Seasonal space-use and resource limitation in free-ranging black rhino

Publication date: Available online 5 November 2019Source: Mammalian BiologyAuthor(s): Nikki le Roex, Catherine Dreyer, Pauli Viljoen, Markus Hofmeyr, Sam M. FerreiraAbstractThe spatio-temporal distribution of forage and surface water shapes space-use for many herbivore species. Herbivores must make trade-offs between critical resources such as water and forage under resource-limited conditions. The species-specific strategy employed to do so, however, varies with nutritional requirements, thermoregulation and body size. The black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis; Linnaeus 1758) is a browsing megaherbivore that requires upwards of 50 kgs of forage per day and is considered water-dependant. Contrasting evidence regarding surface water dependence and forage selectivity in black rhino, however, makes it unclear which exerts the primary influence on space-use under resource-limited conditions. We used telemetry data to calculate and compare seasonal home range sizes, utilisation overlap and site fidelity for black rhino in the Kruger National Park, South Africa, and use the results to infer the primary limiting resource in a semi-arid savanna ecosystem. Our findings demonstrate seasonal differences in space-use by black rhino, both in home range size and utilisation. Smaller home ranges and higher site fidelity in the dry season suggest that surface water is the primary resource driving these differences, i.e. black rhino restrict their range rather than expand it under resource-lim...
Source: Mammalian Biology - Category: Biology Source Type: research