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Termitaria are focal feeding sites for large ungulates in Lake Mburo National Park, Uganda
Author(s) -
Mobæk Ragnhild,
Narmo Anne Kjersti,
Moe Stein R.
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
journal of zoology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.915
H-Index - 96
eISSN - 1469-7998
pISSN - 0952-8369
DOI - 10.1017/s0952836905007272
Subject(s) - equus , ungulate , biology , ecology , wildebeest , national park , grazing , bovidae , habitat
In constructing large vegetated mounds, Macrotermes termites play a key functional role in many African savanna systems. This study focuses on ungulate feeding on Macrotermes termitaria vegetation in Lake Mburo National Park, Uganda. With the exception of oribi Ourebia ourebi , all the species studied (i.e. impala Aepyceros melampus , Burchell's zebra Equus burchelli , Defassa waterbuck Kobus ellipsiprymnus , topi Damaliscus lunatus , bushbuck Tragelaphus scriptus and warthog Phacochoerus africanus ) grazed preferentially on mound areas compared to the adjacent savanna. Ruminant species grazed closer to termitaria than non‐ruminants and female impala both browsed and grazed closer to mounds than males. No sexual difference in grazing distance to mounds was found for waterbuck.