Ward, D., Kirkman, K., & Morris, C. 2023. Long‐term subtropical grassland plots take a long time to change: Replacement is more important than richness differences for beta diversity. Ecology and Evolution 13: e10195. [https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.10195].
Monegi, P. K., Mkhize, N. R., Tjelele, J. T., Ward, D., & Tsvuura, Z. 2023. Resprouting response among savanna tree species in relation to stem size, woody removal intensity and herbicide application. Plants12: e3451. [https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12193451].
Monegi, P., Mkhize, N. R., Tjelele, J. T., Ward, D., & Tsvuura, Z. 2023. Grass dynamics along a woody-plant density reduction gradient in a South African savanna. African Journal of Range and Forage Science 2023: 1-8. [https://doi.org/10.2989/10220119.2023.2262534].
Long, R., Ward, D., Baker, C., & Medeiros, J. S. 2023. Some like it dry: Differences in water use strategies between historic and range expanding populations of Juniperus virginiana. International Journal of Plant Sciences 184: 507-518. [https://doi.org/10.1086/725385].
Hamati, S., Medeiros, J. S., & Ward, D. 2023. Effects of post oak (Quercus stellata) and smooth brome (Bromus inermis) competition on water uptake and root partitioning of eastern redcedar (Juniperus virginiana). PLoS One 18: e0280100. [https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0280100].
Conti, L., Valencia, E., Galland, T., Götzenberger, L., Lepš, J., E-Vojtkó, A.,. . .Ward, D., . . . and De Bello, F. 2023. Functional traits trade-offs define plant population stability across different biomes. Proceedings of the Royal Society, Series B 2023: e0344. [doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2023.0344].
Bennion, L. D., & Ward, D. 2023. Eastern redcedar roots create legacy effects that suppresses growth of prairie species. Ecology and Evolution 13: e10775. [https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.10775].
Perkovich, C., Ward, D. 2023. Use of tree species by three species of Magicicada (Hemiptera: Cicadidae) in an Appalachian forest. J. For. Res.34: 2051–2063. [https://doi.org/10.1007/s11676-023-01617-2].
Wuensch, M.A., Pratt, A.M. & Ward, D. 2023. Using activity densities as an alternative approach to measuring ungulate giving-up densities in the presence of non-target species. Behav. Ecol. Sociobiol. 77: 9. (2023). [https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-022-03283-6]
Pillay, T., Ngcobo, S., & Ward, D. 2022. Nutrient addition, fire and grass competition affects biological nitrogen fixation in Vachellia sieberiana, and associated soil respiration. Pedobiologia 96: e150848. [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pedobi.2022.150848].
Perkovich, C., & Ward, D. 2022. Differentiated plant defense strategies: Herbivore community dynamics affect plant–herbivore interactions. Ecosphere 13: e3935. [https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.3935].
Perkovich, C., & Ward, D. 2022. Changes in white oak (Quercus alba) phytochemistry in response to periodical cicadas: Before, during, and after an emergence. Ecology and Evolution 12: e8839. [https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.8839].
Monegi, P. K., Mkhize, N. R., Tjelele, J. T., Ward, D., & Tsvuura, Z. 2022. The impact of tree removal on standing grass biomass, seedling establishment and growth of woody species. Rangeland Journal 44: 25–32. [https://doi.org/10.1071/RJ21003].
Fortin, D., Bérubé, A.-J., Boudreau, S., Shrader, A., & Ward, D. 2022. Density-dependent habitat selection varies between male and female African elephants. Biological Conservation 276: e109794. [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2022.109794].
Bennion, L. D., & Ward, D. 2022. Plant–soil feedback from eastern redcedar (Juniperus virginiana) inhibits the growth of grasses in encroaching range. Ecology and Evolution 12: e9400. [doi.org/10.1002/ece3.9400].
Ward, D., Pillay, T., Mbongwa, S., & Kirkman, K. 2022. Spatial analysis reveals facilitation in young clonal trees and competition in older trees during re‐invasion of encroaching trees in an African savanna. Plant Ecology 223: 1167–1180. [https://doi.org/10.1007/s11258-022-01263-4].
Ward, D., Pillay, T., Mbongwa, S., Kirkman, K., Hansen, E., & Van Achterbergh, M. 2022. Reinvasion of native invasive trees after a tree-thinning experiment in an African savanna. Rangeland Ecology and Management 81: 69–77. [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rama.2022.01.004].
Pillay, T. & Ward, D. 2022. Experimental drought suppresses grass productivity and passive warming promotes tree sapling performance: Insights from African savanna species. Acta Oecologica 114: 103813 [doi: 10.1016/j.actao.2022.103813].
Tsvuura, Z. & Ward, D. 2022. Does a reciprocal transplant experiment of neighboring Vachellia karroo populations demonstrate local adaptation? South African Journal of Botany 144: 316-324. [doi: 10.1016/j.sajb.2021.09.012].
Perkovich, C. & Ward, D. 2021. Aboveground herbivory causes a change in belowground traits in twelve oak Quercus species: a phylogenetic analysis of root biomass and non-structural carbohydrate storage. Oikos130: 1797–1812. [doi: 10.1111/oik.08308].
Ward, D. 2021. Shade affects fine-root morphology in range-encroaching eastern redcedars (Juniperus virginiana) more than competition, soil fertility and pH. Pedobiologia84:e150708. [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pedobi.2021.150708].
Baldarelli, L.M., Collins, S.L. & Ward, D. 2021. How encroaching shrubs and nutrients affect N2-fixation in the Chihuahuan desert. Plant and Soil 466: 545–556 [doi: 10.1007/s11104-021-05072-y].
Perkovich, C. & Ward, D. 2021. Herbivore-induced defenses are not under phylogenetic constraints in the genus Quercus (oak): Phylogenetic patterns of growth, defense, and storage. Ecology and Evolution 2021(00): 1–17. [doi: 10.1002/ece3.7409].
Pillay, T., Ward, D., Mureva, A., Cramer, M. 2021. Differential effects of nutrient addition and woody plant encroachment on grassland soil, litter and plant dynamics across a precipitation gradient. Pedobiologia 85–86:150726. [doi: 10.1016/j.pedobi.2021.150726].
McMahon, K. & Ward, D. 2021. The effects of tree canopies on invasive Lantana camara: a follow-up study 18 years later. African Journal of Range & Forage Science38(4):291-295. [doi: 10.2989/10220119.2020.1850522].
Mureva, A., Chivenge, P., Ward, D. 2021. Soil organic carbon and nitrogen in soil physical fractions in woody encroached grassland in South African savannas. Soil Research 59(6): 595-608. [doi: doi.org/10.1071/SR20245].
Baldarelli, L.M., Throop, H.L., Collins, S.L. & Ward, D. 2021. Nutrient additions have direct and indirect effects on biocrust biomass in a long-term Chihuahuan Desert grassland experiment. Journal of Arid Environments 184: 104317. [doi: 10.1016/j.jaridenv.2020.104317].
Grellier, S., Janeau, J-L., Richard, P., Florsch, N., Ward, D., Bariac, T., & Lorentz, S. 2021. Water uptake plasticity of savanna trees in encroached grassland: small trees match the mature trees. African Journal of Range & Forage Science 38(3): 231-243. [doi: 10.2989/10220119.2020.1834453].
Perkovich, C. & Ward, D. 2020. Protein:Carbohydrate Ratios in the Diet of Gypsy Moth Lymantria dispar Affect its Ability to Tolerate Tannins. Journal of Chemical Ecology 46: 299–307. [doi: 10.1007/s10886-020-01161-x].
Mesfin, M., Johansen, J.R., Pietrasiak, N. & Baldarelli, L.M. 2020. Nostoc oromo sp. nov. (Nostocales, Cyanophyceae) from Ethiopia: a new species based on morphological and molecular evidence. Phytotaxa 433(2): 81-93. [doi: 10.11646/phytotaxa.433.2.1].
Mureva, A., Ward, D., Pillay, T.P., Chivenge, P. & Cramer, M.D. 2018. Soil organic carbon increases in semi-arid regions while it decreases in humid regions due to woody-plant encroachment of grasslands of South Africa. Scientific Reports 8: art15506. [doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-33701-7].
Koerner, S.E., Smith, M.D., Burkepile, D.E., Hanan, N., Avolio, M.L., Collins, S.L., Knapp, A.K., Lemoine, N.P., Forrestel, E.J., Eby, S., Thompson, D.I., Aguado-Santacruz, G., Anderson, J.P., Anderson, M., Angassa, A., Bagchi, S., Bakker, E.S., Bastin, G., Baur, L.E., Beard, K.H., Beever, E.A., Bohlen, P.J., Boughton, E.H., Canestro, D., Cesa, A., Chaneton, E., Cheng, J., D'Antonio, C.M., Deleglise, C., Dembélé, F., Dorrough, J., Eldridge, D., Fernandez-Going, B., Fernández-Lugo, S., Fraser, L.H., Freedman, B., Garcia-Salgado, G., Goheen, J.R., Guo, L., Husheer, S., Karembé, M., Knops, J.M.H., Kraaij, T., Kulmatiski, A., Kytöviita, M., Lezama, F., Loucougaray, G., Loydi, A., Milchunas, D.G., Milton, S., Morgan, J.W., Moxham, C., Nehring, K.C., Olff, H., Palmer, T.M., Rebollo, S., Riginos, C., Risch, A.C., Rueda, M., Sankaran, M., Sasaki, T., Schoenecker, K., Schultz, N.L., Schütz, M., Schwabe, A., Siebert, F., Smit, C., Stahlheber, K.A., Storm, C., Strong, D.J., Su, J., Tiruvaimozhi, Y.V., Tyler, C., Val, J., Vandegehuchte, M.L., Veblen, K.E., Vermeire, L.T., Ward, D., Wu, J., Young, T.P., Yu, Q. & Zelikova, T.J. 2018. Change in dominance determines herbivore effects on plant biodiversity. Nature Ecology and Evolution 2: 1925-1932. [doi: 10.1038/s41559-018-0696-y].
Tomiolo, S. & Ward, D. 2018. Species migrations and invasions: A global synthesis of causes and consequences of range expansions. Perspectives in Plant Ecology, Evolution and Systematics 33: 62-77. [doi: 10.1016/j.ppees.2018.06.001].
Tomiolo, S. & Ward, D. 2018. Soil properties and climate mediate the effects of biotic interactions on the performance of a woody range-expander. Ecosphere 9: e02186. [doi: 10.1002/ecs2.2186].
Schmitt, M.H., Shuttleworth, A., Ward, D. & Shrader, A.M. 2018. African elephants use plant odours to make foraging decisions across multiple spatial scales. Animal Behaviour 141: 17-27. [doi: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2018.04.016].
Ward, D., Trinogga, J., Wiegand, K., Du Toit, J., Okubamichael, D., Reinsch, S. & Schleicher, J. 2018. Large shrubs increase soil nutrients in a semi-arid savanna. Geoderma 310: 153-162. [doi: 10.1016/j.geoderma.2017.09.023].
Ward, D., Kirkman, K., Hagenah, N. & Tsvuura, Z. 2017. Soil respiration declines with increasing nitrogen fertilization and is not related to productivity in long-term grassland experiments. Soil Biology & Biochemistry 115: 415–422. [doi: 10.1016/j.soilbio.2017.08.035].
Mureva, A. & Ward, D. 2017. Soil microbial biomass and functional diversity in shrub-encroached grasslands along a precipitation gradient. Pedobiologia 63: 37-45. [doi: 10.1016/j.pedobi.2017.06.006].
Ward, D., Kirkman, K. & Tsvuura, Z. 2017. An African grassland responds similarly to long-term fertilization to the Park Grass experiment. PLoS ONE 12: e0177208. [doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0177208].
Ward, D., Muller, K. & Shrader, A.M. 2017. Soil fertility on granite and sedimentary soils is associated with seasonal differences in foraging by elephants. Plant and Soil 413: 73-81. [doi: 10.1007/s11104-016-3067-y].
Accatino, F., Wiegand, K., Ward, D. & De Michele, C. 2017. Carrying capacity in arid rangelands during droughts: the role of temporal and spatial thresholds. Animal 11: 309-317. [doi: 10.1017/S1751731116001531].
Griffiths, M.E., Ruiz, N., Ward, D., 2017. Mistletoe species richness patterns are influenced more by host geographic range than nitrogen content. African Journal of Ecology 55, 101–110.
Okubamichael, D.Y., Griffiths, M.E. & Ward, D. 2016. Host specificity in parasitic plants - perspectives from mistletoes. AoB Plants plw069. [doi: 10.1093/aobpla/plw069].
Russell, J.M. & Ward, D. 2016. Historical land use and vegetation change in northern KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Land Degradation & Development 27: 1691-1699. [doi: 10.1002/ldr.2476].
Accatino, F., Wiegand, K., Ward, D. & De Michele, C. 2016. Trees, grass, and fire in humid savannas - the importance of life history traits and spatial processes. Ecological Modelling 320: 135-144. F1000Prime Recommended.
Schmitt, M.H., Ward, D. & Shrader, A.M. 2016. Incorporating secondary metabolites, tannin-binding proteins, and diet breadth into carrying-capacity models for African Elephants. Ecological Modelling 332: 8–18.
Ward, D. 2016. Clipping frequency but not nutrients affect the architecture and non-structural carbohydrates of a browsing lawn. Plant Ecology 217: 21-29.
Tomiolo S., Harsch M.A., Duncan R.P. & Hulme P.E. (2016). Influence of climate and regeneration microsites on Pinus contorta invasion into an alpine ecosystem in New Zealand. AIMS Environmental Science, 3, 525-540.
Tjelele, T.J., Ward, D. & Dziba, L.E. 2015. The effects of passage through the gut of goats and cattle, and the application of dung as a fertilizer on seedling establishment of Dichrostachys cinerea and Acacia nilotica. The Rangeland Journal 37: 147–156.
Tjelele, T.J., Ward, D. & Dziba, L.E. 2015. The effects of seed ingestion by livestock, dung fertilization, trampling, grass competition and fire on seedling establishment of two woody plant species. PLoS One 10(2): e0117788. [doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0117788].
Tomiolo, S., van der Putten, W.H. & Tielbörger, K. 2015. Separating the role of biotic interactions and climate in determining adaptive response of plants to climate change. Ecology, 96, 1298-1308.
Ford, A.T., Goheen, J.R., Otieno, T.O., Binder, L., Isbell, L., Palmer, T.M., Ward, D., Woodroffe, R. & Pringle, R.M. 2014. Large carnivores make savanna tree communities less thorny. Science 346: 346-349.
Okubamichael, D.Y., Griffiths, M.E. & Ward, D. 2014. Reciprocal transplant experiment suggests host specificity of the mistletoe Agelanthus natalitius in South Africa. Journal of Tropical Ecology 30: 153-163.
Russell, J. & Ward, D. 2014. Remote sensing provides a progressive record of vegetation change in northern KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, from 1944 to 2005. International Journal of Remote Sensing 35: 904-926. [doi: 10.1080/01431161.2013.873154].
Vadigi, S. & Ward, D. 2014. Herbivory effects on saplings are influenced by nutrients and grass competition in a humid South African savanna. Perspectives in Plant Ecology, Evolution and Systematics 16: 11-20.
Pillay, T.P. & Ward, D. 2014. Competitive effect and response of savanna tree seedlings: comparison of survival, growth and associated functional traits. Journal of Vegetation Science 25: 226-234.
Grellier, S., Florsch, N., Janeau, J.-L., Podwojewski, P., Camerlynck, C., Barot, S., Ward, D. & Lorentz, S. 2014. Soil clay influences Acacia encroachment in a South African grassland. Ecohydrology 7: 1474-1484.
Vadigi, S. & Ward, D. 2013. Shade, nutrients and grass competition are important for tree sapling establishment in a humid savanna. Ecosphere 4: art142. [doi: 10.1890/ES13-00239.1].
Grellier, S., Ward, D., Janeau, J.L., Podwojewski, P., Lorentz, S., Abbadie, L., Valentin, C. & Barot, S. 2013. Positive versus negative environmental impacts of tree encroachment in South Africa. Acta Oecologica 53: 1-10.
Kambatuku, J.R., Cramer, M.D. & Ward, D. 2013. Overlap in soil water sources of savanna woody seedlings and grasses. Ecohydrology 6: 464-473.
Ward, D., Wiegand, K. and Getzin, S. 2013. Walter’s two-layer hypothesis revisited: back to the roots! Oecologia 172: 617-630.
Kambatuku, J.R., Cramer, M.D. & Ward, D. 2013. Nitrogen fertilisation reduces grass-induced N2 fixation of tree seedlings of semi-arid savannas. Plant and Soil 365: 307-320.
Gordijn, P.J., Rice, E. & Ward, D. 2012. The effects of fire on woody plant encroachment are exacerbated by succession of trees of decreased palatability. Perspectives in Plant Ecology, Evolution and Systematics 14: 411-422.
Pillay, T.P. & Ward, D. 2012. Spatial pattern analysis and competition between Acacia karroo trees in humid savannas. Plant Ecology 213: 1609-1619.
Shrader, A.M., Bell, C., Bertolli, L. & Ward, D. 2012. Forest or the trees: At what level do elephants make foraging decisions? Acta Oecologica 42: 3-10.
Ward, D., Shrestha, M.K. & Golan-Goldhirsh, A. 2012. Evolution and ecology meet molecular genetics: Adaptive phenotypic plasticity in two Negev desert Acacia raddiana populations at either end of a rainfall gradient. Annals of Botany 109: 247–255.
Ward, D. 2011. Population differentiation in a purported ring species, Acacia karroo (Mimosoideae). Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 104: 748-755.
Rodriguez-Perez, J., Wiegand, K. & Ward, D. 2011. Interaction between ungulates and bruchid beetles and its effect on Acacia trees – Modelling the cost and benefits of seed dispersal on plant demography. Oecologia 167: 97-105.
Ward, D. & Esler, K.J. 2011. What are the effects of substrate and grass removal on recruitment of Acacia mellifera seedlings in a semi-arid environment? Plant Ecology 212: 245-250.
Ward, D. 2010. The effects of apical meristem damage on growth and defenses of two Acacia species in the Negev desert. Evolutionary Ecology Research 12: 589-602.
Ward, D. 2010. A resource-ratio model of the effects of elevated CO2 on woody plant encroachment. Plant Ecology 209: 147-152.