Impact of goat browsing on<i>Aloe ferox</i>in a South African savanna

Breebaart, L; Bhikraj, R; O’Connor, T.G.

doi:10.2989/10220110209485777

Cited by 7 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 4 publications

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“…Aloes are not particularly robust plants because of their shallow root systems (Prasad, 1997) and can be easily uprooted, especially when the soil is moist. Consequently, mortality in aloe populations (regardless of the presence of elephants) is generally high (up to 90% in some cases; Breebaart et al. , 2002; Shackleton & Gambiza, 2007).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Paired controls were selected to reflect a range of land‐uses, including game reserves without elephants and commercial farmland adjacent to areas with elephants. Although these controls are presently under different forms of land‐use, they are all representative of the various ‘other’ herbivores that may damage aloes (Breebaart et al. , 2002; Shackleton & Gambiza, 2007).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It is important to note that other wild and domestic herbivores may inflict different forms of damage to aloes (e.g. greater kudu, Tragelaphus strepsiceros , Pallas, and goats, Capra hircus , L.) by browsing on the leaves but head (crown) removal, particularly of tall aloes, is exclusively because of elephants (Breebaart, Bhikraj & O’Connor, 2002; Shackleton & Gambiza, 2007). Here we hypothesized that aloe mortality would be greater in areas with elephants than in areas without them.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Levels of aloe mortality with and without elephants in the Thicket Biome of South Africa

Parker¹,

Bernard²

2009

African Journal of Ecology

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Studies concerning the influence of African elephants (Loxodonta africana) on vegetation have produced contradictory results; some show minimal or no effect while others report significant elephant-induced effects. Elephants are generalist megaherbivores but will selectively feed from preferred plant species. We investigated the mortality of aloe plants (highly preferred food items for elephants) at five sites with elephants (treatment) and five paired sites without elephants (control) in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. A significantly higher proportion of aloes were dead at treatment sites and significantly more aloes that had lost their crown (headless) were found at treatment sites compared with controls. We conclude that although the proportions of dead aloes at treatment sites were significantly higher, it remains unclear whether there is a need to be concerned with the potential small-scale extinction of aloes from parts of the Eastern Cape Province. The observed mortality may merely be an artefact of the loss of large herbivores through disease (e.g. rinderpest) and hunting in the past. RésuméDes études de l'influence des éléphants africains (Loxodonta africana) sur la végétation ont produit des résultats contradictoires: certaines montrent un effet minimal, voire nul, alors que d'autres signalent des effets significatifs. Les éléphants sont des grands herbivores généralistes, mais ils se nourrissent sélectivement de certaines parties des plantes. Nous avons étudié la mortalité de plants d'aloès (nourriture fortement privilégiée par les éléphants) à cinq sites avec éléphants (traitement) et à cinq autres sites sans éléphant (témoins), dans la Province du Cap oriental, en Afrique du Sud. Il y avait une proportion significativement plus grande d'aloès morts dans les sites du traitement, et ils étaient significativement plus nombreux à avoir perdu leur couronne (étêtés) que dans les sites témoins. Nous concluons que, bien que la proportion d'aloès morts soit significativement plus grande dans les sites du traitement, il n'est pas évident de savoir s'il faut s'inquiéter de cette possible extinction à petite échelle des aloès dans certaines parties de la Province du Cap oriental. La mortalité observée peut bien être simplement un artefact de la perte des grands herbivores en raison de maladies (ex. la peste bovine) et de la chasse dans le passé.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Levels of aloe mortality with and without elephants in the Thicket Biome of South Africa

Parker¹,

Bernard²

2009

African Journal of Ecology

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“…Elephants either break off the aloe's crown, or push the whole plant over to access the succulent apical meristem, both of which usually result in plant death (Parker and Bernard, 2009). Furthermore, Breebart et al (2002) showed that goat browsing has a similar impact on A. ferox, with only 2% of individuals surviving after utilization by Boer goats. In contrast, Shackleton and Gambiza (2007) report that several A. ferox plants damaged by wild animals and cattle at two sites near Grahamstown, South Africa, showed coppicing and produced multiple rosettes where their stems had been damaged.…”

Section: Single-stemmed Aloesmentioning

confidence: 95%

African aloe ecology: A review

Cousins

Witkowski

2012

Journal of Arid Environments

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“…Elephants in particular may cause a great deal of damage, and if present at high densities, they can be a major contributor to large declines in aloe populations (Penzhorn, Robbertse & Olivier, ; Barratt & Hall‐Martin, ). Domestic herbivores such as boer goats can have negative influences on aloe populations (Breebaart, Bhikraj and O'Connor, ,b), but this has not been found in other studies (e.g. Hester, Scogings & Trollope, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 94%