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Interspecific and temporal variation of condensed tannins and cyanide concentrations in potential dietary sources of extralimital giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis) in the Karoo

During 2016 and 2018 four giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis) mortalities occurred in the Karoo potentially caused by acute hydrogen cyanide poisoning. Plants have various defence mechanisms to protect themselves against herbivory, including the production of secondary metabolites such as condensed tannins and hydrogen cyanide. This study quantified condensed tannin and hydrogen cyanide production in selected Karoo plant species that giraffe may browse, to assess the possibility of acute hydrogen cyanide poisoning and condensed tannin intoxification. Condensed tannins and hydrogen cyanide concentrations

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Browsing-induced Effects on Leaf Litter Quality and Decomposition in a Southern African Savanna

We investigated the linkages between leaf litter quality and decomposability in a savanna plant community dominated by palatable-spinescent tree species. We measured: (1) leaf litter decomposability across five woody species that differ in leaf chemistry; (2) mass decomposition, nitrogen (N); and carbon (C) dynamics in leaf litter of a staple browse species (Acacia nigrescens) as well as (3) variation in litter composition across six sites that experienced very different histories of attack from large herbivores. All decomposition trials included litter

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