Why did the buffalo cross the park? Resource shortages, but not infections, drive dispersal in female African buffalo (Syncerus caffer).

ABSTRACT: Dispersal facilitates population health and maintains resilience in species via gene flow. Adult dispersal occurs in some species, is often facultative, and is poorly understood, but has important management implications, particularly with respect to disease spread. Although the role of adult dispersal in spreading disease has been documented, the potential influence of disease on dispersal has received little attention. African buffalo (Syncerus caffer) are wide-ranging and harbor many pathogens that can affect nearby livestock. Dispersal of adult buffalo has been described, but ecological and social drivers of buffalo dispersal are poorly understood. We investigated drivers of adult buffalo dispersal during a 4-year longitudinal study at Kruger National Park, South Africa. We moni

SUBMITTER: Spaan RS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6540691 | biostudies-literature | 2019 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature