CRB: Elephant Browsing and Patch Dynamics in a Colophospermum mopane African Savanna

在从亚北极针叶林到热带 在热带稀树草原和林地，哺乳动物的选择性进食会改变 植被的组成和多样性，因此， 养分循环速率。 该项目的目标是 了解这个过程，因为它是至关重要的 健全生态系统管理的重要性。 的相互作用 哺乳动物（特别是大象），植被， 赞比西河稀树草原林地的养分循环 将对津巴布韦进行研究。 该系统被选中 因为1）它是一个更普遍的 哺乳动物-植被-养分循环问题，2）相互作用 非洲象和它的栖息地之间的联系 权利，国际保护的主要关注，3） 津巴布韦公园和野生动物部大力支持 （4）美国国际开发署 美国国际开发署（USAID）资助了 本研究 具体来说，浏览模式在 Colophospermum mopane林地，非洲的主要植被之一 类型和一个关键的栖息地将进行研究。 重复 大象的啃食是自然干扰的主要形式 影响斑块动态在mopane灌丛和林地，因为 大象会反复地优先选择一些小块的莫帕内 结果是， 浏览的补丁被降级。 该提案将测试3 大象重新浏览莫帕内的其他解释 1)优选附近土壤的钠富集 斑块，2）土壤养分（如氮）富集，或 3)浏览的补丁接近传统的旅行路径， 焦点资源，如水或矿物质。

In biomes1 ranging from subarctic taiga forests to tropical savannas and woodlands, selective browsing by mammals can alter the composition and diversity of vegetation and, as a result, the rate of nutrient cycling. The objective of this project is to gain an understanding of this process, because it is of critical importance to sound ecosystem management. The interaction between browsing mammals (specially elephant), vegetation, and nutrient cycling in the savanna-woodlands of the Zambezi River Region of Zimbabwe will be studied. This system was selected because 1) it is a classic example of the more general mammal-vegetation-nutrient cycling problem, 2) the interaction between the African elephant and its habitat is, in its own right, of major concern to international conservation, 3) the Zimbabwe Department of Parks and Wildlife is strongly supporting this project, and 4) The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has funded the nutrient cycling portion of this study. Specifically, patterns of browsing in the Colophospermum mopane woodlands, one of Africa's major vegetation types and a critical habitat will be studied. Repetitive browsing by elephant is the major form of natural disturbance influencing patch dynamics in mopane scrub and woodland, because elephant repeatedly browse some patches of mopane in preference to others with the results that the vegetation of repetitively browsed patches is degraded. This proposal will test 3 alternative explanations of the rebrowsing of mopane by elephant 1) sodium enrichment of the soil in the vicinity of preferred patches, 2) nutrient (e.g. nitrogen) enrichment of the soil, or 3) proximity of browsed patches to traditional paths of travel to focal resources such as water or mineral licks.