Do hyraxes benefit from human presence in Serengeti?
| Autor: | Tomas Holmern, Kari-Elise Fredriksen, Craig R. Jackson, Frode Fossøy, Eivin Røskaft, Franco Peniel Mbise, Robert D. Fyumagwa |
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| Rok vydání: | 2017 |
| Předmět: |
0106 biological sciences
Hyrax National park Ecology 010604 marine biology & hydrobiology Population size Metapopulation 15. Life on land Biology biology.organism_classification 010603 evolutionary biology 01 natural sciences Predation Rock hyrax Habitat Ecology Evolution Behavior and Systematics Heterohyrax brucei |
| Zdroj: | African Journal of Ecology. 55:672-678 |
| ISSN: | 0141-6707 |
| Popis: | Understanding the factors affecting a species’ population size is crucial for conservation initiatives. Hyraxes are small, gregarious animals, predominantly found on kopjes (rock outcrops) and thus form metapopulation communities. In Tanzania, two species of hyraxes inhabit Serengeti National Park, the rock hyrax Procavia capensis johnstoni and bush hyrax Heterohyrax brucei. This study focuses on the factors that affect hyrax population size, including factors such as human presence, habitat type, kopje size and kopje height. We found that larger and taller kopjes tended to have more hyraxes than smaller ones, while kopjes in wooded grassland had more hyraxes than kopjes in grassland. Human presence often affects species negatively, but in the case of hyraxes, we found that kopjes with human presence had larger populations than kopjes without humans. We discuss possible explanations for this and suggest that human presence is related to fewer predators and higher food availability. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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