The role of water quality in large mammal migratory behaviour in the Serengeti

摘要: Surface water resources are important components of savanna landscapes, supplying large populations wildlife with drinking critical for thermoregulation and digestion. However, little is known about the behavioural or physiological influence quality on health. East African savannas well their migrating ungulates coinciding seasonal spatial patterns forage. In Serengeti ecosystem, rainfall, high abundance spatially variable soil composition result in temporal differences surface quality. Furthermore, nutrient enrichment from dissolved minerals animal waste transported runoff drive bacterial algal blooms. Previous studies have suggested that may be a factor migratory behaviour wildebeest as poor can significant health consequences ungulates, including depressed milk production reduced food conversion. This paper examines hypothesis southern plains exceeds expected maximum tolerance limits at end wet season – when move northward, away this region. Data collected during migration's movement over 3 years examined to determine if regional physiologically meaningful how consumption intake. With increased demand human populations, growing climatic uncertainty changes land cover outside protected areas, needs considered future management strategies. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.