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Megaherbivores,Competition and Coexistence within the Large Herbivore Guild

A special feature of the Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park (HiP) is the presence of an abundant ‘mega-grazer’ in the form of the white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum). The study of this species in HiP (Owen-Smith, 1974) led to the identification of common features shared by white rhinos with other extremely large herbivores and hence to the recognition that these ‘megaherbivores’ constitute a distinct life form (Owen-Smith, 1988, 2013a). Defined strictly, the label ‘megaherbivore’ encompasses terrestrial mammals exceeding one metric tonne (i.e., a mega-gram)

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Changes of population trends and mortality patterns in response to the reintroduction of large predators: The case study of African ungulates

Large predators have been reintroduced to an increasing number of protected areas in South Africa. However, the conditions allowing both prey and predator populations to be sustained in enclosed areas are still unclear as there is a lack of understanding of the consequences of such reintroductions for ungulate population dynamics. Variation in lion numbers, two decades after their first release, offered a special opportunity to test the effects of predation pressure on the population dynamics of seven ungulate species in

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Overlap and seasonal shifts in use of woody plant species amongst a guild of savanna browsers

To clarify the potential influence of different browsers in the same guild on woody vegetation, dietary overlap and separation between elephant, giraffe, kudu, nyala and impala was assessed in Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park, South Africa. Woody species browsed, browsing heights, plant-parts browsed and browsing versus grazing were recorded over 2 y by direct observation. We obtained 3068 browse records. Niche breadth (Levins’ measure) and overlap (Schoener’s index) in species browsed and browsing heights were calculated. Annual and seasonal differences in these measurements,

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Effects of resource limitation on habitat usage by the browser guild in Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park, South Africa

Resource depletion and association increases in interspecific competition are likely to influence differential habitat usage amongst a guild. We tested some prominent theoretical concepts using observed differenced in seasonal habitat use amongst the savannah browser guild (elephant, giraffe, impala, kudu and nyala) in Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park, South Africa. Herbivore locations (n= 3108) were recorded over 2 y using repeated road transects and, for elephant, GPS collars (187254 downloads). Densities were calculated using a novel GIS approach designed to be a cost-effective

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