Grass greenness and grass height promote the resource partitioning among reintroduced Burchell's zebra and blue wildebeest in southern Mozambique

Mandlate, Luís Comissário; Arsenault, Randal; Rodrigues, Flávio Henrique Guimarães

doi:10.1111/aec.12708

Cited by 10 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…This would reflect the dietary importance of grass, which provides more than 90% of the zebra diet (Grubb, 1981) and 95% of the wildebeest diet (Duncan, Foose, Gordon, Gakahu, & Lloyd, 1990), with the contribution increasing where tree cover is low (Riginos & Grace, 2008). We found that, the odds of use of habitat by both herbivore species decreased with increases in wood cover (Table 5), and, the grass Aristida barbicollis, which contributed most to the diets of both herbivores, and was most preferred are indeed more available in the most preferred habitat (Mandlate, Arsenault, & Rodrigues, 2019).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 62%

“…However, the principal predator of these two herbivores, the lion, is absent from the MSR, which may mean that predation would not be the factor determining the preference of these herbivores for open habitats at this site. We found that, the odds of use of habitat by both herbivore species decreased with increases in wood cover (Table 5), and, the grass Aristida barbicollis, which contributed most to the diets of both herbivores, and was most preferred are indeed more available in the most preferred habitat (Mandlate, Arsenault, & Rodrigues, 2019). This would reflect the dietary importance of grass, which provides more than 90% of the zebra diet (Grubb, 1981) and 95% of the wildebeest diet (Duncan, Foose, Gordon, Gakahu, & Lloyd, 1990), with the contribution increasing where tree cover is low (Riginos & Grace, 2008).…”

Section: Model For Predicting Habitat Usementioning

confidence: 88%

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Postrelease monitoring habitat selection by reintroduced burchell's zebra and blue wildebeest in southern Mozambique

Mandlate

Cuamba

Rodrigues

2019

Ecology and Evolution

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Aim In Africa, reintroduction of wild animal species to conservation areas is a common practice, for the recovery or restoration of populations. Effective monitoring of reintroduced species requires understanding of basic ecological requirements such as habitat selection of these species in the new environment. Therefore, the present study investigated the habitat selection of zebra and wildebeest following their reintroduction into Maputo Special Reserve, south Mozambique, and we use binary logistic analyses to investigate the relative influence of biotic and abiotic factors in determining the habitat use. Location Maputo Special Reserve, south Mozambique. Methods We conducted the study from July 2016 to June 2017. The data were collected by direct observation, driving the vehicle along the reserve's roads that covered the vegetation communities where zebras and wildebeest are known to commonly occur. Habitat selection was calculated using selection indices (Manly's alpha), and binary logistic analyses were used to investigate the relative influence of biotic and abiotic factors in determining the habitat use. Results The arboreal savanna was the preferred habitat by both herbivore species. Habitat use of zebra appeared to be strongly determined by characteristics such as high grass cover, high grass greenness, and distance to water, while the habitat use by wildebeest, was strongly affected by grass height. Main conclusions Both zebra and wildebeest prefer arboreal savanna, forage selection likely drove preference of this habitat. Greater grass cover and greater percentage greenness of the grass both significantly increased the odds of zebra use of habitat, whereas the odds of use decreased with increases in distance to water, meaning an opportunity to ingest large amounts of grass biomass with higher quality, and this opportunity decreases with increasing in distance to water. Grass height was in the highest‐ranking model predicting habitat use by wildebeest, and during the dry season the use of habitat increased with increasing grass height, suggesting that selecting areas with tall grasses by wildebeest equated to choosing areas with higher grass quantity, as the food intake rate increases with grass height.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 62%

Section: Model For Predicting Habitat Usementioning

confidence: 88%

Postrelease monitoring habitat selection by reintroduced burchell's zebra and blue wildebeest in southern Mozambique

Mandlate

Cuamba

Rodrigues

2019

Ecology and Evolution

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“…Therefore, our results suggest that in the trade-off between the potential competition for trophic resources and the benefits of increased predator detection, if the species involved do not completely overlap in their diets, the outcome of co-occurring within a landscape of fear (sensu Laundr e et al 2001) may result in a positive relationship (improved saferfeeling effect). In addition, foraging by livestock could keep the grass in an early stage of development, which may facilitate the access of lesser rhea to a better quality forage (Mandlate Jr et al 2019). Furthermore, ranchers tolerate lesser rhea within their fields since they do not perceive them as a species competing with livestock (own unpub.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Habitat structure and association with ungulates drive habitat selection and grouping behaviour of lesser rhea (Rhea pennatasubsp.pennata)

et al. 2020

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Social prey species respond to predation risk by modifying habitat selection and grouping behaviour. These responses may depend on both actual predation risk (predator probability of occurrence) and/or on perceived predation risk associated with habitat structure. Other factors like food availability and co‐occurrence with other species may also affect habitat selection and group formation. We analyse habitat selection and grouping behaviour (group size and cohesion) of lesser rhea (Rhea pennata subsp. pennata), a ratite endemic of South America inhabiting steppe shrublands and grasslands, in relation to actual (puma probability of occurrence) and perceived (habitat structure: openness, visibility) predation risk, co‐occurrence with other herbivore species and forage availability in the Chilean Patagonia. We used data from 9 sampling seasons in 5 years. Results show that habitat selection, group size and cohesion in lesser rhea were mainly driven by variables associated with perceived predation risk and by co‐occurrence with other herbivores both during breeding and non–breeding season. As expected, lesser rhea preferred open habitats (vegas and grasslands) that allow a behaviour of ‘watch and run’ to avoid predation and formed larger groups in them. Moreover, lesser rhea positively selected year‐round habitats where livestock occur, forming large groups during non–breeding season there. Group size and co‐occurrence with other herbivores significantly decreased group cohesion, suggesting a reduction of perceived predation risk. Therefore, lesser rhea seems to take advantage of forming mixed interspecific groups to reduce predation risk. These results suggest that lesser rhea habitat selection and grouping behaviour are preferentially driven by factors related to perceived predation risk than by actual predator occurrence or food availability.

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“…Grass preference indices were assessed within each quadrat as 0 (no grass available), 1 (no grazing, i.e., none of the grass tufts showed bite marks), 2 (moderate grazing/very light grazing, i.e., partially eaten), 3 (heavy grazing) and 4 (intense grazing) [13]. Additionally, we visually assessed grass greenness as dry grass (a), pale green (b), green (c) and deep green (d) [20,33,34], (see supplementary information). However, ten termite mound areas and control sites in Miombo vegetation as well as some areas in grazing lawns edges were heavily affected by fire from July 2017 onwards and grass assessment was not possible in these sites.…”

Section: Data Collectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Various mammalian grazers such as the wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus) are attracted by short green grass of high nutrient content [18][19][20]. While the importance of grazing lawns for herbivores has been demonstrated [15,21,22] few experiments exist that quantified the extent to which these lawns attract grazers in nutrient poor areas [8].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The importance of nutrient hotspots for grazing ungulates in a Miombo ecosystem, Tanzania

2020

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While movement patterns of grazing ungulates are strongly dependent on forage quality their use of nutrient hotspots such as termite mounds or grazing lawns has rarely been quantified, especially in savanna ecosystems where soil-nutrient quality is low. Additionally, few experiments have been conducted to determine the role of termite mound-and grazing lawn-derived soils in improving forage quality in the field. We studied wild ungulate grazing activities around ten termite mounds, six grazing lawns and their respective control sites in a Miombo system of Issa Valley, western Tanzania, in the same system. We used indirect observations (i.e., dung, tracks) to identify seasonal and spatial variations in habitat use of various wild mammalian grazers. Grazer visitation rates were nine and three times higher on termite mounds and grazing lawns, respectively, compared to control sites. During the rainy season, termite mounds were more frequently used than grazing lawns while the latter were used more often during the dry season. In an additional pot experiment with soils derived from different areas, we found that Cynodon dactylon in termite mound-derived soils had twice as high Nitrogen and Phosphorous contents and biomass compared to grasses planted in grazing lawn soils and control site soils. We highlight that both termite mounds and grazing lawns play a significant role in influencing seasonal nutrient dynamics, forage nutrient quality, habitat selectivity, and, hence, grazing activities and movement patterns of wild ungulate grazers in savannas. We conclude that termite mounds and grazing lawns are important for habitat heterogeneity in otherwise nutrient-poor savanna systems.

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Grass greenness and grass height promote the resource partitioning among reintroduced Burchell's zebra and blue wildebeest in southern Mozambique

Cited by 10 publications

References 28 publications

Postrelease monitoring habitat selection by reintroduced burchell's zebra and blue wildebeest in southern Mozambique

Postrelease monitoring habitat selection by reintroduced burchell's zebra and blue wildebeest in southern Mozambique

Habitat structure and association with ungulates drive habitat selection and grouping behaviour of lesser rhea (Rhea pennatasubsp.pennata)

The importance of nutrient hotspots for grazing ungulates in a Miombo ecosystem, Tanzania

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