Dynamics of ungulates in relation to climatic and land use changes in an insularized African savanna ecosystem
Land use change and human population growth are accelerating the fragmentation and insularization of wildlife habitats worldwide. The conservation and management of wildlife in the resultant ‘island’ ecosystems in the context of global warming is challenging due to the isolation and reduced size of the ecosystems and hence the scale over which ecosystem processes can […]
The giraffe and its food resource in the Serengeti. I. Composition, biomass and production of available browse
The quantification of the browse resource available to giraffe was undertaken as the first stage in the study of the relationship of the giraffe population and its food supply in the Serengeti woodlands. Techniques are described for estimating the seasonal standing crop biomass of available browse and its quarterly rate of production. The conversion of […]
Consequences of different forms of conservation for large mammals in Tanzania: preliminary analyses
We examined the effects of protection from human activities and effects of tourist hunting on densities of 21 large mammal species in Tanzania. Aerial censuses revealed that mammal biomass per km2 was highest in National Parks. Densities of nine ungulate species were significantly higher in National Parks and Game Reserves than in areas that permitted […]
Densities of mammals in partially protected areas: the Katavi ecosystem of western Tanzania
In Africa the majority of conservation areas sanction some sort of human activities within their borders but few of them are part of community‐based conservation schemes. The effectiveness of these state‐owned, partially protected areas in conserving mammalian fauna is largely unknown. Large and medium‐sized mammal densities in three different sorts of partially protected area were […]
Shifts in native ungulate communities on a former cattle ranch in Tanzania
When an area is brought under protection, current animal populations and their habitat preferences need to be assessed to predict population trends and future habitat availability. Using data from walking transects, we estimated the size of native ungulate populations on an abandoned cattle ranch in a coastal savannah in Tanzania, now included in the new […]
Shoot characteristics of Acacia tortilis (Forsk.) in wildlife and rangeland habitats of Botswana
Length, branch production, orientation, spinescence and biomass were measured for current shoots of Acacia tortilis shrubs in a range of habitats in Botswana. All shoot characteristics varied between individuals and between habitats with longer, less spinescent shoots produced in the habitat recently protected from wildlife. Biomass allocated to woody material increased with shoot length at […]
The feeding ecology of a selective browser, the giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis tippelskirchi)
A herbivore can manipulate certain factors of its feeding behavior in order to achieve the metabolic requirements for reproduction. These factors include choice of habitat in which to feed, the selection criteria for choosing food items, and the time allocated to feeding or devoted to other energy-consuming activities. The manipulation of these behavioural factors by […]
Stability in a multi-species assemblage of large herbivores in East Africa
Animal census data from Lake Manyara National Park in northern Tanzania are presented. The data refer to large mammalian herbivores, that is individually heavier than twenty kg, of which the numbers were counted in nine different years between 1959 and 1984. The total biomass of these herbivores was comprised mainly of African buffalo and African […]