Contemporary niche contraction affects climate change predictions for elephants and giraffes

Aim: Climate change assessments are largely based on correlative species distribution models (SDMs) that are sensible to spatial biases or incompleteness of input distribution data. We tested whether changes on the species’ climatic niche resulting from recent human-induced range contractions have a significant influence on SDM predictions of future species distributions. Location: Africa. Methods: For […]

Ramifying effects of the risk of predation on African multi-predator, multiprey large-mammal assemblages and the conservation implications

Impacts of predators on prey populations are incurred not only through mortality inflicted, but also from how the risk of mortality affects the behaviour, spatial distribution and resource access of potential prey species. This risk is governed by exposure to predators and vulnerability following encounters. Behavioural responses to reduce risks have ramifying consequences for habitat […]

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 […]

Fission–fusion dynamics of a megaherbivore are driven by ecological, anthropogenic, temporal, and social factors

Fission–fusion dynamics hypothetically enable animals to exploit dispersed and ephemeral food resources while minimizing predation risk. Disentangling factors affecting group size and composition of fission–fusion species facilitates their management and conservation. We used a 6-year data set of 2888 group formations of Masai giraffes in Tanzania to investigate determinants of social group size and structure. […]

Does the risk of encountering lions influence African herbivore behaviour at waterholes?

A central question in the study of predator–prey relationships is to what extent prey behaviour is determined by avoidance of predators. Here, we test whether the long-term risk of encountering lions and the presence of lions in the vicinity influence the behaviour of large African herbivores at waterholes through avoidance of high-risk areas, increases in […]

Comparative changes in adult vs. juvenile survival affecting population trends of African ungulates

Among large mammalian herbivores, juvenile survival tends to vary widely and may thus have a greater influence on population dynamics than the relatively constant survival rates typical of adults. However, previous studies yielding stage-specific survival rates have been mostly on temperate zone ungulates and in environments lacking large predators. Annual censuses coupled with assessments of […]