Analysis of the Spatial Relationship between Cattle and Wild Ungulates across Different Land-Use Systems in a Tropical Savanna Landscape

In many African savanna landscapes, domestic and wild herbivores cooccur across different land-use systems, but the role of land-use in shaping their spatial relationship is poorly understood. We evaluated the spatial relationship between cattle and wild herbivores categorized by body sizes and feed...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inInternational Journal of Ecology Vol. 2018; no. 2018; pp. 1 - 12
Main Authors Kinga, Geoffrey W., Odadi, Wilfred O., Mironga, John
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Cairo, Egypt Hindawi Publishing Corporation 2018
Hindawi
John Wiley & Sons, Inc
Hindawi Limited
Subjects
Analysis
Attraction
Biodiversity
Bivariate analysis
Bovidae
Cattle
Coexistence
Creeks & streams
Ecology
Ecosystems
Environmental protection
Farms
Feeders
Geospatial data
Guilds
Habitats
Habits
Herbivores
Influence
Land use
Landscape
Livestock
Population
Rain
Remote sensing
Spatial analysis
Spatial data
Spatial distribution
Ungulates
Kenya
Sub-Saharan Africa
Africa
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Summary:In many African savanna landscapes, domestic and wild herbivores cooccur across different land-use systems, but the role of land-use in shaping their spatial relationship is poorly understood. We evaluated the spatial relationship between cattle and wild herbivores categorized by body sizes and feeding habits across different land-use types, namely, private ranches (PR), transitional lands (TRL), and pastoral grazing areas (PGA), in Laikipia County, Kenya. Cattle and wild herbivores spatial distribution data were obtained from Kenya’s Department of Resources Survey and Remote Sensing (DRSRS). Spatial relationships between cattle and different wild herbivore guilds were analyzed using Ripley’s bivariate K12 function. In PR, wild herbivore guilds showed significant attraction to cattle at short distances. In TRL, wild grazers, mixed feeders, megaherbivores, and medium-sized ungulates exhibited significant attraction to cattle. Additionally, repulsion was observed between cattle and browsers at short distances under this land-use system. In PGA, wild grazers, mixed feeders, and megaherbivores repelled strongly with cattle at short distances while browsers and medium-sized ungulates were significantly attracted to cattle. Cattle and wild herbivores were more randomly and independently distributed in PR than in TRL and PGA. These spatial relationships imply better coexistence between cattle and wild herbivores in PR than in TRL and PGA.
ISSN:1687-9708
1687-9716
DOI:10.1155/2018/2072617