Abstract
We investigated space-use patterns of the West African savanna buffalo (Syncerus caffer brachyceros), a littlestudied subspecies occurring at the northern limit of the African buffalo’s geographical range. This buffalo generally ranges in small herds (about 45 individuals) and has a low body mass (approximately 400 kg) relative to the Cape buffalo (S. c. caffer). We monitored the movements of 7 breeding herds in W Regional Park (Burkina Faso, Benin, Niger) using global positioning system collars and activity data loggers. Habitat selection was analyzed at both large (interseasonal) and small (intraseasonal) scales in a context where resources are segregated spatially at some times of year. Both biotic (primary production and vegetation types) and abiotic (timing of rainfall and surface water) covariates, and the extent to which neighboring herds shared space, were considered. In the dry season buffalo herds ranged close (within 5.3 6 2.0 km, mean 6 SD) to segments of permanent rivers. At the onset of the monsoon all herds but 1 (which had year-round access to suitable resources) performed a large (35 6 10 km) directional movement in response to a large-scale gradient of primary production. Spatiotemporal dynamics of forage and water resources thus jointly stimulated interseasonal directional movements and shaped large (335 6 167 km 2 ) annual home ranges. Furthermore, the establishment of home ranges in the wet season appears to be conditioned by a threshold (about 10%) in the availability of perennial grasses. Habitat-selection analysis at intraseasonal scale also underlines the key role played by perennial grasses for buffaloes. The spatial arrangements of home ranges of neighboring herds also suggest that interherd behavioral avoidance is a high-level constraint on foraging processes. The ability of the African buffalo to cope with contrasting environmental conditions throughout most sub-Saharan ecosystems highlights the high behavioral plasticity of this species.
Highlights
BioOne Complete is a full-text database of 200 subscribed and open-access titles in the biological, ecological, and environmental sciences published by nonprofit societies, associations, museums, institutions, and presses
We assessed the preference for perennials at the larger scale through the change in their relative availability from late dry season (LDS) to early wet season (EWS) home ranges when the water constraint was relaxed; that is, we looked at the extent to which buffalo herds shifted their home ranges from the LDS to the EWS in search of areas offering a better coverage of perennials when they were no longer constrained to exploit areas close to permanent river segments
At the small scale we investigated whether normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) can predict space-use intensity within LDS and EWS home ranges by determining the extent to which NDVI and utilization distributions (UDs) values were correlated
Summary
BioOne Complete (complete.BioOne.org) is a full-text database of 200 subscribed and open-access titles in the biological, ecological, and environmental sciences published by nonprofit societies, associations, museums, institutions, and presses. Your use of this PDF, the BioOne Complete website, and all posted and associated content indicates your acceptance of BioOne’s Terms of Use, available at www.bioone.org/terms-of-use. Usage of BioOne Complete content is strictly limited to personal, educational, and non - commercial use. BioOne sees sustainable scholarly publishing as an inherently collaborative enterprise connecting authors, nonprofit publishers, academic institutions, research libraries, and research funders in the common goal of maximizing access to critical research. DANIEL CORNE LIS,* SIMON BENHAMOU, GEORGES JANEAU, NICOLAS MORELLET, MOUMOUNI OUEDRAOGO, AND MARIE-NOE L DE VISSCHER
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