Contrasting impacts of invasiveOpuntiacacti on mammal habitat use DOI Creative Commons
Peter S. Stewart, Russell A. Hill, Ayub M. O. Oduor

et al.

bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory), Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: unknown

Published: Dec. 16, 2024

Abstract Biological invasions impact ecosystems worldwide, including through changing the behaviour of native species. Here, we used camera traps to investigate effects invasive Opuntia cacti on habitat use twelve mammal species in Laikipia County, Kenya, an internationally important region mammalian biodiversity. We found that impacted occupancy and activity, but strength direction varied among between seasons, depended spatial scale at which was considered. Notably, observed consistent positive for olive baboons elephants, two major consumers fruit. also seasonally varying key grazers: Grevy’s zebra plains zebra. As well as having implications conservation, ecosystem functioning, future spread , our findings highlight behavioural changes large mammals a potentially pathway ecosystems.

Language: Английский

Environmental context shapes the relationship between grass consumption and body size in African herbivore communities DOI Creative Commons
Joel O. Abraham, John Rowan, Kaedan O’Brien

et al.

Ecology and Evolution, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 14(2)

Published: Feb. 1, 2024

Though herbivore grass dependence has been shown to increase with body size across species, it is unclear whether this relationship holds at the community level. Here we evaluate consumption scales positively within African large mammalian communities and how varies environmental context. We used stable carbon isotope occurrence data investigate 23 savanna throughout eastern central Africa. found that dietary fraction increased for majority of considered, especially when complete were available. However, slope varied, rainfall seasonality elephant presence key drivers variation-grass less strongly where was more seasonal elephants present. also as a whole on peaked intermediate woody cover. Intraspecific diet variation contributed these community-level patterns: common hippopotamus (

Language: Английский

Citations

4
Capybaras (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) Generate Grazing Lawns and Maintain Plant Diversity in Neotropical Savanna DOI Creative Commons
Julia Carolina Mata, Jens‐Christian Svenning, Renata Nicora Chequín

et al.

Applied Vegetation Science, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 28(1)

Published: Jan. 1, 2025

ABSTRACT Questions Herbivores can exert strong top‐down control on vegetation structure and composition, which in turn affect overall biodiversity ecosystem processes. However, South American megafauna was largely driven to extinction recent prehistory, remaining species have suffered severe range reductions from human actions. The potential role of shaping therefore remains unclear. We examined herbivore‐driven the vegetation, particularly impacts plant diversity, functional composition. Location Iberá Wetlands, Corrientes, Argentina. Methods set up an herbivore exclosure experiment a restoration area with 10 wild large‐herbivore species. compared dynamics fenced plots paired herbivores had full access. Replicate plot pairs were established three grassland types: characterized as short, medium‐tall tall grasslands. Grass height, biomass, types community composition measured at start after 6, 13 18 months. Results found that short grasslands, herbaceous biomass grass height increased significantly no‐grazing plots, while richness decreased. Similarly, dissimilarity between grazed ungrazed over time for Camera trap images revealed capybara ( Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris ) dominant grazer plots. Conclusion Our results show impact native savannas akin African grazing lawns, higher dominance grazing‐tolerant growth forms. These imply grassy ecosystems, despite severely reduced density, retained taxa trait complexes tolerate intense herbivory. Further, they also herbivory still play important maintaining their diversity. conservation ecosystems are likely benefit restoring regimes.

Language: Английский

Citations

0
Putting the pieces together: woody plant encroachment across a precipitation gradient in southern Africa DOI
David Ward

African Journal of Range and Forage Science, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 42(1), P. 85 - 106

Published: Jan. 2, 2025

Language: Английский

Citations

0
Fragmentation in patchy ecosystems: a call for a functional approach DOI Creative Commons
Lorena Benitez, Catherine L. Parr, Mahesh Sankaran

et al.

Trends in Ecology & Evolution, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: unknown

Published: Nov. 1, 2024

Language: Английский

Citations

1
Quantifying changes in savanna rangeland grass phenology and biomass due to an El Niño event DOI

C. Munyati

Journal of Arid Environments, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 227, P. 105310 - 105310

Published: Dec. 24, 2024

Language: Английский

Citations

0
Contrasting impacts of invasiveOpuntiacacti on mammal habitat use DOI Creative Commons
Peter S. Stewart, Russell A. Hill, Ayub M. O. Oduor

et al.

bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory), Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: unknown

Published: Dec. 16, 2024

Abstract Biological invasions impact ecosystems worldwide, including through changing the behaviour of native species. Here, we used camera traps to investigate effects invasive Opuntia cacti on habitat use twelve mammal species in Laikipia County, Kenya, an internationally important region mammalian biodiversity. We found that impacted occupancy and activity, but strength direction varied among between seasons, depended spatial scale at which was considered. Notably, observed consistent positive for olive baboons elephants, two major consumers fruit. also seasonally varying key grazers: Grevy’s zebra plains zebra. As well as having implications conservation, ecosystem functioning, future spread , our findings highlight behavioural changes large mammals a potentially pathway ecosystems.

Language: Английский

Citations

0