A Synopsis of Field and Remote Sensing Based Methods for Studying African Elephant (Loxodonta Africana) Impact on Woody Vegetation in Africa

Nkosi, S.E.; Adam, Elhadi; Barrett, Alan S.; Brown, Luther

doi:10.15666/aeer/1702_40454066

Cited by 4 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…The proposed modelling framework can also be applied to the problems of environmental management and conservation, where indices of abundance are widely used to monitor wild animal populations and their impact on biodiversity, agriculture or another species' ability to survive and to guide management decisions [3,63,70]. Examples of recent studies that have used multiple indices of abundance include invasive roof rat and deer mouse populations in orchards [71]; the threatened survival of native species owing to invasive small mammals on islands [72]; the impact of rats and possums in New Zealand [73]; and the effect of elephants on woody vegetation in sub-Saharan Africa [74].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A multivariate geostatistical framework for combining multiple indices of abundance for disease vectors and reservoirs: a case study ofrattinessin a low-income urban Brazilian community

Eyre

Carvalho-Pereira

Souza

et al. 2020

J. R. Soc. Interface.

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A key requirement in studies of endemic vector-borne or zoonotic disease is an estimate of the spatial variation in vector or reservoir host abundance. For many vector species, multiple indices of abundance are available, but current approaches to choosing between or combining these indices do not fully exploit the potential inferential benefits that might accrue from modelling their joint spatial distribution. Here, we develop a class of multivariate generalized linear geostatistical models for multiple indices of abundance. We illustrate this novel methodology with a case study on Norway rats in a low-income urban Brazilian community, where rat abundance is a likely risk factor for human leptospirosis. We combine three indices of rat abundance to draw predictive inferences on a spatially continuous latent process, rattiness , that acts as a proxy for abundance. We show how to explore the association between rattiness and spatially varying environmental factors, evaluate the relative importance of each of the three contributing indices and assess the presence of residual, unexplained spatial variation, and identify rattiness hotspots. The proposed methodology is applicable more generally as a tool for understanding the role of vector or reservoir host abundance in predicting spatial variation in the risk of human disease.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A multivariate geostatistical framework for combining multiple indices of abundance for disease vectors and reservoirs: a case study ofrattinessin a low-income urban Brazilian community

Eyre

Carvalho-Pereira

Souza

et al. 2020

J. R. Soc. Interface.

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“…This megaherbivore requires large spaces for survival and to meet its dietary, hydration and mating requirements (Ngene et al, 2017). For instance, it requires between ~10 km 2 to more than 8000 km 2 dwelling range (Ngene et al, 2017) and consumes approximately one-tenth of its body mass in plant material every day (Nkosi et al, 2019). The large area required to sustain its dietary requirements often results in encroachment into human-modified landscapes, with consequent human-elephant conflict (Hoare, 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These factors include water availability (Charmaillé‐Jammes et al, 2007), forage (Charmaillé‐Jammes et al, 2013), human settlements (Buchholtz et al, 2019; Gara, 2014) and elevation (Wall et al, 2006). A typical home range may be spread across different environments and landscapes (Grainger et al, 2005; Nkosi et al, 2019). An animal's home range is quantified from its space use by analysing the spread of areas visited (Worton, 1989).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Home range and space use by African elephants (Loxodonta africana) in Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe

et al. 2021

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This study examined the African elephant's (Loxodonta africana) seasonal space use and movement using elephant telemetry data in Hwange National Park. The adaptivelocal convex hull (a-LoCoH) was adopted to understand the elephant movement metrics and home range. Paired t test was used to compare the mean seasonal speed of each group (n = 10) of elephants, while the Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to determine differences in the 50% and 90% home range. Results show that mean elephant movement speed significantly differed (t = −3.07, df = , p < 0.01) for all elephant groups across seasons. Moreover, significant differences (W = 3, Z = 2.4973, p < 0.012) were observed between core a-LoCoH home-range distributions for the wet and dry seasons. However, no significant differences (W = 10, Z = 1.7838, p > 0.05) were detected between the two seasons for the total (90%) a-LoCoH ranges. NDVI, Distance to water sources and Slope were positively related with elephant movement speed while Aspect and Distance to roads were negatively related with elephant speed.These findings underscore the importance of resource variability in driving elephant movement and foraging behaviour in a semi-arid savannah ecosystem.

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A multi-plot assessment of vegetation structure using a micro-unmanned aerial system (UAS) in a semi-arid savanna environment

Kolarik

Gaughan

Stevens

et al. 2020

ISPRS Journal of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing

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offered throughout this process. When I expressed interest in field work as a career goal, I was offered an opportunity to work in the field as part of a collaborative research effort and they shared their expertise. Both made themselves available to workshop methodological issues and academic decisions in the context of my work and larger goals. Through their mentorship, and that of the Geography Department as a whole, I have achieved well beyond what I initially intended as a student and am encouraged to carry the momentum forward. Dr. Carol Hanchette also deserves mention by name for inspiring me as a non-traditional undergraduate to pursue an advanced degree. Of course, no achievement would be possible without the dedicated partnership of Micki Scarborough and our loving dogs, providing more support than I probably deserve.

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A Synopsis of Field and Remote Sensing Based Methods for Studying African Elephant (Loxodonta Africana) Impact on Woody Vegetation in Africa

Abstract: Nkosi et al.: A synopsis of field and remote sensing based methods for studying African elephant (Loxodonta africana) impact on woody vegetation in Africa -4045 -APPLIED ECOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 17(2): 4045-4066. http://www.aloki.hu •

Cited by 4 publications

References 18 publications

A multivariate geostatistical framework for combining multiple indices of abundance for disease vectors and reservoirs: a case study ofrattinessin a low-income urban Brazilian community

A multivariate geostatistical framework for combining multiple indices of abundance for disease vectors and reservoirs: a case study ofrattinessin a low-income urban Brazilian community

Home range and space use by African elephants (Loxodonta africana) in Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe

A multi-plot assessment of vegetation structure using a micro-unmanned aerial system (UAS) in a semi-arid savanna environment

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