Abstract
An understanding of the habitat selection patterns by wild herbivores is critical for adaptive management, particularly towards ecosystem management and wildlife conservation in semi arid savanna ecosystems. We tested the following predictions: (i) surface water availability, habitat quality and human presence have a strong influence on the spatial distribution of wild herbivores in the dry season, (ii) habitat suitability for large herbivores would be higher compared to medium-sized herbivores in the dry season, and (iii) spatial extent of suitable habitats for wild herbivores will be different between years, i.e., 2006 and 2010, in Matetsi Safari Area, Zimbabwe. MaxEnt modeling was done to determine the habitat suitability of large herbivores and medium-sized herbivores. MaxEnt modeling of habitat suitability for large herbivores using the environmental variables was successful for the selected species in 2006 and 2010, except for elephant (Loxodonta africana) for the year 2010. Overall, large herbivores probability of occurrence was mostly influenced by distance from rivers. Distance from roads influenced much of the variability in the probability of occurrence of medium-sized herbivores. The overall predicted area for large and medium-sized herbivores was not different. Large herbivores may not necessarily utilize larger habitat patches over medium-sized herbivores due to the habitat homogenizing effect of water provisioning. Effect of surface water availability, proximity to riverine ecosystems and roads on habitat suitability of large and medium-sized herbivores in the dry season was highly variable thus could change from one year to another. We recommend adaptive management initiatives aimed at ensuring dynamic water supply in protected areas through temporal closure and or opening of water points to promote heterogeneity of wildlife habitats.
Highlights
Understanding the processes driving habitat selection and or the suitability of habitat patches by wild herbivores is essential in conservation biology as it provides insights into the processes driving population dynamics, community structure and functioning in ecosystems [1, 2]
We predicted that surface water availability, vegetation cover and human presence would have a strong influence on the spatial distribution of wild herbivores in the dry season for both large and medium-sized herbivores
We predicted that surface water availability, vegetation cover and roads would have a strong influence on the spatial distribution of wild herbivores, and that habitat suitability for large herbivores would be higher compared to medium-sized herbivores in the dry season
Summary
Understanding the processes driving habitat selection and or the suitability of habitat patches by wild herbivores is essential in conservation biology as it provides insights into the processes driving population dynamics, community structure and functioning in ecosystems [1, 2]. In this regard, habitat selection theory has greatly influenced the understanding of dispersal, source-sink dynamics, occupation and avoidance of ecological traps in natural ecosystems [3]. Fire has been observed to influence vegetation cover affecting the suitability of habitat patches subjected to unplanned and frequent fires [24, 27]
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