Ungulates In Relation Research Articles

Unique utilisation pattern responses of five sympatric ungulates to local phenological gradients

Context Ungulate life-history strategies and behaviour are driven by two dominant factors, namely, acquisition of nutrients and avoidance of predation. Although many studies have investigated single species resource/habitat selection, there are still gaps in our understanding of multi-species systems and resource partitioning. Aim We explored the habitat selection of five sympatric resident ungulates in relation to seasonal phenological gradients in a temperate grassland (Northern Great Plains) system. We identified and compared habitat-utilisation strategies across the vegetation-growing season and related to established forage acquisition hypotheses. Methods We collected ungulate detection data during two field seasons (July–October 2018, May–September 2019) across 202 sites and deployed 1202 cameras (29 284 camera-nights). We modelled ungulate detections in relation to normalised difference vegetation index (NDVI) and NDVI slope (rate and direction of change) to learn about ungulate resource selection in four habitat types (grass, prairie dog colonies, forest and riparian). Results We found unique foraging strategies for each of the focal species throughout the growing season (spring, summer, early autumn), which resulted in seasonal partitioning of resources among sympatric ungulate species. Conclusions The temporal and spatial patterns observed emphasise that multiple species can experience the same vegetation phenology and respond differently in their movements and foraging behaviour. At local scales, some ungulates selected for higher forage quantity (selection of higher NDVI) and some for higher forage quality (selection of positive NDVI slope or greening up). Implications The unique foraging strategies presented here indicated that generalisations are problematic when managing wildlife resources and emphasise the need to conduct multi-species studies to understand resource utilisation at local scales. Furthermore, understanding variation in foraging strategies of resident sympatric species can direct management planning where decreased connectivity or loss of migration pathways alters traditional behaviours.

How Roads Affect the Spatial Use of the Guanaco in a South American Protected Area: Human Connectivity vs Animal Welfare

Roads can affect animals as well as their habits at different levels. Avoidance behavior is a common response of animals to this type of perturbation, preventing access to areas rich in resources. The effects of roads on ungulates have not been studied in South America extensively, especially in arid environments. We have studied the space use by ungulates in relation to roads, using a dung heap count and camera traps. The aim was to evaluate whether paved road and unpaved road may have an effect on the spatial use of a low density population of guanacos (Lama guanicoe) in Ischigualasto Provincial Park, Argentina. We observed an increase in dung heap abundance in unpaved road as respect to paved road, this difference was larger for both. Besides, we recorded less individuals in paved road zones than in unpaved road zones. This showed that roads, especially paved roads, negatively affect the space used by guanacos. Our results are relevant to the management and conservation of animal populations in protected areas since spatial segregation due to the presence of roads may lead to the isolation of individuals. It is important to pay attention and further assess the effects that roads can have in the native fauna.

Una aproximación zooarqueológica a las prácticas de los cazadores-recolectores en el Alero Deodoro Roca (ca. 2970 AP), Valle de Ongamira, Córdoba

El interés particular de este trabajo se centra en estudiar las relaciones entre los cazadores-recolectores y los animales, utilizando como caso de estudio los restos faunísticos recuperados en el sitio Alero Deodoro Roca (ADR), que según dataciones radiocarbónicas se ubican en el Holoceno tardío (ca.2970 AP). Para caracterizar dichas interacciones se plantea una metodología que involucra análisis faunísticos tafonómicamente orientados y de distribución espacial en el sitio, utilizando como herramienta principal los sistemas de información geográficos (SIG). De esta manera,se intenta integrar aspectos metodológicos de la arqueología interpretativa y de la arqueología científica. A partir de los resultados observados se interpreta una mayor presencia de ungulados en relación con otras especies, y dentro de estos se destacan los guanacos (Lama guanicoe). A la vez, los análisis tafonómicos sugieren una buena conservación del conjunto faunístico, aunque se han podido evidenciar alteraciones tanto naturales como antrópicas. Los resultados de los análisis espaciales indican la realización de actividades diversas de procesamiento y combustión, con una mayor concentración en el sector Oeste de las excavaciones. De acuerdo a lo anterior, se concluye que se desarrollaron actividades reiteradas de procesamiento con diferentes fines y consumo, especialmente de guanacos, en el sector B del sitio ADR.

Home range use and movement patterns of non-native feral goats in a tropical island montane dry landscape.

Advances in wildlife telemetry and remote sensing technology facilitate studies of broad-scale movements of ungulates in relation to phenological shifts in vegetation. In tropical island dry landscapes, home range use and movements of non-native feral goats (Capra hircus) are largely unknown, yet this information is important to help guide the conservation and restoration of some of the world’s most critically endangered ecosystems. We hypothesized that feral goats would respond to resource pulses in vegetation by traveling to areas of recent green-up. To address this hypothesis, we fitted six male and seven female feral goats with Global Positioning System (GPS) collars equipped with an Argos satellite upload link to examine goat movements in relation to the plant phenology using the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). Movement patterns of 50% of males and 40% of females suggested conditional movement between non-overlapping home ranges throughout the year. A shift in NDVI values corresponded with movement between primary and secondary ranges of goats that exhibited long-distance movement, suggesting that vegetation phenology as captured by NDVI is a good indicator of the habitat and movement patterns of feral goats in tropical island dry landscapes. In the context of conservation and restoration of tropical island landscapes, the results of our study identify how non-native feral goats use resources across a broad landscape to sustain their populations and facilitate invasion of native plant communities.

Reproductive seasonality in African ungulates in relation to rainfall

Context Reproductive seasonality in ungulates has important fitness consequences but its relationship to resource seasonality is not yet fully understood, especially for ungulates inhabiting equatorial environments. Aims We test hypotheses concerning synchronisation of conception or parturition peaks among African ungulates with seasonal peaks in forage quality and quantity, indexed by rainfall. Methods We relate monthly apparent fecundity and juvenile recruitment rates to monthly rainfall for six ungulate species inhabiting the Masai Mara National Reserve (Mara) of Kenya, using cross-correlation analysis and distributed lag non-linear models. We compare the phenology and synchrony of breeding among the Mara ungulates with those for other parts of equatorial East Africa, with bimodal rainfall and less seasonal forage variation, and for subtropical southern Africa, with unimodal rainfall distribution and greater seasonal forage variation. Key results Births were more synchronised for topi, warthog and zebra than for hartebeest, impala and giraffe in the Mara, and for impala and hartebeest in southern than in eastern Africa. This pattern is likely to reflect regional differences in climate and plant phenology, hider–follower dichotomy and grazing versus browsing. All six species except the browsing giraffe apparently time the conception to occur in one wet season and births to occur just before the onset or during the next wet season, so as to maximise high-quality forage intake during conception and parturition. Fecundity and recruitment rates among the African ungulates peak at intermediate levels of rainfall and are reduced at low or excessive levels of rainfall. Fecundity rate is most strongly positively correlated with rainfall pre-conception, during conception and during early gestation, followed by rainfall at about the time of parturition for all the grazers. For giraffe, fecundity rate is most strongly correlated with rainfall during the gestation period. Conclusions Rainfall seasonality strongly influences reproductive seasonality and juvenile recruitment among African ungulates. The interaction of the rainfall influence with life-history traits and other factors leads to wide interspecific and regional variation. Implications Global climate change, especially widening annual rainfall variation expected to result from global warming, could reduce the predictability of the timing of peak forage availability and quality based on meteorological cues, the length of time with adequate nutrition or both, and hence reduce reproductive success among tropical ungulates.

Benefits of migration in a partially-migratory tropical ungulate

BackgroundPartial migration, where one portion of a population conducts seasonal migrations while the other remains on a single range, is common in wild ungulate populations. However the relative costs and benefits associated with the distinct strategies adopted by coexisting migrant and resident individuals have rarely been investigated. Here we compare the body condition of migrants and residents in a partially migratory population of impalas (Aepyceros melampus) in Zimbabwe. The study was conducted during two consecutive years with highly contrasted population densities (16.4 and 8.6 indiv/km2) due to harvesting.ResultsWe first identify a population substructure with a north–south sub-division in two spatial units related to distinct soils and vegetation cover. Impalas in the north range had a consistently higher diet quality and body condition than those in the south range. At the beginning of the dry season about one third of the individuals migrated from the lower (i.e. south) to the higher (i.e. north) diet quality range. This partial migration pattern was consistent between the consecutive years, and most individuals showed constancy to their moving strategy (migrant or resident). In both years, these migrants had a significantly higher body condition at the end of the dry season than the south residents that remained year-round in the lower diet quality range. Diet quality and body condition of impalas were higher in the year of lower density; however we did not detect any evidence for density-dependence in migration propensity, at the individual or population levels, nor in the benefit associated with migration.ConclusionsOur findings provide rare evidence for a significant relationship between body condition and seasonal migration strategy in wild ungulates in relation to a difference in the quality of resources acquired between distinct seasonal ranges. This study also constitutes rare evidence of partial migration in a tropical ungulate population.

Dynamics of ungulates in relation to climatic and land use changes in an insularized African savanna ecosystem

Land use change and human population growth are accelerating the fragmentation and insularization of wildlife habitats worldwide. The conservation and management of wildlife in the resultant ‘island’ ecosystems in the context of global warming is challenging due to the isolation and reduced size of the ecosystems and hence the scale over which ecosystem processes can operate. We analyzed trends in numbers of nine large herbivores in Kenya’s Lake Nakuru National Park to understand how rainfall and temperature variability, surrounding land use changes, and boundary fencing affected wildlife population dynamics inside the park during 1970–2011. Buffalo, zebra and Thomson’s gazelle numbers increased persistently. Grant’s gazelle and impala increased initially then gradually declined. Waterbuck and warthog numbers progressively declined to levels that potentially threatened their local population persistence. The total biomass of ungulates tripled from 1970 to 2011, with buffalo replacing waterbuck as the predominant species in biomass. Increased competition from buffalo and zebra, heightened predation and illicit human harvests probably all contributed to the declines by waterbuck and warthog. Density-dependent limitation of population growth within the park confines was evident for buffalo, impala, eland, giraffe, Grant’s and Thomson’s gazelles. Fluctuations in the lake level related to varying rainfall affected changes in animal abundance through expansion of the lake area and flooding of grasslands bordering the lake. Unusually, the most stressful conditions were associated with high water levels following high rainfall. There was also evidence of carry-over effects from prior habitat conditions affecting all species. The relatively stable populations of all species except warthog and waterbuck demonstrate the remarkable capacity of this small, insularized park to retain viable populations of most of the large herbivores, without much management intervention.

Past, present and future of wild ungulates in relation to changes in land use

In recent decades, Mediterranean landscapes have been experiencing more rapid changes in land use than usual, which have affected the ecology of the species inhabiting this biodiversity hotspot. Some studies have assessed the effect of such changes on biodiversity, but most of these were diachronic studies of population dynamics, or synchronic studies of species habitat selection, whereas few studies have simultaneously taken into account temporal changes in habitat composition and changes in species distribution. This study analysed the effects of land-use changes on the distribution of wild ungulates (Capreolus capreolus, Capra pyrenaica, Cervus elaphus and Sus scrofa). Using favourability function and Markov chain analysis combined with cellular automata, we addressed the following objectives: (i) to examine the environmental determinants of ungulate distribution in the past (1960s) and present (1990s), (ii) to model land use for 2040 to forecast future species distributions and (iii) to assess the biogeographical differences between the above-mentioned study periods (past–present and present–future). Species favourability was predicted to be more widely distributed in the present than in the past, but this increase varied across species. Areas predicted to be favourable in the present should remain stable in the future, but in addition there will be more new favourable areas not previously occupied by these species. The results are discussed from the perspective of the socio-economic relevance of wild ungulates in relation to some unfavourable areas of Mediterranean regions.

Dynamics of births and juvenile recruitment in Mara–Serengeti ungulates in relation to climatic and land use changes

AbstractNatality and recruitment govern animal population dynamics, but their responses to fluctuating resources, competition, predation, shifting habitat conditions, density feedback and diseases are poorly understood. To understand the influences of climatic and land use changes on population dynamics, we monitored monthly changes in births and juvenile recruitment in seven ungulate species for 15 years (1989–2003) in the Masai Mara Reserve of Kenya. Recruitment rates declined for all species but giraffe, likely due to habitat alteration and increasing vulnerability of animals associated with recurrent severe droughts, rising temperatures, unprecedentedly strong and prolonged El Niño‐Southern Oscillation (ENSO) episodes, expansion of settlements, cultivation and human population growth in pastoral ranches adjoining the reserve. Birth rate showed strong and humped relationships with moving averages of monthly rainfall, whereas recruitment responded strongly to cumulative past rainfall. Increasing livestock incursions into the reserve depressed recruitment rate for quarter‐grown topi. Expansion of pastoral settlements depressed birth rate in impala, zebra and giraffe. Frequent ENSO‐related droughts caused progressive habitat desiccation and hence nutritional shortfalls for ungulates. The responses to climatic, land use and resource influences did not reflect body size, migratory or resident lifestyle, dietary guild, digestive physiology or degree of synchrony of breeding of the ungulate species.

Dynamics of Mara–Serengeti ungulates in relation to land use changes

AbstractAnimal population dynamics can be driven by changing climatic forcing, shifting habitat conditions, trophic interactions and anthropogenic influences. To understand these influences, we analyzed trends in populations of seven ungulate species counted during 15 years (1989–2003) of monthly monitoring using vehicle ground counts in the Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya. Abundance of six species declined markedly and persistently throughout the reserve during this period. The declines were contemporaneous with progressive habitat deterioration due to changing land use in pastoral ranches bordering the reserve, habitat desiccation due to rising temperatures, recurrent severe droughts and an exceptional ENSO flood in 1997–1998. The effect of progressive habitat deterioration was accentuated by illicit harvest, competition with livestock and elevated predation. After factoring out the influence of rainfall, ungulate populations declined more markedly in sections of the reserve experiencing greater livestock incursions and poaching. The declines were significantly correlated with increasing number of settlements and people in the pastoral ranches for five species. Heightened predation following a crash in the buffalo Syncerus caffer population during a severe drought in 1993 had little support as the primary cause of the declines.

Habitat selection by ungulates in relation to predation risk by wolves and humans in the Białowieża Forest, Poland

Predation risk is an important factor influencing the distribution of ungulates and their impact on forest structure. However, simultaneous predation risk by wolves and humans is rarely considered in the analyses of habitat selection by ungulates. We counted ungulate pellets on transects to analyse the influence of wolves and humans on ungulate density distribution in the Białowieża Forest, Poland. We assessed whether (1) forest exploitation influenced ungulate habitat selection, (2) ungulate density was higher in areas without human hunting, (3) ungulates avoided the surroundings of a major road, (4) prey density was higher in the strife zone between home ranges of wolf packs both in the presence and absence of human hunting, (5) ungulates avoided areas selected by wolves, and (6) wolf kill sites were in high prey density areas. Red deer ( Cervus elaphus) and wild boar ( Sus scrofa) selected unexploited over exploited forests and areas without hunting, whereas roe deer ( Capreolus capreolus) preferred exploited forests. Wild boar and European bison ( Bison bonasus) avoided the area within 300 m of a major road, whereas we could not detect any avoidance by red or roe deer. Prey density was not higher in wolf strife zones, regardless of human hunting. Ungulates did not avoid areas selected by wolves. Wolves killed red deer in areas with prey density of about 4 red deer/km 2, regardless of whether the average red deer density in those areas was higher or lower. We conclude that habitat alteration by forest exploitation and hunting by humans influenced the density distribution of ungulates more than predation risk by wolves.

Are faecal hormone levels linked to winter progression, diet quality and social rank in young ungulates ? An experiment with white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) fawns

Hormones play a central role in the physiology and behaviour of animals. The recent development of noninvasive techniques has increased information on physical and social states of individuals through hormone measurements. The relationships among hormones, life history traits and behaviours are, however, still poorly known. For the first time, we evaluated natural winter glucocorticoid and testosterone levels in young ungulates in relation to winter progression, diet quality and social rank. Overwinter, levels of glucocorticoid and testosterone decreased, possibly due to the decline of fawns’ body mass. The relationships between hormone levels and diet quality were surprising: Fawns fed the control diet presented higher glucocorticoid and lower testosterone levels then fawns fed the poor diet, suggesting that control fawns faced a higher nutritional stress than those on the poor diet. Similarly to other studies on social mammals, we found no relationship between faecal glucocorticoid levels and social rank, suggesting that social stress was similar for dominant and subordinate fawns during winter. Testosterone levels were not correlated to social rank as found previously in groups of individuals forming stable social hierarchies and maintaining stable dominance relationships. The simultaneous suppression of glucocorticoid and testosterone levels suggests for the first time that young ungulates present a hormonal strategy to prevent fast depletion of limited proteins and fat resources during winter.

Spatial structure of roe deer populations: towards defining management units at a landscape scale

Summary A crucial question in wildlife management concerns the definition of ecologically meaningful management units. Management action needs to be co‐ordinated at the appropriate spatial scale. There are few practical tools for delimiting pertinent management units for large mammals such as ungulates. Previous work has favoured a molecular approach to determine genetically distinct units, but this may be too costly for routine management. In addition, recent studies have revealed fine‐scale heterogeneity in population dynamics of free‐ranging ungulates in relation to environmental variability. We combined spatial analysis of environmental heterogeneity (vegetation cover, topography and climate), animal morphology (jaw length) and genetic structure (microsatellites) to define biologically meaningful population units for roe deer Capreolus capreolus in the Belluno province, north‐eastern Italy. Jaw length is a sensitive measure of density‐dependence and a good proxy for spatial and temporal variation in roe deer population growth. Spatial analysis of environmental variables suggested that the study area should be divided into two, or possibly four, biogeographical regions in relation to variation in altitude and habitat type. There was significant spatial variability in jaw length across the province that clustered into two main regions (with shorter jaws in the north compared with the south), which matched the previously defined biogeographical regions. This spatial structuring was also supported by microsatellite analysis, which revealed two genetically distinct populations, one in the north and one in the south. Synthesis and applications. A multiparameter approach, combining environmental information with data on indices of density‐dependence such as jaw length, could be extremely useful for defining ecologically meaningful management units. Indeed, monitoring spatial and temporal variation in jaw length could provide deer managers with a simple way to index population structure and fluctuations in time and space.

Prey selection by terrestrial carnivores in a lower Pleistocene paleocommunity

We report quantitative paleoecologic data on the large mammal assemblage preserved in lower Pleistocene deposits at Venta Micena (Orce, Granada, southeastern Spain). Taphonomic studies show that bones were collected mainly by hyaenids, which transported and deposited them near shallow dens. Differential fragmentation of major long bones was produced by hyaenas as a function of their density and marrow content. Strong selection of prey by carnivores—which preferentially killed juveniles, females, and individuals with diminished locomotor capabilities among ungulate prey species of larger body size—is indicated by (1) the abundance of remains of juvenile ungulates in relation to the average weight of adult individuals in each species, (2) attritional mortality profiles for ungulate species deduced from crown height measurements, (3) the presence of many metapodials with different osteopathologies in their epiphyses, such as arthrosis, and (4) a biased intersexual ratio of large bovids. Comparison of the frequencies with which modern African carnivores kill and scavenge ungulates from various size classes with the abundance of these size categories in the assemblage suggests that the Venta Micena hyaena (Pachycrocuta brevirostris) was a bone-cracking scavenger that fed largely on carcasses of ungulates preyed upon and partially consumed by fresh meat-eating carnivores such us saber-toothed felids (Homotherium latidens and Megantereon whitei) and wild dogs (Canis falconeri).

Habitat use by indigenous grazing ungulates in relation to sward structure and veld condition

The objective of the study was to examine the relationships between the habitat requirements of different wild ungulate species, sward structure and veld condition. Veld condition score was correlated with sward height: habitats with high condition scores were dominated by tall grass species, whereas habitats with low scores were dominated by short grasses. This was because grass species that decrease as a result of heavy grazing ('decreaser’ species) are typically tall, whereas those that are promoted by grazing ('increaser’ species) are typically short. Grazers that require tall grasses (mountain zebra and red hartebeest) favoured habitat with high condition scores, whereas short grass grazers (black wildebeest) favoured range with low condition scores. The patch‐selective grazing habits of the short grass grazers tended to create short grass lawns dominated by increaser grasses. The relevance of veld condition assessment for areas managed to support wild grazing ungulates is discussed.

Habitat Preferences of African Ungulates Derived by Uni‐ and Multivariate Analyses

The paper presents a selection of results of a study of habitat preferences of 10 ungulate species on a South African nature reserve. Habitat parameters influencing the distribution of the ungulates were evaluated by incorporating a series of multiple regression analyses and correspondence analysis. The two approaches showed some similarities among preferences of ungulates in relation to the habitat parameters examined. Use of the combination of the broad view provided by the components of the correspondence analysis and the power of discrimination of individual parameters given by the multiple regression is suggested. The combination of different analytical approaches aids in overcoming limitations within each analysis and may provide further insights into the composition of the investigated system.

The behaviour of ungulates in relation to management, eds. V. Geist and F. Walther [Review

The behaviour of ungulates in relation to management, eds. V. Geist and F. Walther [Review

The Food Habits of Some Wild Ungulates in Relation to Land Use and Management

(1968). The Food Habits of Some Wild Ungulates in Relation to Land Use and Management. East African Agricultural and Forestry Journal: Vol. 33, Proceedings of the Symposium on Wildlife Management and Land Use, Nairobi, 5–8 July 1967, pp. 159-162.