Five small antelope species diets indicate different levels of anthrodependence in the Overberg Renosterveld, South Africa

Abstract

AbstractThe Overberg area, Western Cape, South Africa is highly suitable for agricultural practices and has subsequently been severely transformed over the last four centuries. This has created a novel habitat for many wildlife species. The objective of this study was to determine the forage use of five antelope species and thereby assess their level of anthrodependence in terms of diet. The five species were bushbuck (Tragelaphus sylvaticus), Cape grysbok (Rhaphicerus melanotis), common duiker (Sylvicapra grimmia), grey rhebok (Pelea capreolus) and steenbok (Rhaphicerus campestris). To do this, we performed a histological analysis on dung samples collected. Our study indicated a high ratio of anthropogenic to natural vegetation in the diets of bushbuck, grey rhebok and steenbok, as anthropogenic vegetation presented a high nutrient food resource, which is easily accessible. However, Cape grysbok and common duiker indicated a higher use of natural vegetation. The results indicated that all the species benefit from the resources offered by the altered landscape and that some species may be dependent on these resources while others appear to be more dependent on the pockets of natural vegetation in the landscape.