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MICROHABITAT USE BY BLACK‐FACED IMPALA IN THE ETOSHA NATIONAL PARK, NAMIBIA
Author(s) -
MATSON TAMMIE K.,
GOLDIZEN ANNE W.,
JARMAN PETER J.
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
the journal of wildlife management
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.94
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1937-2817
pISSN - 0022-541X
DOI - 10.2193/0022-541x(2005)69[1708:mubbii]2.0.co;2
Subject(s) - national park , woodland , habitat , geography , shrub , ecology , population , vegetation types , biology , demography , sociology
We studied microhabitat use by black‐faced impala in different herd types during the rut in the cold dry seasons of 2001 and 2002 in the Etosha National Park, Namibia. We investigated whether black‐faced impala select feeding sites consistently for their microhabitat characteristics in 2 vegetation types, Karstveld and Tamboti Woodland. We also investigated intra‐population differences in microhabitat use between herds of different types. In both habitats, sites used by impala for feeding were more likely to be in the shade, within 2 m of the edges of wooded areas and grassy clearings, with high visibility at 1 m height, and with lower grass swords than nearby nonfeeding sites. In Karstveld, feeding sites of impala were also located closer to the nearest shrub than were nonfeeding sites. A degree of fine‐scale sexual segregation in microhabitat use was demonstrated, but it was not consistent across habitats. Incorporating these trends in the microhabitat use of black‐faced impala into management decisions should maximize the success of small populations released at selected off‐park sites.