LTREB: KLEE- scaling up and out at the Kenya Long-term Exclosure Experiment

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Semi-arid ecosystems cover large portions of the world. In Africa, these savannas support some of the most spectacular large mammal biodiversity on the planet. African savannas have been studied intensively, and considerable literature documents effects of both cattle grazing and indigenous herbivores on the vegetation of these ecosystems. Despite this extensive research, surprisingly little is known about interactions among wildlife, domestic livestock, understory vegetation and woody cover. The Kenya Long-term Exclosure Experiment (KLEE) is the first controlled, replicated attempt to examine these intereactions, the potential for co-existence among these players, and the limits to this co-existence. To date, this controlled exclusion of livestock and three guilds of large mammalian herbivores has answered diverse questions about the ecology of a major, semi-arid ecosystem. This renewal proposal will support years 13-17 of this long-term study. The goals of the next phase are to continue studies of competition, compensation, and trophic cascades while initiating controlled experiments on the causes and consequences of variation in tree densities and to examine the ecosystem consequences of herbivore-induced and experimentally manipulated changes in tree density.In addition to addressing fundamental questions in ecological science, this project continues to contribute essential information for rangeland management and biodiversity conservation in one of the world's most important biomes. The project is highly collaborative and hosts both senior and junior investigators from multiple US and African institutions. Both Kenyan and US graduate students will participate in, and receive training from, the proposed research; the KLEE study will continue to host undergraduate student research as well, along with classroom visits from Kenya, the United Kingdom and the US. Researchers interact closely with local pastoralist groups and landowners to support local efforts in land and resource management. This award is co-funded by NSF's Office of International Science and Engineering.