Consequences of white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum) poaching on grassland structure in Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park in South Africa
The megaherbivore white rhinoceros plays a vital role in African savannah ecosystem, where it affects the grassland through heavy grazing and creates a mosaic grassland varying in structure. Illegal removal of the white rhinoceros has dramatically increased, and led to a decrease of white rhinoceros...
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| Formato: | H2 |
| Lenguaje: | Inglés |
| Publicado: |
SLU/Dept. of Wildlife, Fish and Environmental Studies
2018
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| Materias: |
| _version_ | 1855572253218963456 |
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| author | Vu, Emy |
| author_browse | Vu, Emy |
| author_facet | Vu, Emy |
| author_sort | Vu, Emy |
| collection | Epsilon Archive for Student Projects |
| description | The megaherbivore white rhinoceros plays a vital role in African savannah ecosystem, where it affects the grassland through heavy grazing and creates a mosaic grassland varying in structure. Illegal removal of the white rhinoceros has dramatically increased, and led to a decrease of white rhinoceros’ population density. My aim is to examine whether their illegal removal influences grassland structure, and whether this may affect habitat use of other species. The research was conducted in Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park in South Africa, where I performed a correlative study on two scales, landscape and local. I quantified grassland structure, and the result showed that the white rhinoceros shaped grassland structure. The density of herbivores tended to decrease with higher altitude. No significance difference in grassland structure was found on a local scale, due to the lack of hotspots, i.e. middens and termite mounds, found along the transects. I conclude that there is variation in grassland biomass and distribution of dung of different herb’s, and I also observed fewer hotspots in high poaching areas. In the future, it is crucial to get to the root of the illegal removal and to act towards a non-poaching environment, or else the white rhinoceros can go extinct. |
| format | H2 |
| id | RepoSLU13492 |
| institution | Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences |
| language | Inglés |
| publishDate | 2018 |
| publishDateSort | 2018 |
| publisher | SLU/Dept. of Wildlife, Fish and Environmental Studies |
| publisherStr | SLU/Dept. of Wildlife, Fish and Environmental Studies |
| record_format | eprints |
| spelling | RepoSLU134922019-11-20T00:15:04Z Consequences of white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum) poaching on grassland structure in Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park in South Africa Konsekvenser av tjuvjakt på vitnoshörningen (Ceratotherium simum) på gräslandsstruktur i Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park (HiP) i Sydafrika Vu, Emy white rhinoceros South Africa Hluhluwe–iMfolozi Park poaching African savannah herbivore wildlife The megaherbivore white rhinoceros plays a vital role in African savannah ecosystem, where it affects the grassland through heavy grazing and creates a mosaic grassland varying in structure. Illegal removal of the white rhinoceros has dramatically increased, and led to a decrease of white rhinoceros’ population density. My aim is to examine whether their illegal removal influences grassland structure, and whether this may affect habitat use of other species. The research was conducted in Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park in South Africa, where I performed a correlative study on two scales, landscape and local. I quantified grassland structure, and the result showed that the white rhinoceros shaped grassland structure. The density of herbivores tended to decrease with higher altitude. No significance difference in grassland structure was found on a local scale, due to the lack of hotspots, i.e. middens and termite mounds, found along the transects. I conclude that there is variation in grassland biomass and distribution of dung of different herb’s, and I also observed fewer hotspots in high poaching areas. In the future, it is crucial to get to the root of the illegal removal and to act towards a non-poaching environment, or else the white rhinoceros can go extinct. SLU/Dept. of Wildlife, Fish and Environmental Studies 2018 H2 eng https://stud.epsilon.slu.se/13492/ |
| spellingShingle | white rhinoceros South Africa Hluhluwe–iMfolozi Park poaching African savannah herbivore wildlife Vu, Emy Consequences of white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum) poaching on grassland structure in Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park in South Africa |
| title | Consequences of white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum) poaching on grassland structure in Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park in South Africa |
| title_full | Consequences of white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum) poaching on grassland structure in Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park in South Africa |
| title_fullStr | Consequences of white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum) poaching on grassland structure in Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park in South Africa |
| title_full_unstemmed | Consequences of white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum) poaching on grassland structure in Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park in South Africa |
| title_short | Consequences of white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum) poaching on grassland structure in Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park in South Africa |
| title_sort | consequences of white rhinoceros (ceratotherium simum) poaching on grassland structure in hluhluwe-imfolozi park in south africa |
| topic | white rhinoceros South Africa Hluhluwe–iMfolozi Park poaching African savannah herbivore wildlife |