Abstract
Savanna ecosystems support the highest diversities of hoofed mammal (ungulate) species in the world. Ungulates provide critical ecosystem services such as nutrient cycling and redistribution and play a key role in the food web, yet many species of ungulates are in decline due to anthropogenic activities. The fragmented Tarangire Ecosystem supports at least 25 wild ungulate species, yet few studies have been conducted on population status and habitat use in this region compared to the better-known Serengeti Ecosystem. In this chapter we review and discuss historical and current research on population trends of eight commonly detected species of ungulates in the Tarangire Ecosystem, and provide recommendations for long-term conservation of these culturally, economically, and ecologically important taxa.
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Elephant, hippopotamus, black rhinoceros, common warthog, bushpig, plains zebra, giraffe, Kirk’s dik-dik, steenbok, klipspringer, bush duiker, Thomson’s gazelle, Grant’s gazelle, gerenuk, Bohor reedbuck, common waterbuck, fringe-eared oryx, eastern white-bearded wildebeest, Coke’s hartebeest, impala, lesser kudu, greater kudu, common eland, bushbuck, African buffalo.
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Acknowledgements
Wild Nature Institute’s ungulate monitoring program was funded by the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, Rufford Foundation, ERM Foundation, and a Fulbright fellowship to Derek Lee. The School for Field Studies Burunge WMA surveys were supported by African Wildlife Foundation, PAMS Foundation, Chem Chem Association, and International Foundation for Wildlife Management. Thanks to Jason Riggio for creating the map of the TE .
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Bond, M.L., Kiffner, C., Lee, D.E. (2022). Ungulate Populations in the Tarangire Ecosystem. In: Kiffner, C., Bond, M.L., Lee, D.E. (eds) Tarangire: Human-Wildlife Coexistence in a Fragmented Ecosystem. Ecological Studies, vol 243. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-93604-4_8
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