Mapping habitat and biological diversity in the Maasai Mara ecosystem

Oindo, Boniface O.; Skidmore, Andrew K.; Salvo, P. de

doi:10.1080/01431160210144552

Cited by 51 publications

(40 citation statements)

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“…The habitat in the study area varies greatly, ranging from open grasslands and shrubland, to riverine forests (Oindo et al., 2003). The open grassland plains, which are dominated by Themeda triandra , are mostly found toward the south and west of the study area, while the north and northeast consist mostly of Croton thickets ( Croton dichogamous ) and Vachellia woodlands ( Vachellia drepanolobium and V. gerrardii ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The open grassland plains, which are dominated by Themeda triandra , are mostly found toward the south and west of the study area, while the north and northeast consist mostly of Croton thickets ( Croton dichogamous ) and Vachellia woodlands ( Vachellia drepanolobium and V. gerrardii ). Riverine woodland can be found along the major rivers and their tributaries (Oindo et al., 2003). …”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Living on the edge: Multiscale habitat selection by cheetahs in a human‐wildlife landscape

Klaassen

Broekhuis

2018

Ecology and Evolution

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Animals select habitats that will ultimately optimize their fitness through access to favorable resources, such as food, mates, and breeding sites. However, access to these resources may be limited by bottom‐up effects, such as availability, and top‐down effects, such as risk avoidance and competition, including that with humans. Competition between wildlife and people over resources, specifically over space, has played a significant role in the worldwide decrease in large carnivores. The goal of this study was to determine the habitat selection of cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) in a human‐wildlife landscape at multiple spatial scales. Cheetahs are a wide‐ranging, large carnivore, whose significant decline is largely attributed to habitat loss and fragmentation. It is believed that 77% of the global cheetah population ranges outside protected areas, yet little is known about cheetahs’ resource use in areas where they co‐occur with people. The selection, or avoidance, of three anthropogenic variables (human footprint density, distance to main roads and wildlife areas) and five environmental variables (open habitat, semiclosed habitat, edge density, patch density and slope), at multiple spatial scales, was determined by analyzing collar data from six cheetahs. Cheetahs selected variables at different scales; anthropogenic variables were selected at broader scales (720–1440 m) than environmental variables (90–180 m), suggesting that anthropogenic pressures affect habitat selection at a home‐range level, whilst environmental variables influence site‐level habitat selection. Cheetah presence was best explained by human presence, wildlife areas, semiclosed habitat, edge density and slope. Cheetahs showed avoidance for humans and steep slopes and selected for wildlife areas and areas with high proportions of semiclosed habitat and edge density. Understanding a species’ resource requirements, and how these might be affected by humans, is crucial for conservation. Using a multiscale approach, we provide new insights into the habitat selection of a large carnivore living in a human‐wildlife landscape.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Living on the edge: Multiscale habitat selection by cheetahs in a human‐wildlife landscape

Klaassen

Broekhuis

2018

Ecology and Evolution

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“…The open grassland plains, which are dominated by Themeda triandra , are mostly found toward the South and West of the study area, while the North and Northeast consists mostly of Croton thickets ( Croton dichogamous ) and Vachellia woodlands ( Vachellia drepanolobium and V. gerrardii ). Riverine woodland can be found along the major rivers and their tributaries (Oindo et al., 2003). The Maasai Mara has a relatively high density of cheetahs with around 1.28–1.34 adults per 100 km 2 (Broekhuis & Gopalaswamy, 2016) which is why, along with the Serengeti National Park, it is an important stronghold for the global cheetah population (Durant et al., 2017).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The Maasai Mara in Kenya is an ideal place to conduct this study as the habitat is heterogeneous, ranging from wide open grasslands to Vachellia woodland and riverine forests (Oindo, Skidmore, & De Salvo, 2003). The Maasai Mara also has high densities of cheetahs (Broekhuis & Gopalaswamy, 2016) and other predators, including lions (Elliot & Gopalaswamy, 2017) and spotted hyaenas (Green, Johnson‐Ulrich, Couraud, & Holekamp, 2018), which vary spatially.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Natural and anthropogenic drivers of cub recruitment in a large carnivore

Broekhuis

2018

Ecology and Evolution

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Recruitment is a critical parameter governing population dynamics and influences population persistence. Understanding the drivers of recruitment is therefore important for conservation, especially for long‐lived mammals such as large carnivores, which have low reproductive rates, rendering them prone to extinction. Using cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) as a model species, I investigated the variation in cub recruitment in relation to habitat and the abundance of tourists and predators. Per litter, female cheetahs on average raised 1.71 ± 1.35 cubs to independence, but this varied depending on the presence of open habitat and the abundance of tourists, both of which had a negative effect on cub recruitment. More specifically, female cheetahs that were mostly found in open habitats on average raised 1.69 ± 0.14 cubs per litter to independence compared to 3.04 ± 0.26 cubs in denser habitat. Similarly, female cheetahs that were exposed to high tourist abundance on average raised 0.21 ± 0.72 cubs to independence compared to 2.32 ± 0.11 cubs in low tourism areas. Neither lion nor spotted hyaena abundance had an impact on the number of cubs that were recruited. Based on these findings, I recommend that the importance of a heterogeneous environment should be taken into consideration in habitat management, restoration efforts, and reintroduction programs. In addition, tourist quotas should be put in place in high visitation areas and strict wildlife viewing guidelines, such as number of vehicles, tourist behavior, time spent, and distance to a sighting, should be enforced. Cub recruitment is an important component of species persistence and incorporating these findings could aid conservation efforts for species that are increasingly under threat.

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“…By combining information about known habitat requirements of species with maps of landcover derived from satellite imagery, precise estimates of patterns of species richness are possible [17]. In their study [18], used Landsat TM derived habitat map to compute the ShannonWiener and Simpson's indices of diversity for the Maasai Mara ecosystem, Kenya. Areas with the highest habitat diversity were found to support higher numbers of herbivore species than areas with relatively less habitat diversity.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Predicting Mammal Species Richness from Remotely Sensed Data at Different Spatial Scales

Oindo¹

2008

TORMSJ

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Spatial variability in species richness has been postulated to depend upon environmental factors such as climatic variability, Net primary productivity and habitat heterogeneity. The Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR)-Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) has been shown to be correlated with climatic variability, Net primary productivity and habitat heterogeneity. Moreover, Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) derived habitat diversity indices have been used to reflect habitat heterogeneity. Interannually average NDVI and its variability (standard deviation and coefficient of variation) as well as Landsat Thematic Mapper derived habitat diversity index were correlated with mammal species richness at landscape scale. Species richness related unimodally to interannual average NDVI and positively to variability of NDVI and habitat diversity index. Conversely, at regional scale mammal species richness were correlated with interannually average NDVI and coefficient of variation of NDVI. Species richness related negatively to the latter and positively to interannually average NDVI. Though these relationships are indirect, they apparently operate through the green vegetation cover. Understanding such relationships can help in estimating changes in species richness in response to global climatic change.

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Mapping habitat and biological diversity in the Maasai Mara ecosystem

Cited by 51 publications

References 0 publications

Living on the edge: Multiscale habitat selection by cheetahs in a human‐wildlife landscape

Living on the edge: Multiscale habitat selection by cheetahs in a human‐wildlife landscape

Natural and anthropogenic drivers of cub recruitment in a large carnivore

Predicting Mammal Species Richness from Remotely Sensed Data at Different Spatial Scales

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