The patterns of rainfall in the Serengeti Ecosystem, Tanzania

Norton‐Griffiths, M.; Herlocker, D. J.; Pennycuick, Linda

doi:10.1111/j.1365-2028.1975.tb00144.x

Cited by 177 publications

(140 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…In most of tropical Australia, drought is consistently longer, and forests comparable to Chamela's are apparently extremely restricted [31 ]. The Serengeti ecosystem (Tanzania, 1 ° -3 ° S, 34 °-36°E) encompasses somewhat higher and lower rainfalls than Chamela (514-1100 mm at different sites), with a moister dry season and higher interannual variation [32 ]. In Venezuela, the savanna-dominated area near the station of Los Llanos de Calabozo (8 ° 56'N, 67°25'W; K6ppen type Aw; [33]), has a greater mean annual rainfall (1312 ram), more rainy days (85 days), with the wet season usually beginning in April, and no substantial winter rains were reported.…”

Section: Climate Classificationmentioning

confidence: 97%

Climate of Chamela, Jalisco, and trends in the south coastal region of Mexico

Bullock

1986

Arch. Met. Geoph. Biocl., Ser. B

217

145

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SummaryThe warm, seasonally dry climate of Mexico's south coast is represented by data from the biological station at Chamela, Jatisco, and is compared with 26 other localities. The mean annual temperature was 24.9 °C; monthly mean maximums were equitable (29.1 ° to 32.0 ° ) but minimums showed significant seasonal changes (14.8 ° to 22.9°). Local winds were strongest in the late dry season. Most cyclonic features moved parallel to the coast. Hurricanes made landfall much more frequently along some parts of the coast than others. The average annual precipitation was 748 ram, with a coefficient of variation of 16% for eight years. Rainfall was measurable on an average of 53 days per year, but the seven heaviest rains contributed over 50%of the total; 80% of the total fell between 2 July and 4 November. Occasionally, there was substantial rain in December or January. For unsheltered lowland localities, rainfall increased with elevation, as did length of the wet season. Longer-term records (40 and more years) from four localities showed significant oscillations in precipitation that were correlated between sites. ZusammenfassungDas Klima von Chamela (Jalisco) und Trends an der siidlichen Kiistenregion Mexikos Das warme, jahreszeitlich trockene Klima der mexikanischen Kiiste wird anhand der Daten der biologischen Station Chamela (Jalisco) untersucht und mit 26 anderen Stationen verglichen. Das Jahresrnittel der Temperatur betrug 24,9 °C, die mittleren Monatsmaxima schwankten geringftigig zwischen 29,1 und 32,0 °C, die mittleren Monatsminima dagegen stark zwischen 14,8 und 22,9 °C. Die lokalen Windsysteme entwickelten sich am besten am Ende der Trockenzeit. Die meisten Zyklonen zogen entlang der Ktiste, tropische Wirbelsttirme drangen bevorzugt an bestimmten Kiistenstreifen ins Landesinnere vor. Die Jahressumme des Niederschlags betrug 748 mm, mit einer 16%-Schwankung in acht Jahren. Met~barer Niederschlag fiel an 53 Tagen im Jahr, mehr als 50% des Gesamtniederschlags stammte jedoch yon den 7 st~irksten Ereignissen. 80% der Jahressumme 298 S.H. Bullock wurden zwischen 2. Juli und 4. November gemessen. Gelegentlich trat starker Niederschlag im Dezember oder Januar auf. Ftir nicht abgeschirmte Gebiete erh6hte sich der Gesamtniederschlag und die Dauer der Regenzeit mit der Seeh6he. Liingere Zeitreihen (mindestens 40 JaNe) in vier Regionen zeigten bedeutende Schwankungen des Niederschlags, wobei die Stationen miteinander korreliert waren.

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Section: Climate Classificationmentioning

confidence: 97%

Climate of Chamela, Jalisco, and trends in the south coastal region of Mexico

Bullock

1986

Arch. Met. Geoph. Biocl., Ser. B

217

145

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“…Prolonged dry periods in East Africa may cause herbivores, among other things, to change diets (Hoffmann 1973), thus shifting from one patch type to another in seek of resources. Variability in quantity, time and spatial distribution of rains characterize the rainfall pattern in the Serengeti ecosystem (Norton-Griffiths et al 1975). Temporal and spatial differences in rainfall between years may contribute to the change in patterns of forage availability in the landscape, and hence to the differences in selectivity of patches between years.…”

Section: Eight-patch-types Contrastsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fire history and management as determinant of patch selection by foraging herbivores in western Serengeti, Tanzania

Hassan

Rija

2011

International Journal of Biodiversity Science, Ecosystem Servic

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Although the use of fire as a management tool has increased during the past decades in East African savannas, there is insufficient knowledge about herbivores' utilization of areas with different fire history. We therefore examined large mammal herbivores' preference for patches that differed in fire history to test whether herbivores would non-randomly select patches according to availability. Our study area was the East African Serengeti ecosystem. Animals were recorded along transects at monthly intervals from May 2001 to April 2006, and data on the burnt and non-burnt areas along transects were extracted from existing fire maps. The prediction was tested using chi-square goodness-of-fit test, and selection ratio as a preference index for patch types. Our results show that African buffalo persistently occurred in non-burnt patches, whereas browsers (Giraffe and Kirk's dik-dik) and mixed feeders (Grant's gazelle and impala) were often seen in non-burnt patches but also used burnt patches. Grazer species (Thompson's gazelle, topi, wildebeest and Burchell's zebra) favoured patches burnt in the current year compared to non-burnt patches. For all species together, patches burnt repeatedly were least selected compared to those that were burnt only once in 3 years. The outcome of this study suggests that annual burning of the same patches is not optimal for biodiversity maintenance and ecosystem functioning.

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“…Rutberg (1987) suggests that changes in rainfall and available nutrition are likely involved in modulating ovarian activity in equatorial species. In the wildebeest's native range the wet season typically occurs from November through May, with optimal quality grazing coinciding with energetically demanding lactation (Watson, 1967;Norton-Griffiths et al, 1975;Estes, 1991). Resumption of ovarian activity may require that a female achieve a threshold of nutritional quality and/or body condition, or it is possible that there are qualitative differences in certain compounds in newly growing vegetations (e.g., as suggested for rodents after seasonal rains; Leirs et al, 1994).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The ecosystem has been well-described (see McNaughton, 1985) and is characterized by a wet season that occurs from November through June with short, dry periods in January and February, but rainfall patterns are highly variable. The dry season runs from approximately June through October (Norton-Griffiths et al, 1975). Habitat types include closed-canopy woodland, deciduous and semi-deciduous thorn tree savanna, and plains of short and medium grasslands (McNaughton, 1985).…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%