Impact of elephant on two woody trees, Boscia oleoides and Pappea capensis, in an arid thicket-Nama Karoo mosaic, Greater Addo Elephant National Park

Koedoe - African Protected Area Conservation and Science

 
 
Field Value
 
Title Impact of elephant on two woody trees, Boscia oleoides and Pappea capensis, in an arid thicket-Nama Karoo mosaic, Greater Addo Elephant National Park
 
Creator Landman, Marietjie Gaylard, Angela Mendela, Thando Kerley, Graham I.H.
 
Subject Conservation ecology Addo Elephant National Park; Elephant impacts; Woody trees
Description Despite extensive evidence of the influences of elephant on woody trees in savannah habitats, effects on trees in the succulent thickets of the Eastern Cape are relatively poorly described. Our study investigates the role and intensity of elephant impacts on Pappea capensis and the relatively rare Boscia oleoides in an arid thicket-Nama Karoo mosaic habitat of the Greater Addo Elephant National Park. We show that roughly 19% of the B. oleoides and nearly half of the P. capensis individuals recorded showed signs of elephant impact. Elephant often toppled our study trees, and where these individuals were uprooted, mortalities occurred: B. oleoides ~ 44% of the impacted trees (4 individuals); P. capensis ~ 22% of the impacted trees (29 individuals).Conservation implications: Whilst this study is restricted by limited spatial and temporal replication, P. capensis mortalities caused by elephant occurred at a rate exceeding that of other processes. Our results provide insight into the severity of the measured changes and the need to reduce the impacts. However, it would be critically important to establish the specific driver of elephant–tree interactions before any management intervention is implemented.
 
Publisher AOSIS Publishing
 
Contributor South African National Parks
Date 2014-11-17
 
Type info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion — Transect survey
Format text/html application/octet-stream text/xml application/pdf
Identifier 10.4102/koedoe.v56i1.1231
 
Source Koedoe; Vol 56, No 1 (2014); 3 pages 2071-0771 0075-6458
 
Language eng
 
Relation
The following web links (URLs) may trigger a file download or direct you to an alternative webpage to gain access to a publication file format of the published article:

https://koedoe.co.za/index.php/koedoe/article/view/1231/1689 https://koedoe.co.za/index.php/koedoe/article/view/1231/1690 https://koedoe.co.za/index.php/koedoe/article/view/1231/1691 https://koedoe.co.za/index.php/koedoe/article/view/1231/1683
 
Coverage Addo Elephant National Park — Tree counts
Rights Copyright (c) 2014 Marietjie Landman, Angela Gaylard, Thando Mendela, Graham I.H. Kerley https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
ADVERTISEMENT

International Tel: 021 975 2602

15 Oxford street, Durbanville, Cape Town, 7550 (South Africa)
Copyright © AOSIS (Pty) Ltd. All rights reserved.
No unauthorised duplication allowed