Population characteristics and coexistence of puku (Kobus vardonii) and impala (Aepyceros melampus) in and around Kafue National Park, Zambia

Rduch, Vera

doi:10.1016/j.mambio.2016.03.005

Cited by 10 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 38 publications

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“…To refine this analysis, we split the 18 transects into smaller segments to produce finer sampling units for which we recorded covariates. We segmented each transect based Herbivore densities in KNP are low as a result of anthropogenic prey depletion (Midlane, 2014;Rduch, 2016) except for areas immediately adjacent to the Kafue River, so these surveys provided enough sightings to fit distance sampling models for only three species (impala, puku, and warthog). A set of similarly sized grazers (hartebeest, roan, wildebeest, and zebra) had too few sightings to allow for separate analysis, so we pooled these sightings to yield a total of 71 observations, which allowed a precise estimate of their collective density that corrected for the effects of vegetation type and distance on detection.…”

Section: Species Densitiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Changes in African large carnivore diets over the past half‐century reveal the loss of large prey

Creel

Matandiko

Schuette

et al. 2018

Journal of Applied Ecology

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Globally, large carnivores are declining due to direct persecution, habitat loss, and prey depletion. The effects of prey depletion could be amplified by changes in the composition of the herbivore (prey) community that provoke changes in carnivore diets, but this possibility has received little attention. We tested for changes over the past half‐century in prey selection by the large carnivore guild in Zambia's Kafue National Park (KNP). Across 52 predator–prey dyads, 71% of the observed changes showed that large prey have become less important and small prey have become more important. Consequently, dietary niche breadth has decreased for KNP carnivores and niche overlap has increased. We tested whether changes in the importance of prey species are related to their current abundance and uniformly found that prey that have increased in importance are now relatively common, while those that have decreased in importance are now relatively rare. We identify four potential effects of these changes for conservation (through intraguild competition, group size, the energetics of hunting, and vulnerability to snaring) that warrant investigation. Synthesis and applications. Patterns of prey selection by the large carnivores in Kafue National Park (KNP) have changed appreciably over the past half‐century. Decreased predation on large prey, which are now relatively rare, has caused niche compression and increased overlap in carnivore diets. Predation by all KNP large carnivores now concentrates on four small prey species that remain relatively abundant (impala, puku, lechwe, and warthog). Methods to detect such changes in interactions between species are well‐established, but are rarely applied to large carnivore‐ungulate systems. To guide conservation of ecosystem function, monitoring programmes should consider whether prey depletion alters the patterns of predation or competition within the predator guild because these interactions strongly affect the distribution and abundance of both predators and prey. If the patterns seen in KNP are general, then where carnivores are limited by prey depletion, conservation efforts will be most effective if they focus on mitigating the loss of large prey. In KNP, targeted efforts to protect prey larger than 200 kg, particularly buffalo, should be a priority.

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Section: Species Densitiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Changes in African large carnivore diets over the past half‐century reveal the loss of large prey

Creel

Matandiko

Schuette

et al. 2018

Journal of Applied Ecology

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“…Finally, even when methods that account for detection are used, a common approach is to model the density of groups with distance sampling [10] and then convert group density to individual density using a mean group size [10,12]. This conversion uses either mean group size across all observations or across focal categorical variables, such as vegetation types [13]. Because ungulate group size is typically influenced by the same variables that affect the distribution of herds, this approach may not be entirely accurate.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Do protection gradients explain patterns in herbivore densities? An example with ungulates in Zambia’s Luangwa Valley

et al. 2019

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Ungulate populations face declines across the globe, and populations are commonly conserved by using protected areas. However, assessing the effectiveness of protected areas in conserving ungulate populations has remained difficult. Using herd size data from four years of line transect surveys and distance sampling models, we modeled population densities of four important herbivore species across a gradient of protection on the edge of Zambia’s South Luangwa National Park (SLNP) while accounting for the role of various ecological and anthropogenic variables. Our goal was to test whether protection was responsible for density dynamics in this protection gradient, and whether a hunting moratorium impacted herbivore densities during the studies. For all four species, we estimated lower densities in partially protected buffer areas adjacent to SLNP (ranging from 4.5-fold to 13.2-fold lower) compared to protected parklands. Density trends through the study period were species-specific, with some species increasing, decreasing, or remaining stable in all or some regions of the protection gradient. Surprisingly, when controlling for other covariates, we found that these observed differences were not always detectably related to the level of protection or year. Our findings highlight the importance of accounting for variables beyond strata of interest in evaluating the effectiveness of a protected area. This study highlights the importance of comprehensively modeling ungulate population density across protection gradients, identifies lands within an important protection gradient for targeted conservation and monitoring, documents prey depletion and expands our understanding on the drivers in a critical buffer area in Zambia.

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“…Puku and waterbuck can be considered equally important prey for hyaena in the study areas. Comparable to the closely related kob antelopes ( Kobus kob ) in Senegal (Di Silvestre, Novelli & Bogliani, ), puku reach high population densities in the study areas, especially in grassland areas (Rduch, ), which make it an ideal prey for hyaenas. Spotted hyaenas also consume hartebeest species (Di Silvestre, Novelli & Bogliani, ) or sable (Henschel & Skinner, ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 84%

“…) both adjoining the Kafue River, situated on its eastern bank (26°22′27E‐26°25′35E, 14°39′5S‐14°41′60S and 26°58′43E‐26°4′21E, 15°11′27S‐15°20′2S). The search for scats (27 August to 6 September 2010 in the northern study area and 10 July to 25 September 2010 in the southern study area) was conducted at random while performing other research tasks (Rduch, ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Population characteristics and coexistence of puku (Kobus vardonii) and impala (Aepyceros melampus) in and around Kafue National Park, Zambia

Cited by 10 publications

References 38 publications

Changes in African large carnivore diets over the past half‐century reveal the loss of large prey

Changes in African large carnivore diets over the past half‐century reveal the loss of large prey

Do protection gradients explain patterns in herbivore densities? An example with ungulates in Zambia’s Luangwa Valley

A snapshot into the spotted hyaena's feeding ecology (Crocuta crocuta) in the miombo woodland of Zambia

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