Genetic diversity in fragmented southern African giraffe populations
The giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis) is distributed throughout sub-Sahara in savannah habitat. It is currently listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red Data List, as their numbers are declining. Little is known about the genetic characteristics of giraffe in South Africa. This molecular analysis of the introduced giraffe populations in the Free State Province thus provides […]
Proximity to humans affects local social structure in a giraffe metapopulation
Experimental laboratory evidence suggests that animals with disrupted social systems express weakened relationship strengths and have more exclusive social associations, and that these changes have functional consequences. A key question is whether anthropogenic pressures have a similar impact on the social structure of wild animal communities. We addressed this question by constructing a social network […]
Giraffe demography and population ecology
Population dynamics describe temporal change in population size and structure and the processes that contribute to that change. For conservation to succeed, it is critical that we are able to detect changes in population size and the demographic processes in the population, and also we must learn how to effect change in population size by […]
Movements and source–sink dynamics of a Masai giraffe metapopulation
Spatial variation in habitat quality and anthropogenic factors, as well as social structure, can lead to spatially structured populations of animals. Demographic approaches can be used to improve our understanding of the dynamics of spatially structured populations and help identify subpopulations critical for the long-term persistence of regional metapopulations. We provide a regional metapopulation analysis […]