Spatial Assessment of Elephant Impacts on Large Herbivores and Vegetation in Southern Africa
Spatial Assessment of Elephant Impacts on Large Herbivores and Vegetation in Southern Africa

Author: Timothy Jon Fullman

Publisher:

Published: 2014

Total Pages: 176

ISBN-13:

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

MSDI and elephant utilization. At finer scales, however, MSDI values negatively relate to elephant utilization. This appears to be due to differences in within-patch and between-patch effects of elephants. Third, shifts in distributions of five large herbivore species in Kruger National Park are investigated using the SAVANNA model. Scenarios of climate change, water management, and elephant numbers are compared using directional persistence and repeated measures analysis of variance. Patterns across species differ between climate scenarios, encouraging monitoring of herbivore distributions to determine where shifts occur under changing climate. Altering artificial water availability has little effect on park-wide persistence of herbivore densities, but strongly influences overlap within- and between-species. Elephant numbers only influence herbivores under the most extreme increase. Collectively, findings from this dissertation improve understanding of the patterns of elephant distribution and impacts and generate suggestions for managing spatial effects of elephants.

Elephants and Savanna Woodland Ecosystems
Elephants and Savanna Woodland Ecosystems

Author: Christina Skarpe

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2014-04-02

Total Pages: 300

ISBN-13: 1118858581

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

During the nineteenth century, ivory hunting caused a substantial decrease of elephant numbers in southern Africa. Soon after that, populations of many other large and medium-sized herbivores went into steep decline due to the rinderpest pandemic in the 1890s. These two events provided an opportunity for woodland establishment in areas previously intensively utilized by elephants and other herbivores. The return of elephants to currently protected areas of their former range has greatly influenced vegetation locally and the resulting potential negative effects on biodiversity are causing concern among stakeholders, managers, and scientists. This book focuses on the ecological effects of the increasing elephant population in northern Botswana, presenting the importance of the elephants for the heterogeneity of the system, and showing that elephant ecology involves much wider spatiotemporal scales than was previously thought. Drawing on the results of their research, the authors discuss elephant-caused effects on vegetation in nutrient-rich and nutrient-poor savannas, and the potential competition between elephants on the one hand and browsers and mixed feeders on the other. Ultimately this text provides a comprehensive review of ecological processes in African savannas, covering long-term ecosystem changes and human-wildlife conflicts. It summarises new knowledge on the ecology of the sub-humid African savanna ecosystems to advance the general functional understanding of savanna ecosystems across moisture and nutrient gradients.

Savanna Woody Plants and Large Herbivores
Savanna Woody Plants and Large Herbivores

Author: Peter Frank Scogings

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2019-09-30

Total Pages: 794

ISBN-13: 1119081106

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Insights on current research and recent developments in understanding global savanna systems Increasingly recognized as synonymous with tropical grassy biomes, savannas are found in tropical and sub-tropical climates as well as warm, temperate regions of North America. Savanna Woody Plants and Large Herbivores examines the interactions between woody plants and browsing mammals in global savannas—focusing primarily on the C4 grassy ecosystems with woody components that constitute the majority of global savannas—and discusses contemporary savanna management models and applications. This much-needed addition to current research examines topics including the varying behavior of browsing mammals, the response to browsing by woody species, and the factors that inhibit forage intake. Contributions from an international team of active researchers and experts compare and contrast different savanna ecosystems, offering a global perspective on savanna functioning, the roles of soil and climate in resource availability and organism interaction, and the possible impacts of climate change across global savannas. Fills a gap in literature on savanna management issues, including biodiversity conservation and animal production Applies concepts developed in other biomes to future savanna research Complements contemporary books on savanna or large herbivore ecology Focuses on the woody component of savanna ecosystems and large herbivore interactions in savannas Compares tree-mammal systems of savannas and other eco-systems of temperate and boreal regions Provides numerous case studies of plant-mammal interactions from various savanna ecosystems Savanna Woody Plants and Large Herbivores is a valuable addition to those in fields such as ecology, wildlife and conservation biology, natural resource management, and environmental science.

Elephant management
Elephant management

Author: Robert (Bob) Scholes

Publisher: NYU Press

Published: 2008-03-01

Total Pages: 551

ISBN-13: 1776142276

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Elephants are among the most magnificent – but also most problematic –members of South Africa's wildlife population. While they are sought after by South African and foreign tourists alike, they also have a major impact on their environment. As a result, elephant management has become a highly complex and often controversial discipline. The information needed to underpin vital decisions about elephant management has largely been unavailable to decision-makers, contested by experts, or simply unknown. As a result, the South African Minister for Environmental Affairs and Tourism convened a round table to advise him on this issue. The round table recommended that a scientific assessment of elephant management be undertaken to gather, evaluate, and present all the relevant information on this topic. Its main findings and recommendations are contained in this volume. Elephant Management is the first book of its kind, combining the work of more than 60 national and international experts. Extensively reviewed by policy-makers and other stakeholders, it is the most systematic and comprehensive review of savanna elephant populations and factors relevant to managing them to date. As such it is of interest to a broad spectrum of readers in South Africa and elsewhere. Above all, it is aimed at helping conservation policy-makers and practitioners to choose the best possible options for the sustainable preservation of these iconic animals.

Management of Semi-Arid Ecosystems
Management of Semi-Arid Ecosystems

Author: B.H. Walker

Publisher: Elsevier

Published: 2012-12-02

Total Pages: 409

ISBN-13: 0444599975

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Extensive regions of the world have a climate which, whilst permitting development of a continuous vegetative cover, is too dry for successful annual cropping. These are the semi-arid areas where land use is based on the natural vegetation. Easily degraded and difficult to maintain, they are under increasing pressure as expanding human populations move in and endeavour to force a living from them. As a result they contain some of the worst examples of resource degradation. This book examines the problems and opportunities involved in man's use of semi-arid areas. The authors are all actively involved in research and land management in the areas discussed. Each chapter begins with a detailed, up-to-date account of the ecology of the region (its climate, soils, vegetation, fauna and main ecological characteristics). This is followed by a history of land use, problems involved in its management, a review of current research and recommended land use practices. The common features of semi-arid ecosystems are brought together in a final section.

The Ecology of Natural Disturbance and Patch Dynamics
The Ecology of Natural Disturbance and Patch Dynamics

Author: Steward T.A. Pickett

Publisher: Elsevier

Published: 2013-10-22

Total Pages: 489

ISBN-13: 0080504957

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Ecologists are aware of the importance of natural dynamics in ecosystems. Historically, the focus has been on the development in succession of equilibrium communities, which has generated an understanding of the composition and functioning of ecosystems. Recently, many have focused on the processes of disturbances and the evolutionary significance of such events. This shifted emphasis has inspired studies in diverse systems. The phrase "patch dynamics" (Thompson, 1978) describes their common focus. The Ecology of Natural Disturbance and Patch Dynamics brings together the findings and ideas of those studying varied systems, presenting a synthesis of diverse individual contributions.

Veld Management in South Africa
Veld Management in South Africa

Author: Neil Melbourne Tainton

Publisher: University of Kwazulu Natal Press

Published: 1999

Total Pages: 506

ISBN-13:

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This text is a synthesis of research in production and management since the inception of the discipline as an agricultural science in the 1930s. All the ecological regions are covered extensively, but the main emphasis is on the three biomes (grassland, savanna and karoo) which produce the bulk of the forage supporting the domestic livestock, conservation and the game farming industries. The book has an audience beyond the borders of South Africa in the grassland and savanna areas which stretch through southern and central Africa.

Spatial Dynamics of Elephant Impacts on Trees in Chobe National Park, Botswana
Spatial Dynamics of Elephant Impacts on Trees in Chobe National Park, Botswana

Author: Timothy Jon Fullman

Publisher:

Published: 2009

Total Pages:

ISBN-13:

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

ABSTRACT: The African elephant (Loxodonta africana) regulates shifts between different savanna states, primarily through herbivory of woody vegetation. As a water-dependent herbivore, these impacts on trees are constrained by water availability, potentially leading to a gradient of degradation known as the piosphere effect. Transects evaluating vegetation status with increasing distance from the Chobe River were conducted in Chobe National Park, Botswana, to test whether predictions of the piosphere effect can be applied at multiple scales. Trends varied depending on the type of utilization, with debarking by elephants decreasing with distance from the Chobe River and branch herbivory showing a bimodal distribution. Results suggest that piosphere predictions may be applicable over greater distances, with important implications for monitoring species changes far from water points. Managers should consider this as they evaluate landscape stability and discuss provisioning of waterpoints in semi-arid habitats.