Understanding resource use of an invasive species: Diet of the common warthog in Eastern Cape succulent thicket

Mgqatsa, Nokubonga; Jama, Kanyisa; Landman, Marietjie; Kerley, Graham I H

Title: Understanding resource use of an invasive species: Diet of the common warthog in Eastern Cape succulent thicket
Creator: Mgqatsa, Nokubonga
Creator: Jama, Kanyisa
Creator: Landman, Marietjie
Creator: Kerley, Graham I H
Subject: To be catalogued
Date Issued: 2024
Date: 2024
Type: text
Type: article
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/462746
Identifier: vital:76331
Identifier: xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaridenv.2024.105155"
Description: Understanding resource use of invasive species provides insights for predicting and mitigating their impacts on biodiversity. We explored the predictability of diet of the invasive common warthog by describing and comparing the diet of warthog populations from two semi-arid, invaded sites, Addo Elephant National Park (AMC), and Great Fish River Nature Reserve (GFRNR), Eastern Cape, South Africa. These sites are both dominated by the Subtropical Thicket biome, but differ in vegetation type. We used forage availability to estimate diet preferences at AMC. We predicted that warthog would consume grass in invaded landscapes. Additionally, we predicted that the diet at one invaded site would predict this at another invaded site. As predicted, warthog mainly consumed grass at both sites (AMC – 87.4%, GFRNR – 88.5%), eating few woody plants, succulents, and forbs. Cynodon dactylon was the most consumed species in AMC, in GFRNR this was Eragrostis curvula and Cymbopogon pospichilii. Our ability to predict the diet between sites was constrained by variation in the plant species consumed. We found strong relationships between the consumption of preferred plant species at AMC and their consumption at GFRNR. We show that warthogs are specialised grazers outside their native range and thus can be expected to impact grass communities in invaded areas, especially preferred grass species. Thus, conservation managers need to monitor grasses in areas invaded by warthog to better detect and manage their impacts.
Format: computer
Format: online resource
Format: application/pdf
Format: 1 online resource (6 pages)
Format: pdf
Publisher: Elsevier
Language: English
Relation: Journal of Arid Environments
Relation: Mgqatsa, N., Jama, K., Landman, M. and Kerley, G.I., 2024. Understanding resource use of an invasive species: Diet of the common warthog in Eastern Cape succulent thicket. Journal of Arid Environments, 222, p.105155
Relation: Journal of Arid Environments volume 222 p. 105155 2024 1095-922X
Rights: Publisher
Rights: Use of this resource is governed by the terms and conditions of the Elsevier Terms and Conditions Statement (https://www.elsevier.com/legal/elsevier-website-terms-and-conditions)
Rights: Open Access

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Mgqatsa, Nokubonga (Dr)

SDG 15. Life On Land

RU Department of Zoology and Entomology

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