Comparative Ungulate Diversity and Biomass Change With Human Use and Drought: Implications for Community Stability and Protected Area Prioritization in African Savannas.

ABSTRACT: Drought and human use may alter ungulate diversity and biomass in contrasting ways. In African savannas, resource-dependent grazers such as wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus) and zebra (Equus quagga) may decline or disperse as resources decline, opening space for more drought-tolerant species such as gazelles (Eudorcas and Nanger) and impala (Aepyceros melampus). This shift can increase species richness, evenness, and overall ungulate diversity. Although higher diversity may stabilize ungulate communities, it may be associated with lower biomass (the total body mass of all individuals in a community), which in turn affects vegetation structure and composition, nutrient cycling, energy flows, and other organisms in savannas. While ungulate biomass often de

SUBMITTER: Bartzke GS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12391912 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature