title: A continent-wide assessment of the form and intensity of large mammal herbivory in Africa.
abstract: Megafaunal extinctions and a lack of suitable remote sensing technology impede our understanding of both the ecological legacy and current impacts of large mammal herbivores in the Earth system. To address this, we reconstructed the form and intensity of herbivory pressure across sub-Saharan Africa ~1000 years ago. Specifically, we modeled and mapped species-level biomass for 92 large mammal herbivores using census data, species distributions, and environmental covariates. Trait-based classifications of these species into herbivore functional types, and analyses of their biomass surfaces, reveal four ecologically distinct continental-scale herbivory regimes, characterized by internally similar forms and intensities of herbivory pressure. Associations between herbivory regimes, fire prevalence, soil nutrient status, and rainfall provide important insights into African ecology and pave the way for integrating herbivores into global-scale studies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cape Town, Private Bag X1, Rondebosch, 7701, South Africa. School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Wits, 2050, South Africa. ghempson@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Gareth P
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Hempson
authors.affiliation: School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Wits, 2050, South Africa.
authors.forename: Sally
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Archibald
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cape Town, Private Bag X1, Rondebosch, 7701, South Africa. South African Environmental Observation Network, care of the Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cape Town, Private Bag X1, Rondebosch, 7701, South Africa.
authors.forename: William J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Bond
mesh_terms: D017954:Africa South of the Sahara; D000824:Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D000818:Animals; D018533:Biomass; D053476:Extinction, Biological; D005390:Fires; D060434:Herbivory; D008322:Mammals / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000145:classification* / Q000502:physiology; D012987:Soil
chemical_list: D012987:Soil