Spatial and temporal variation in nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations in faeces from springbok in the Kalahari

Abstract

The nutritional status of springbok, Antidorcas marsupialis, in the Kalahari was assessed in four habitats and three seasons by means of faecal profiling. Habitat only had a significant effect on the faecal nitrogen concentration in the cold–dry season, whereas faecal phosphorus concentrations showed no significant differences across habitats within a season. Seasonal differences in faecal nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations were more pronounced than habitat differences. Both faecal nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations differed significantly seasonally in the Nossob riverbed and in the dunes. Faecal concentrations of phosphorus and nitrogen were similar to that of springbok in other areas, but faecal nitrogen and phosphorus were below the critical range during the cold–dry season in the dune habitat and at a critically low level in the Nossob riverbed. Springbok in the southwestern Kalahari may experience nutritional stress during the dry winter period, especially in the interior dune fields.