The distribution of large herbivore hotspots in relation to environmental and anthropogenic correlates in the Mara region of Kenya

Journal of Animal Ecology

Volumn 81, Issue 6, 2012, Pages 1268-1287

  Bhola, Nina ^a   Ogutu, Joseph O ^b,c   Said, Mohamed Y ^c   Piepho, Hans Peter ^b   Olff, Han ^a  

^a UNIVERSITY OF GRONINGEN   (Netherlands)

^b UNIVERSITY OF HOHENHEIM   (Germany)

^c INTERNATIONAL LIVESTOCK RESEARCH INSTITUTE   (Kenya)

Author keywords

Competition; Facilitation; Land use; Normalized Difference Vegetation Index; Pastoralism; Predation; Protection

Indexed keywords

AERIAL SURVEY; COMPETITION (ECOLOGY); FACILITATION; FORAGING BEHAVIOR; GRASS; GRAZING MANAGEMENT; HABITAT CONSERVATION; HERBIVORE; HOT SPOT; HUMAN ACTIVITY; LAND USE; LIFE HISTORY TRAIT; LIVESTOCK FARMING; NDVI; PASTORALISM; POPULATION DISTRIBUTION; PREDATION; PREDATION RISK; SPATIAL RESOLUTION; WILD POPULATION;

ANIMAL; ANIMAL DISPERSAL; ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; ARTICLE; BODY SIZE; CHEMISTRY; ECOSYSTEM; FEEDING BEHAVIOR; FOOD CHAIN; HERBIVORY; HUMAN; KENYA; MAMMAL; PHYSIOLOGY; PLANT DISPERSAL; POPULATION DENSITY; SEASON; SOIL;

ANIMAL DISTRIBUTION; ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; ANIMALS; BODY SIZE; ECOSYSTEM; FEEDING BEHAVIOR; FOOD CHAIN; HERBIVORY; HUMANS; KENYA; MAMMALS; PLANT DISPERSAL; POPULATION DENSITY; SEASONS; SOIL;

KENYA;

POACEAE;

EID: 84868199158     PISSN: 00218790     EISSN: 13652656     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2656.2012.02000.x     Document Type: Article

References (74)

1. Anderson, T.M., Hopcraft, J.G.C., Eby, S., Ritchie, M.E., Grace, J.B. & Olff, H. (2010) Landscape-scale analyses suggest both nutrient and antipredator advantages to Serengeti herbivore hotspots. Ecology, 91, 1519-1529.
2. Augustine, D. & McNaughton, S. (2006) Interactive effects of ungulate herbivores, soil fertility, and variable rainfall on ecosystem processes in a semi-arid savanna. Ecosystems, 9, 1242-1256.
3. Augustine, D.J., Veblen, K.E., Goheen, J.R., Riginos, C. & Young, T.P. (2011) Pathways for positive cattle-wildlife interactions in semiarid rangelands. Conserving Wildlife in African Landscapes: Kenya's Ewaso Ecosystem (ed. N.J. Georgiadis), pp. 55-71. Smithsonian Institution Scholarly Press, Washington, District of Columbia.
4. Boutton, T.W., Tieszen, L.L. & Imbamba, S.K. (1988a) Biomass dynamics of grassland vegetation in Kenya, East Africa. African Journal of Ecology, 26, 89-102.
5. Boutton, T.W., Tieszen, L.L. & Imbamba, S.K. (1988b) Seasonal changes in the nutrient content of East African grassland vegetation. African Journal of Ecology, 26, 103-115.
6. Bro-Jørgensen, J., Brown, M. & Pettorelli, N. (2008) Using the satellite-derived normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) to explain ranging patterns in a lek-breeding antelope: the importance of scale. Oecologia, 158, 177-182.
7. Broten, M.D. & Said, M. (1995) Population trends of ungulates in and around Kenya's Maasai Mara Reserve. Dynamics, Management and Conservation of an Ecosystem (eds A.R.E. Sinclair & P. Arcese), pp. 169-193. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, Illinois.
8. Burnham, K.P. & Anderson, D.R. (2002) Model Selection and Multimodel Inference: A Practical Information-theoretic Approach. Springer-Verlag, New York, New York.
9. Butt, B., Shortridge, A. & WinklerPrins, A.M.G.A. (2009) Pastoral herd management, drought coping strategies, and cattle mobility in Southern Kenya. Annals of the Association of American Geographers, 99, 309-334.
10. Cade, S.B. & Noon, B.R. (2003) A gentle introduction to quantile regression. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 8, 412-420.
11. Camberlin, P., Martiny, N., Philippon, N. & Richard, Y. (2007) Determinants of the interannual relationships between remote sensed photosynthetic activity and rainfall in tropical Africa. Remote Sensing of Environment, 106, 199-216.
12. Coe, M.J., Cumming, D.H. & Phillipson, J. (1976) Biomass and production of large African herbivores in relation to rainfall and primary production. Oecologia, 22, 341-354.
13. Cromsigt, J.P.G.M. & Olff, H. (2006) Resource partitioning among savanna grazers mediated by local heterogeniety: an experimental aprroach. Ecology, 87, 1532-1541.
14. Davenport, M.L. & Nicholson, S.E. (1993) On the relation between rainfall and the normalized difference vegetation index for diverse vegetation types in East Africa. International Journal of Remote Sensing, 14, 2369-2389.
15. Demment, M.W. & Van Soest, P.J. (1985) A nutritional explanation for body-size patterns of ruminant and nonruminant herbivores. The American Naturalist, 125, 641-672.
16. Deshmukh, I.K. (1984) A common relationship between precipitation and grassland peak biomass for East and southern Africa. African Journal of Ecology, 22, 181-186.
17. Du Toit, J.T. & Cumming, D.H.M. (1999) Functional significance of ungulate diversity in African savannas and the ecological implications of the spread of pastoralism. Biodiversity and Conservation, 8, 1643-1661.
18. East, R. (1984) Rainfall, soil nutrient status and biomass of large African savanna mammals. African Journal of Ecology, 22, 245-270.
19. Fryxell, J.M. (1995) Aggregation and migration by grazing ungulates in relation to resources and predators. Serengeti II: Dynamics, Management, and Conservation of an Ecosystem (eds A.R.E. Sinclair & P. Arcese), pp. 257-273. Chicago University Press, Chicago.
20. Fryxell, J.M., Wilmshurst, J.F., Sinclair, A.R.E., Haydon, D.T., Holt, R.D. & Abrams, P.A. (2005) Landscape scale, heterogeneity, and the viability of Serengeti grazers. Ecology Letters, 8, 328-335.
21. Fynn, R.W.S. & Bonyongo, M.C. (2010) Functional conservation areas and the future of Africa's wildlife. African Journal of Ecology, 49, 175-188.
22. Galvin, K.A., Reid, R.S., Behnke, R.H. & Hobbs, N.T. (2008) Fragmentation in Semi-arid and Arid Landscapes: Consequences for Human and Natural Systems. Springer, Dordrecht, The Netherlands.
23. Georgiadis, N.G. & McNaughton, S.J. (1990) Elemental and fibre contents of savanna grasses: variaion with grazing, soil type, season, and species. Journal of Applied Ecology, 27, 623-634.
24. Georgiadis, N.J., Olwero, J.G.N., Ojwang, G. & Romañach, S.S. (2007) Savanna herbivore dynamics in a livestock-dominated landscape: I. Dependence on land use, rainfall, density, and time. Biological conservation, 137, 461-472.
25. Homewood, K., Lambin, E.F., Coast, E., Kariuki, A., Kikula, I., Kivelia, J., Said, M., Serneels, S. & Thompson, M. (2001) Long-term changes in Serengeti-Mara wildebeest and land cover: pastoralism, population, or policies?Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 98, 12544-12549.
26. Hopcraft, J.G.C., Olff, H. & Sinclair, A.R.E. (2010) Herbivores, resources and risks:alternating regulation along primary environmental gradients in savannas. Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 25, 119-128.
27. Hopcraft, J.G.C., Sinclair, A.R.E. & Packer, C. (2005) Planning for success: Serengeti lions seek prey accessibility rather than abundance. Journal of Animal Ecology, 74, 559-566.
28. Hopcraft, J.G.C., Anderson, T.M., Pérez Vila, S., Mayemba, E. & Olff, H. (2012) Body size and the division of niche space: food and predation differentially shape the distribution of Serengeti grazers. Journal of Animal Ecology, 81, 201-213.
29. Iverson, L.R., Dale, M.E., Scott, C.T. & Prasad, A. (1997) A GIS-derived integrated moisture index to predict forest composition and productivity of Ohio forests (U.S.A.). Landscape Ecology, 12, 331-348.
30. Jarman, P.J. (1974) The social organisation of antelope in relation to their ecology. Behaviour, 48, 215-267.
31. Kawamura, K., Akiyama, T., Yokata, H., Tsutsumi, M., Yasuda, T., Watanabe, O. & Wang, S. (2005) Quantifying grazing intensities using geographic information systems and satellite remote sensing in the Xilingol steppe region, Inner Mongolia. Agriculture Ecosystems and Environment, 107, 83-93.
32. Koenker, R. (2005) Quantile Regression. Cambridge University Press, New York, New York.
33. Koenker, R. & Hallock, K.F. (2001) Quantile regression. The Journal of Economic Perspectives, 15, 143-156.
34. Lamprey, R.H. & Reid, R.S. (2004) Expansion of human settlement in Kenya's Maasai Mara: what future for pastoralism and wildlife?Journal of Biogeography, 31, 997-1032.
35. McNaughton, S.J. (1988) Mineral-nutrition and spatial concentrations of African ungulates. Nature, 334, 343-345.
36. McNaughton, S.J. (1990) Mineral nutrition and seasonal movements of African migratory ungulates. Nature, 345, 613-615.
37. Msoffe, F.U., Ogutu, J.O., Kaaya, J., Bedelian, C., Said, M.Y., Kifugo, S.C., Reid, R.S., Neselle, M., Gardingen, P.v. & Simon Thirgood, S. (2010) Participatory wildlife surveys in communal lands: a case study from Simanjiro, Tanzania. African Journal of Ecology, 48, 727-735.
38. Mueller, T., Olson, K.A., Fuller, T.K., Schaller, G.B., Murray, M.G. & Leimgruber, P. (2008) In search of forage: predicting dynamic habitats of Mongolian gazelles using satellite-based estimates of vegetation productivity. Journal of Applied Ecology, 45, 649-658.
39. Norton-Griffiths, M. (1978) Counting Animals. African Leadership Foundation, Nairobi.
40. Norton-Griffiths, M., Said, M., Serneels, S., Kaelo, D.S., Coughenour, M., Lampry, R.H., Thompson, D.M. & Reid, R.S. (2008) Land use economics in the Mara Area of the Serengeti Ecosystem. Serengeti III: Human Impacts on Ecosystem Dynamics (eds A.R.E. Sinclair, C. Packer, S.A.R. Mduma & J.M. Fryxell), pp. 379-416. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, Illinois.
41. Odadi, W.O., Karachi, M.K., Abdulrazak, S.A. & Young, T.P. (2011) African wild ungulates compete with or facilitate cattle depending on season. Science, 333, 1753-1755.
42. Ogutu, J.O., Bhola, N. & Reid, R. (2005) The effects of pastoralism and protection on the density and distribution of carnivores and their prey in the Mara ecosystem of Kenya. Journal of Zoology, 265, 281-293.
43. Ogutu, J.O., Piepho, H.-P., Dublin, H.T., Reid, R.S. & Bhola, N. (2006) Application of mark-recapture methods to lions: satisfying assumptions by using covariates to explain heterogeneity. Journal of Zoology, 269, 161-174.
44. Ogutu, J.O., Piepho, H.P., Dublin, H.T., Bhola, N. & Reid, R.S. (2008) Rainfall influences on ungulate population abundance in the Mara-Serengeti ecosystem. Journal of Animal Ecology, 77, 814-829.
45. Ogutu, J.O., Piepho, H.P., Dublin, H.T., Bhola, N. & Reid, R.S. (2009) Dynamics of Mara-Serengeti ungulates in relation to land use changes. Journal of Zoology, 278, 1-14.
46. Ogutu, J.O., Owen-Smith, N., Piepho, H.-P. (2011) Continuing wildlife population declines and range contraction in the Mara region of Kenya during 1977-2009. Journal of Zoology, 285, 99-109.
47. Olff, H., Ritchie, M.E. & Prins, H.H.T. (2002) Global environmental controls of diversity in large herbivores. Nature, 415, 901-904.
48. Owen-Smith, N. (1988) Megaherbivores: The Influence of Very Large Body Size on Ecology. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
49. Owen-Smith, N. (2004) Functional heterogeneity in resources within landscapes and herbivore population dynamics. Landscape Ecology, 19, 1-771.
50. Pennycuick, L. & Norton-Griffiths, M. (1976) Fluctuations in the rainfall of the Serengeti ecosystem, Tanzania. Journal of Biogeography, 3, 239-245.
51. Pettorelli, N., Vik, J.O., Mysterud, A., Gaillard, J.-M., Tucker, C.J. & Stenseth, N.C. (2005) Using the satellite-derived NDVI to assess ecological responses to environmental change. Trends in Ecology and Evolution, 9, 503-510.
52. Pettorelli, N., Ryan, S., Mueller, T., Bunnefeld, N., Je{ogonek}drzejewska, B., Lima, M. & Kausrud, K. (2011) The Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI): unforeseen successes in animal ecology. Climate Research, 46, 15-27.
53. Prins, H.T. (1992) The pastoral road to extinction: competition between wildlife and traditional pastoralism in East Africa. Environmental Conservation, 19, 117-123.
54. Reid, R.S., Galvin, K.A. & Russell, S.K. (2008) Global significance of extensive grazing lands and pastoral societies: an introduction. Fragmentation in Semi-arid and Arid Landscapes: Consequences for Human and Natural Systems (eds K.A. Galvin, R.S. Reid, R.H. Behnke & N.T. Hobbs), pp. 1-24. Springer, Dordrecht, The Netherlands.
55. Reid, R.S., Rainy, M., Ogutu, J., Kruska, R.L., Kimani, K., Nyabenge, M., McCartney, M., Kshatriya, M., Worden, J., Ng'ang'a, L., Owuor, J., Kinoti, J., Njuguna, E., Wilson, C.J. & Lamprey, R. (2003) People, Wildlife and Livestock in the Mara Ecosystem: The Mara Count 2002. International Livestock Research Institute, Nairobi, Kenya.
56. Riginos, C. & Grace, J.B. (2008) Savanna tree density, herbivores, and the herbaceous community: bottom-up versus top-down effects. Ecology, 89, 2228-2238.
57. Saba, A.R.K. (1979) Predator-prey interactions: a case-study in the Masai-Mara Game Reserve, Kenya. Wildlife Management in Savanna Woodland (eds S.S. Ajayi & L.B. Halstead), pp. 41-49. Taylor & Francis, London.
58. Scheel, D. & Packer, C. (1995) Variation in predation by lions: tracking a movable feast. Serengeti II: Dynamics, Management, and Conservation of an Ecosystem (eds A.R.E. Sinclair & P. Arcese), pp. 299-314. Chicago University Press, Chicago, Illinois.
59. Scholes, R.J. & Archer, S.R. (1997) Tree-grass interactions in savannas. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics, 28, 517-544.
60. Sensenig, R.L., Demment, M.W. & Laca, E.A. (2010) Allometric scaling predicts preferences for burned patches in a guild of East African grazers. Ecology, 91, 2898-2907.
61. Serneels, S. & Lambin, E.F. (2001) Impact of land-use changes on the wildebeest migration in the northern part of the Serengeti-Mara ecosystem. Journal of Biogeography, 28, 391-407.
62. Serneels, S., Said, M.Y. & Lambin, E.F. (2001) Land cover changes around a major east African wildlife reserve: the Mara Ecosystem (Kenya). International Journal of Remote Sensing, 22, 3397-3420.
63. Sinclair, A.R.E. (1979) Serengeti: Dynamics of an Ecosystem. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, Illinois.
64. Sinclair, A.R.E. & Arcese, P. (1995a) Population consequences of predation-sensitive foraging: the serengeti wildebeest. Ecology, 76, 882-891.
65. Sinclair, A.R.E. & Arcese, P. (1995b) Serengeti in the context of worldwide conservation. Dynamics, Management, and Conservation of an Ecosystem (eds A.R.E. Sinclair & P. Arcese), pp. 31-46. Chicago University Press, Chicago, Illinois.
66. Sinclair, A.R.E., Mduma, S. & Brashares, J.S. (2003) Patterns of predation in a diverse predator-prey system. Nature, 425, 288-290.
67. Stelfox, J.G., Peden, D.G., Epp, H., Hudson, R.J., Mbugua, S.W., Agatsiva, J.L. & Amuyunzu, C.L. (1986) Herbivore dynamics in Southern Narok, Kenya. The Journal of Wildlife Management, 50, 339-347.
68. Talbot, L.M. & Talbot, M.H. (1963) The wildebeest in Western Maasailand, East Africa. Wildlife Monographs No.12.
69. Terborgh, J., Schaik, C.V., Davenport, L. & Rao, M. (2002) Making Parks Work. Strategies for Preserving Tropical Nature. Island Press, Washington, District of Columbia.
70. Treydte, A.C., Looringh van Beeck, F.A., Ludwig, F. & Heitkönig, I.M.A. (2008) Improved quality of beneath-canopy grass in South African savannas: local and seasonal variation. Journal of Vegetation Science, 19, 663-670.
71. Valeix, M.L., Loveridge, A.J., Chamaille-Jammes, S., Davidson, Z., Murindagomo, F., Fritz, H. & Macdonald, D.W. (2009) Behavioral adjustments of African herbivores to predation risk by lions: spatiotemporal variations influence habitat use. Ecology, 90, 23-30.
72. Veblen, K. & Young, T.P. (2010) Contrasting effects of cattle and wildlife on th vegetation development of a savanna landscape mosaic. Journal of Ecology, 98, 993-1001.
73. Western, D., Russell, S. & Cuthill, I. (2009) The status of wildlife in protected areas compared to non-protected areas of Kenya. PLoS ONE, 4, 1-6.
74. Wilmshurst, J.F., Fryxell, J.M. & Colucci, P. (1999) What constrains daily intake in Thomson's gazelles?Ecology, 80, 2338-2347.