In African savannas, abandonment of traditional livestock corrals (bomas) creates long-term mosaics of nutrient hotspots embedded in a lower-nutrient matrix. It is unclear how plant communities develop over time on these sites in clay-rich “black cotton” soils or how herbivores attracted to these sites affect vegetation development. I first examined whether treeless “glades”, derived from abandoned bomas, function as nutrient and herbivore hotspots. Soil, vegetation, and herbivore data were collected on glades of varying ages. The results indicated that glades persist as long-term (≥four decades) patches (0.25–1.0 ha) of improved soil texture and increased nutrient levels, palatable grasses, and herbivore use. Glade vegetation also appears ...
Grazing lawns are characteristic for African savanna grasslands, standing out as intensely grazed pa...
Questions: Ungulate herbivory and formation of large termite mounds occur over different time scales...
Abandoned cattle (Bos taurus) kraals are sources of habitat heterogeneity in dystrophic semi‐arid Af...
Feedbacks between soil nutrients, plant communities, and large mammalian herbivores were studied at ...
In savannas, the tree-grass balance is governed by water, nutrients, fire and herbivory, and their i...
1. Herbivores influence the structure and composition of terrestrial plant communities. However, res...
Human impacts increasingly threaten savanna ecosystems on the African continent. Because of strong p...
1. Savannahs are highly heterogeneous tree-grass mixtures, and the structural variation imposed by a...
Ancient human settlements play an important role in creating heterogeneous African savanna ecosystem...
The savanna biome covers one eighth of the earth’s land surface area and contains high levels of bio...
MSc (Environmental Sciences), North-West University, Potchefstroom CampusLarge mammalian herbivores ...
Spatial heterogeneity in woody cover affects biodiversity and ecosystem function, and may be particu...
Herbivory is a major driver of ecosystem functioning in semi-arid African savannas, yet its impact o...
A.N. Muchiru & R.S. Reid are ILRI authorsWe detail the impact of abandoned traditional settlements (...
Grazing lawns are characteristic for African savanna grasslands, standing out as intensely grazed pa...
Grazing lawns are characteristic for African savanna grasslands, standing out as intensely grazed pa...
Questions: Ungulate herbivory and formation of large termite mounds occur over different time scales...
Abandoned cattle (Bos taurus) kraals are sources of habitat heterogeneity in dystrophic semi‐arid Af...
Feedbacks between soil nutrients, plant communities, and large mammalian herbivores were studied at ...
In savannas, the tree-grass balance is governed by water, nutrients, fire and herbivory, and their i...
1. Herbivores influence the structure and composition of terrestrial plant communities. However, res...
Human impacts increasingly threaten savanna ecosystems on the African continent. Because of strong p...
1. Savannahs are highly heterogeneous tree-grass mixtures, and the structural variation imposed by a...
Ancient human settlements play an important role in creating heterogeneous African savanna ecosystem...
The savanna biome covers one eighth of the earth’s land surface area and contains high levels of bio...
MSc (Environmental Sciences), North-West University, Potchefstroom CampusLarge mammalian herbivores ...
Spatial heterogeneity in woody cover affects biodiversity and ecosystem function, and may be particu...
Herbivory is a major driver of ecosystem functioning in semi-arid African savannas, yet its impact o...
A.N. Muchiru & R.S. Reid are ILRI authorsWe detail the impact of abandoned traditional settlements (...
Grazing lawns are characteristic for African savanna grasslands, standing out as intensely grazed pa...
Grazing lawns are characteristic for African savanna grasslands, standing out as intensely grazed pa...
Questions: Ungulate herbivory and formation of large termite mounds occur over different time scales...
Abandoned cattle (Bos taurus) kraals are sources of habitat heterogeneity in dystrophic semi‐arid Af...