Comparison of Two Diet Analysis Techniques for a Browsing Megaherbivore
Diet assessment of herbivores provides insight into trophic relationships, the potential for competition, and the influences herbivores may have on an ecosystem (Bookhout 1996). Thus, the determination of their food requirements is imperative prior to the implementation of any management decisions, which must be based on reliable data (Bookhout 1996). Direct observations and fecal analysis […]
Effect of low rainfall and browsing by large herbivores on an enclosed savannah habitat in Kenya
Savannah ecosystems in East Africa are rarely stable and can experience rapid local changes from dense woodlands to open plains. In this 3-year study there was a reduction of 16.3% in a height-stratified sample of nearly 1000 individually marked Acacia drepanolobium trees. The study was carried out in an enclosed fire-free wooded grassland habitat in […]
Introduction of giraffe changes acacia distribution in a South African savanna
Large mammal herbivores can have significant effects on the structure and composition of plant communities. We studied the impacts of an introduced giraffe population on Acacia species at the Ithala Game Reserve in South Africa. Browse intensity and Acacia mortality were assessed in field transects, and in road transects covering the reserve road network. Several […]
Regrowth and palatability of acacia shoots following pruning by African savanna browsers’
Stands of two species of African Acacia were monitored for 1 yr in a natural savanna ecosystem, to compare shoot regrowth and leaf chemistry in lightly browsed and heavily browsed trees. Where ungulates concentrated at a seasonal waterhole, A. nigrescens was more severely browsed than the thornier and finer leafed A. tortilis. Shoot regrowth in […]
Giraffe feeding on Acacia flowers: predation or pollination?
Consumption of flowers by the following four browsing ruminant species was monitored for two years in a southern African savannah: giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis Linnaeus), kudu (Tragelaphus strepsiceros Pallas), impala (Aepyceros melampus Lichtenstein) and steenbok (Raphicerus campestris Thunberg). Flowers of Acacia nigrescens Oliver are an important food resource to giraffe in the late dry season. This […]