Indirect effects of domestic and wild herbivores on butterflies in an A frican savanna

Indirect interactions driven by livestock and wild herbivores are increasingly recognized as important aspects of community dynamics in savannas and rangelands. Large ungulate herbivores can both directly and indirectly impact the reproductive structures of plants, which in turn can affect the pollinators of those plants. We examined how wild herbivores and cattle each indirectly affect the abundance of a common pollinator butterfly taxon, C olotis spp., at a set of long‐term, large herbivore exclosure plots in a semiarid savanna in central K enya. We also examined effects of herbivore exclusion on the main food plant of C olotis spp., which was also the most common flowering species in our plots: the shrub C adaba farinosa . The study was conducted in four types of experimental plots: cattle‐only, wildlife‐only, cattle and wildlife (all large herbivores), and no large herbivores. Across all plots, C olotis spp. abundances were positively correlated with both C adaba flower numbers (adult food resources) and total C adaba canopy area (larval food resources). Structural equation modeling ( SEM ) revealed that floral resources drove the abundance of C olotis butterflies. Excluding browsing wildlife increased the abundances of both C adaba flowers and C olotis butterflies. However, flower numbers and C olotis spp. abundances were greater in plots with cattle herbivory than in plots that excluded all large herbivores. Our results suggest that wild browsing herbivores can suppress pollinator species whereas well‐managed cattle use may benefit important pollinators and the plants that depend on them. This study documents a novel set of ecological interactions that demonstrate how both conservation and livelihood goals can be met in a working landscape with abundant wildlife and livestock.