Habitat heterogeneity as a driver of ungulate diversity and distribution patterns: interaction of body mass and digestive strategy

摘要: Aim Classic island biogeographical theory predicts that reserves have to be large conserve high biodiversity. Recent literature, however, suggests habitat heterogeneity can counterbalance the effect of small reserve size. For savanna ungulates, body mass is said drive selection and facilitate species coexistence, where use a higher proportion landscape than smaller species, because wider food quality tolerance allows them diversity types. In this case, would diverse assemblages differentsized ungulates. Digestive physiology should further modify relationship, non-ruminants diet ruminants. We tested hypothesis with an empirical dataset on distribution preference different-sized African grazers.