumidae), both from Kenya. Additionally, new hosts are recorded: Turdoides jardineii (Sm...

The biogeochemical cycles of carbon (C), nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) are interlinked by primary production, respiration and decomposition in terrestrial ecosystems1. It has been suggested that the C, N and P cycles could become uncoupled under rapid climate change because of the different degrees of control exerted on the supply of these elemen...

The biogeochemical cycles of carbon (C), nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) are interlinked by primary production, respiration and decomposition in terrestrial ecosystems. It has been suggested that the C, N and P cycles could become uncoupled under rapid climate change because of the different degrees of control exerted on the supply of these element...

Although competition is usually assumed to be the most common interaction between closely related organisms that share limiting resources, the relationships linking distant taxa that use the same nesting sites are poorly understood. In the present study, we examine the interactions among social hymenopterans (honeybees and wasps) and vertebrates in...

Convergence in the use of resources may occur between distantly related organisms. A major ecological resource in which members of various taxa may be interested is a cavity for nesting. A variety of social hymenopterans and vertebrates may nest within tree cavities in tropical ecosystems. We used 241 nest-boxes placed in seven Kenyan localities to...

Convergence in the use of resources may occur between distantly related organisms. A major ecological resource in which members of various taxa may be interested is a cavity for nesting. A variety of social hymenopterans and vertebrates may nest within tree cavities in tropical ecosystems. We used 241 nest-boxes placed in seven Kenyan localities to...

Syringophilopsis dicruri sp. nov. (Acari: Syringophilidae) ex Dicrurus adsimilis (Bechstein) (Passeriformes: Dicruridae) from Kenya is described. Five new hosts are recorded for 4 syringophilid species: Chlorocichla flaviventris (Smith) and Andropadus latirostris Strickland (Pycnonotidae) for Syringophilopsis veselovsky Skoracki et al., 2009; Ploce...

The birds of the Uaso Narok Forest, Central Kenya, were surveyed between June 2008 and April 2009. We recorded 161 species representing 49 families in total. Of these species, 34 were representative of the Afrotropical Highland Biome, representing 51% of all Kenyan species of this biome; two species were representative of the Somali-Masai biome. In...