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Resource use and the nutritional status of sable antelope in the O kavango D elta region of northern B otswana
Author(s) -
Hensman Michael C.,
OwenSmith Norman,
Parrini Francesca,
Bonyongo Casper M.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
african journal of ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.499
H-Index - 54
eISSN - 1365-2028
pISSN - 0141-6707
DOI - 10.1111/aje.12113
Subject(s) - geography , floodplain , dry season , habitat , forestry , grassland , ecology , herd , national park , delta , biology , archaeology , cartography , aerospace engineering , engineering
The resource‐use patterns and nutritional status of sable antelope herds were investigated in the O kavango D elta region of northern B otswana for comparison with those documented for declining sable antelope populations elsewhere in southern A frica. GPS collars recorded the relative use of floodplain, upland and wooded grassland habitats by the sable herds while VHF beacons facilitated locating the herds for direct observations on feeding. Surprisingly, the sable herds made greatest use of upland grasslands, rather than the floodplain grasslands exposed after floodwater had receded, during the dry season months. In the upland grasslands, they exploited tall, fibrous grass species that retained quite high levels of greenness through the dry season. This ability, together with partial use of the floodplain and some browsing on new leaves and flowers, helped maintain dietary nitrogen and phosphorus levels, as indicated by faecal nutrient levels, above maintenance thresholds through the dry season. Hence, the sable herds in the study region did not seem to be limited nutritionally under the rainfall and flooding conditions prevailing during the study.