Cheetah Acinonyx jubatus behaviour and resource use in response to other African large carnivores
- Authors: Cornhill, Kristina
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Cheetahs -- Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/44735 , vital:38169
- Description: Competition occurs between species for shared resources. Subordinate species employ resource selection to shift their resource use away from that of dominant species in order to avoid the negative consequences of competition. Only in Africa is the post-Pleistocene large carnivore guild intact, consisting of lions Panthera leo, spotted hyaenas Crocuta crocuta, leopards Panthera pardus, cheetahs Acinonyx jubatus, and African wild dogs Lycaon pictus. Therefore, only in Africa can we explore how large carnivores co-exist with one another in a diverse community. Cheetahs are a subordinate member of the large carnivore guild due to their small stature and solitary nature. However, we still do not fully understand how competition shapes cheetah behaviour and resource use. I used cheetahs as a model subordinate predator to determine the behavioural responses and resource selection of cheetah in response to assumed competition from other large carnivores. I experimentally explored the behavioural response of cheetah to large carnivore scent sources (scats) and their presence at cheetah scent-marking sites to test for avoidance of such cues. Moreover, using unplanned experiments based on the resource use of cheetahs in the absence and then presence of lions (assessing space and time use by cheetah) and African wild dogs (assessing prey use by both species), I evaluated resource selection by cheetahs as a way to reduce competition with these large carnivores. In addition, I measured spatial and temporal partitioning between cheetahs and all four large carnivores at camera trap sites. Finally, I assessed whether cheetahs responded to competitors using a long term proactive response or a short term reactive response. I found that all four of the other large carnivores in the guild shaped cheetahs resource use, however, all did so on different axes in accordance with the niche complementarity hypothesis. Lions and spotted hyenas were avoided through time, African wild dogs through space and prey use, and lions and leopards on the spatiotemporal axis. Moreover, I show that cheetahs utilize a reactive response to competition that allows them to avoid risk while still obtaining necessary resources.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
- Authors: Cornhill, Kristina
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Cheetahs -- Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/44735 , vital:38169
- Description: Competition occurs between species for shared resources. Subordinate species employ resource selection to shift their resource use away from that of dominant species in order to avoid the negative consequences of competition. Only in Africa is the post-Pleistocene large carnivore guild intact, consisting of lions Panthera leo, spotted hyaenas Crocuta crocuta, leopards Panthera pardus, cheetahs Acinonyx jubatus, and African wild dogs Lycaon pictus. Therefore, only in Africa can we explore how large carnivores co-exist with one another in a diverse community. Cheetahs are a subordinate member of the large carnivore guild due to their small stature and solitary nature. However, we still do not fully understand how competition shapes cheetah behaviour and resource use. I used cheetahs as a model subordinate predator to determine the behavioural responses and resource selection of cheetah in response to assumed competition from other large carnivores. I experimentally explored the behavioural response of cheetah to large carnivore scent sources (scats) and their presence at cheetah scent-marking sites to test for avoidance of such cues. Moreover, using unplanned experiments based on the resource use of cheetahs in the absence and then presence of lions (assessing space and time use by cheetah) and African wild dogs (assessing prey use by both species), I evaluated resource selection by cheetahs as a way to reduce competition with these large carnivores. In addition, I measured spatial and temporal partitioning between cheetahs and all four large carnivores at camera trap sites. Finally, I assessed whether cheetahs responded to competitors using a long term proactive response or a short term reactive response. I found that all four of the other large carnivores in the guild shaped cheetahs resource use, however, all did so on different axes in accordance with the niche complementarity hypothesis. Lions and spotted hyenas were avoided through time, African wild dogs through space and prey use, and lions and leopards on the spatiotemporal axis. Moreover, I show that cheetahs utilize a reactive response to competition that allows them to avoid risk while still obtaining necessary resources.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
How does the ungulate community respond to predation risk from cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) in Samara Private Game Reserve?
- Authors: Makin, Douglas Ferguson
- Date: 2012
- Subjects: Ungulates -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Predatory animals -- Ecology -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Predation (Biology) -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:10722 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1018461
- Description: Predator reintroductions are becoming increasingly more common for multiple reasons, including assisting with the conservation of a predator species, the restoration of ecosystem functions and the economic benefits of their reintroduction for ecotourism ventures. There remains however, little knowledge on prey species responses to these predator reintroductions. As such, the reintroduction of cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) into Samara Private Game Reserve provided an opportunity to investigate prey responses to predator reintroduction across a range of spatial and temporal scales. More specifically, the aim of this study was to investigate the effect of cheetah predation risk on habitat use and behavioural responses of the resident ungulate community. Samara is divided into “predator present” and “predator absent” sections, providing the opportunity to conduct a comparative study investigating the effect of cheetah on prey responses. It was hypothesized that different ungulate species would respond differently to the presence of cheetah, depending on differences in perceived vulnerability to cheetah predation. To address this, shifts in habitat use, and behavioural responses of the ungulate community reflected at landscape and patch scale were investigated. Overall, ungulate species have not shifted habitat use since cheetah reintroduction, this was possibly related to life history strategy constraints and the need for individuals to obtain suitable forage and therefore remain in specific habitats. While no shift in habitat use was observed for the majority of ungulate species, a shift in behaviour was observed for kudu (Tragelaphus strepsiceros) at a landscape scale, where kudu dedicated more time to vigilance and less time to foraging within the predator section. In addition, individuals within smaller kudu groups were observed to be more vigilant than individuals within larger groups of kudu within the predator section. Although the other three ungulate species monitored did not increase time spent vigilant within the predator section, they still maintained relatively high levels of vigilance, potentially as a means of social monitoring. At a patch level, ungulate species responded strongly to a predator cue as a proxy for cheetah proximity, and increased time spent vigilant with a trade-off of lower foraging effort. This vigilant response was strongest for kudu. Differences in perceived predation risk were reflected within eland (Tragelaphus oryx) and kudu species demographic classes, with juvenile eland and kudu, adult female kudu and subadult female kudu spending more time vigilant within manipulated patches than respective males of each species. Kudu were also observed adopting fine-scale behavioural responses to minimize predation risk within patches. The asymmetrical prey species response to perceived predation risk from cheetah supports the hypothesis that different species respond differently to the presence of a predator. Furthermore, this study illustrated the importance of measuring prey responses to predation risk across multiple scales and highlighted the need to replicate this study for a number of different sites where predators have been reintroduced, to better understand the range of factors influencing these predator-prey interactions.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2012
- Authors: Makin, Douglas Ferguson
- Date: 2012
- Subjects: Ungulates -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Predatory animals -- Ecology -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Predation (Biology) -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:10722 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1018461
- Description: Predator reintroductions are becoming increasingly more common for multiple reasons, including assisting with the conservation of a predator species, the restoration of ecosystem functions and the economic benefits of their reintroduction for ecotourism ventures. There remains however, little knowledge on prey species responses to these predator reintroductions. As such, the reintroduction of cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) into Samara Private Game Reserve provided an opportunity to investigate prey responses to predator reintroduction across a range of spatial and temporal scales. More specifically, the aim of this study was to investigate the effect of cheetah predation risk on habitat use and behavioural responses of the resident ungulate community. Samara is divided into “predator present” and “predator absent” sections, providing the opportunity to conduct a comparative study investigating the effect of cheetah on prey responses. It was hypothesized that different ungulate species would respond differently to the presence of cheetah, depending on differences in perceived vulnerability to cheetah predation. To address this, shifts in habitat use, and behavioural responses of the ungulate community reflected at landscape and patch scale were investigated. Overall, ungulate species have not shifted habitat use since cheetah reintroduction, this was possibly related to life history strategy constraints and the need for individuals to obtain suitable forage and therefore remain in specific habitats. While no shift in habitat use was observed for the majority of ungulate species, a shift in behaviour was observed for kudu (Tragelaphus strepsiceros) at a landscape scale, where kudu dedicated more time to vigilance and less time to foraging within the predator section. In addition, individuals within smaller kudu groups were observed to be more vigilant than individuals within larger groups of kudu within the predator section. Although the other three ungulate species monitored did not increase time spent vigilant within the predator section, they still maintained relatively high levels of vigilance, potentially as a means of social monitoring. At a patch level, ungulate species responded strongly to a predator cue as a proxy for cheetah proximity, and increased time spent vigilant with a trade-off of lower foraging effort. This vigilant response was strongest for kudu. Differences in perceived predation risk were reflected within eland (Tragelaphus oryx) and kudu species demographic classes, with juvenile eland and kudu, adult female kudu and subadult female kudu spending more time vigilant within manipulated patches than respective males of each species. Kudu were also observed adopting fine-scale behavioural responses to minimize predation risk within patches. The asymmetrical prey species response to perceived predation risk from cheetah supports the hypothesis that different species respond differently to the presence of a predator. Furthermore, this study illustrated the importance of measuring prey responses to predation risk across multiple scales and highlighted the need to replicate this study for a number of different sites where predators have been reintroduced, to better understand the range of factors influencing these predator-prey interactions.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2012
'n Vergelykende studie van Ingrid Winterbach se Die boek van toeval en toeverlaat (2006) en Etienne van Heerden se Asbesmiddag (2007)
- Authors: Strydom, Gideon Louwrens
- Date: 2010
- Subjects: Winterbach, Ingrid. Die boek van toeval en toeverlaat , Van Heerden, Etienne 1954- . Asbesmiddag , Afrikaans literature -- 21st century -- History and criticism
- Language: Afrikaans
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:8449 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1419 , Winterbach, Ingrid. Die boek van toeval en toeverlaat , Van Heerden, Etienne 1954- . Asbesmiddag , Afrikaans literature -- 21st century -- History and criticism
- Description: The focus of this dissertation is a comparative study of Ingrid Winterbach's Die boek van toeval en toeverlaat (2006) [The Book of Happenstance (2008)] and Etienne van Heerden's Asbesmiddag (2007) [Asbestos Afternoon] within an intertextual and socio-political framework. Both novels show strong links to the literary traditions of which they form part through a high degree of intertextuality with literary predecessors (intertexts from Afrikaans and South African English literature, but also classical intertexts emanating from the larger field of world literature). Both texts exhibit an overt metatextual consciousness. The protagonists in each of these novels are portrayed as novelists. One of the main aims of the study is to interrogate the implied ideological perspectives in both novels - the nature and extent of the reflection of the current South African socio-political system. Winterbach and Van Heerden‘s texts may both be read as fictionalised forms of "protest" against the extrinsic South African socio-political order. These forms of protest focus on the inevitable change from one stage/era to the next, the old South Africa to the new, in a quest for artistic (creative writing and literature) and cultural (Afrikaner identity and language) survival. Die boek van toeval en toeverlaat (2006) and Asbesmiddag (2007) contribute to contemporary discourse by offering implied ideological insights into specific socio-political and metatextual phenomena. This is done in fictional guise - through the characters populating the fictional world of the novel, and also through the authors' implied ideological views. Both novels are intensely concerned with language issues, as well as the status of literature as cultural product. On the metatextual level theoretical issues concerning literature are in the focus, such as the precarious position of the novelist (and the academic) in contemporary South African society, and the status of literature and Afrikaans as a minority language. The purpose of this comparative study is to look at the metatextual, ideological and linguistic aspects of the novels through an extensive intertextual study, in order to interrogate and illustrate the socio-political discourse embedded in them.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2010
- Authors: Strydom, Gideon Louwrens
- Date: 2010
- Subjects: Winterbach, Ingrid. Die boek van toeval en toeverlaat , Van Heerden, Etienne 1954- . Asbesmiddag , Afrikaans literature -- 21st century -- History and criticism
- Language: Afrikaans
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:8449 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1419 , Winterbach, Ingrid. Die boek van toeval en toeverlaat , Van Heerden, Etienne 1954- . Asbesmiddag , Afrikaans literature -- 21st century -- History and criticism
- Description: The focus of this dissertation is a comparative study of Ingrid Winterbach's Die boek van toeval en toeverlaat (2006) [The Book of Happenstance (2008)] and Etienne van Heerden's Asbesmiddag (2007) [Asbestos Afternoon] within an intertextual and socio-political framework. Both novels show strong links to the literary traditions of which they form part through a high degree of intertextuality with literary predecessors (intertexts from Afrikaans and South African English literature, but also classical intertexts emanating from the larger field of world literature). Both texts exhibit an overt metatextual consciousness. The protagonists in each of these novels are portrayed as novelists. One of the main aims of the study is to interrogate the implied ideological perspectives in both novels - the nature and extent of the reflection of the current South African socio-political system. Winterbach and Van Heerden‘s texts may both be read as fictionalised forms of "protest" against the extrinsic South African socio-political order. These forms of protest focus on the inevitable change from one stage/era to the next, the old South Africa to the new, in a quest for artistic (creative writing and literature) and cultural (Afrikaner identity and language) survival. Die boek van toeval en toeverlaat (2006) and Asbesmiddag (2007) contribute to contemporary discourse by offering implied ideological insights into specific socio-political and metatextual phenomena. This is done in fictional guise - through the characters populating the fictional world of the novel, and also through the authors' implied ideological views. Both novels are intensely concerned with language issues, as well as the status of literature as cultural product. On the metatextual level theoretical issues concerning literature are in the focus, such as the precarious position of the novelist (and the academic) in contemporary South African society, and the status of literature and Afrikaans as a minority language. The purpose of this comparative study is to look at the metatextual, ideological and linguistic aspects of the novels through an extensive intertextual study, in order to interrogate and illustrate the socio-political discourse embedded in them.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2010
An exploration of the experiences of the leaders of mentored community-based organisations in the Eastern Cape
- Authors: Symes, Camilla Anne
- Date: 2007
- Subjects: Community organization -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , AIDS (Disease) -- Patients -- Care , HIV-positive persons -- Care
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:16148 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/615 , Community organization -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , AIDS (Disease) -- Patients -- Care , HIV-positive persons -- Care
- Description: The potential of community-based organisations (CBOs) to provide lasting solutions in the field of Human Immune Virus (HIV) and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) has long been recognised. As interest in the role of CBOs has increased, so have attempts to build their capacity and increase their stability and sustainability. Capacity-building initiatives which aim to strengthen CBOs as if they were identical to formal, more established organisations have often proved ineffective, and even at times destructive, because they have ignored the very differences that make CBOs potentially the most effective agents of development change at community level. This study is a qualitative exploration of a new mentoring-based approach to CBO capacity-building, which is currently being used extensively with CBOs in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. The research is inductive, beginning with an exploratory, descriptive and contextual study of the personal experiences and perceptions of CBO leadership team members from four sample CBOs which have graduated from the Barnabas Trust mentoring programme. Data was collected using a combination of face-to-face unstructured interviews and focus group discussion, with the objective of exploring the subjects’ experiences and their perceptions of the impact of the Barnabas Trust mentoring programme on the sustainability of their organisations. The insights and findings arising from the research process are then applied as the basis for a series of recommendations for the adaptation of the Barnabas trust mentoring approach and materials. The findings of this study appear to show that the mentoring-based approach has been an effective strategy for capacity-building towards sustainability for the CBOs in the sample, bringing positive change at the individual, organisational and community levels.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2007
- Authors: Symes, Camilla Anne
- Date: 2007
- Subjects: Community organization -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , AIDS (Disease) -- Patients -- Care , HIV-positive persons -- Care
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:16148 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/615 , Community organization -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , AIDS (Disease) -- Patients -- Care , HIV-positive persons -- Care
- Description: The potential of community-based organisations (CBOs) to provide lasting solutions in the field of Human Immune Virus (HIV) and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) has long been recognised. As interest in the role of CBOs has increased, so have attempts to build their capacity and increase their stability and sustainability. Capacity-building initiatives which aim to strengthen CBOs as if they were identical to formal, more established organisations have often proved ineffective, and even at times destructive, because they have ignored the very differences that make CBOs potentially the most effective agents of development change at community level. This study is a qualitative exploration of a new mentoring-based approach to CBO capacity-building, which is currently being used extensively with CBOs in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. The research is inductive, beginning with an exploratory, descriptive and contextual study of the personal experiences and perceptions of CBO leadership team members from four sample CBOs which have graduated from the Barnabas Trust mentoring programme. Data was collected using a combination of face-to-face unstructured interviews and focus group discussion, with the objective of exploring the subjects’ experiences and their perceptions of the impact of the Barnabas Trust mentoring programme on the sustainability of their organisations. The insights and findings arising from the research process are then applied as the basis for a series of recommendations for the adaptation of the Barnabas trust mentoring approach and materials. The findings of this study appear to show that the mentoring-based approach has been an effective strategy for capacity-building towards sustainability for the CBOs in the sample, bringing positive change at the individual, organisational and community levels.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2007
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