African Journal of Ecology最新文献

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Climate Change Reshapes Habitat Suitability of Two Fungus-Growing Termites With Contrasting Modes of Termitomyces Symbiont Transmission in Côte d’Ivoire (West Africa) 气候变化重塑了Côte科特迪瓦(西非)两种真菌生长白蚁的栖息地适宜性和白蚁共生传播模式的对比
IF 1.4 4区 环境科学与生态学
African Journal of Ecology Pub Date : 2026-08-12 DOI: 10.1111/aje.70218
Nagnonta Prisca Horo, Simon Kolotchèlèma Silué, Wouyo Atakpama, Kossi Akoda Amevivi, Alexandre Moïse Akpa Akpesse, N'golo Abdoulaye Koné
{"title":"Climate Change Reshapes Habitat Suitability of Two Fungus-Growing Termites With Contrasting Modes of Termitomyces Symbiont Transmission in Côte d’Ivoire (West Africa)","authors":"Nagnonta Prisca Horo,&nbsp;Simon Kolotchèlèma Silué,&nbsp;Wouyo Atakpama,&nbsp;Kossi Akoda Amevivi,&nbsp;Alexandre Moïse Akpa Akpesse,&nbsp;N'golo Abdoulaye Koné","doi":"10.1111/aje.70218","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/aje.70218","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Climate change is increasingly reshaping species distributions and ecological interactions, yet its effects on obligate mutualisms remain poorly understood. One of the most remarkable examples is the ancient symbiosis between fungus-growing termites (Macrotermitinae) and their obligate fungal partners of the genus <i>Termitomyces</i>, a mutualism that underpins nutrient cycling, organic matter decomposition, soil engineering and ecosystem productivity throughout sub-Saharan Africa. Whether contrasting modes of fungal symbiont transmission influence the resilience of fungus-growing termites to climate change has, however, received little attention. Here, we investigate the current and future habitat suitability of two ecologically important <i>Macrotermes</i> species in Côte d'Ivoire, <i>Macrotermes bellicosus</i>, which vertically transmits its <i>Termitomyces</i> symbiont and <i>Macrotermes subhyalinus</i>, which acquires its fungal partner through horizontal transmission. Using Maximum Entropy (MaxEnt) modelling based on 162 and 127 occurrence records, respectively, and eight carefully selected environmental predictors, we quantified current habitat suitability, identified the principal environmental drivers of species distributions, projected distributional shifts under SSP2-4.5 and SSP5-8.5 climate scenarios for 2050 and identified climatically stable refugia of conservation importance. Habitat suitability was primarily explained by the Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and the Human Footprint Index, while annual temperature, annual precipitation, precipitation seasonality and the minimum temperature of the coldest month also contributed substantially to model performance. Climate projections predicted an overall decline in highly suitable habitats for both species, although their responses differed markedly. Whereas <i>M. bellicosus</i> is expected to maintain a relatively stable distribution, <i>M. subhyalinus</i> is projected to undergo pronounced spatial redistribution under future climatic conditions. These contrasting responses suggest that fungal symbiont transmission mode may represent an overlooked biological trait influencing species resilience to climate change. More broadly, this study provides novel evidence that host-symbiont interactions should be explicitly incorporated into predictive species distribution models and conservation planning to improve forecasts of biodiversity responses to global environmental change.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":7844,"journal":{"name":"African Journal of Ecology","volume":"64 6","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2026-08-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148753599","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Understanding Wild Bee Abundance on Marrubium vulgare (Lamiaceae): Biodiversity Patterns in Relation to Phenology, Foraging Time and Sex Ratio 了解野蜂在Marrubium vulgare (Lamiaceae)上的丰度:与物候、觅食时间和性别比相关的生物多样性模式
IF 1.4 4区 环境科学与生态学
African Journal of Ecology Pub Date : 2026-08-10 DOI: 10.1111/aje.70217
Benarfa Noudjoud, Amri Cherine
{"title":"Understanding Wild Bee Abundance on Marrubium vulgare (Lamiaceae): Biodiversity Patterns in Relation to Phenology, Foraging Time and Sex Ratio","authors":"Benarfa Noudjoud,&nbsp;Amri Cherine","doi":"10.1111/aje.70217","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/aje.70217","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Plant–pollinator interactions are fundamental to ecosystem functioning, particularly in semi-arid environments where floral resources are strongly limited during the summer. <i>Marrubium vulgare</i> L. (Lamiaceae), a widespread wild plant species in Algeria that flowers during the summer period, may therefore represent a key floral resource for wild pollinators. This study investigates the diversity, structure and temporal dynamics of wild bee assemblages associated with <i>M. vulgare</i> in northeastern Algeria. A total of 337 individuals belonging to 41 species, 19 genera and four bee families were recorded. Among these, <i>Amegilla velocissima</i> (Fedtschenko, 1875) is reported as new for the country. The assemblage exhibited a highly uneven structure, with a clear dominance of <i>Bombus terrestris</i> and a high proportion of rare species. Diversity indices indicated high species richness and diversity, with foraging activity peaking in the morning. The community was strongly female-biased, reflecting resource-oriented foraging behaviour. Multivariate analyses revealed that community composition was primarily structured by plant developmental stage and sex, whereas the effect of time of day was limited. Overall, these findings highlight the ecological importance of <i>M. vulgare</i> as a summer floral resource and its potential role in maintaining pollinator diversity in semi-arid Mediterranean ecosystems.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":7844,"journal":{"name":"African Journal of Ecology","volume":"64 6","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2026-08-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148753289","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Tree Climbing in African Lions and Leopards 非洲狮和豹的爬树行为
IF 1.4 4区 环境科学与生态学
African Journal of Ecology Pub Date : 2026-08-06 DOI: 10.1111/aje.70212
Christian Kiffner
{"title":"Tree Climbing in African Lions and Leopards","authors":"Christian Kiffner","doi":"10.1111/aje.70212","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/aje.70212","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Tree climbing has been documented in most felids, but patterns, correlates, and possible functions of this behaviour are not well documented for all species, including the African lion. Using a comparative behavioural ecology approach and drawing on opportunistic field observations from multiple sites in northern Tanzania, I used Bayesian logistic regression models to assess how environmental and contextual covariates are associated with arboreal behaviour in lions, and contrasted these patterns with those of sympatric leopards, for whom arboreality is a key strategy to avoid kleptoparasitism. In lions, arboreal behaviour was rare but occurred across surveyed sites. Arboreal behaviour was more likely during the wet season, during afternoon hours, and linked to demography, with males climbing trees less frequently than females and subadults. In contrast, arboreal behaviour in leopards was frequent, non-seasonal, associated with prey carcass presence, and highest during midday times. These results suggest that arboreal behaviour in large African felids reflects a fundamental contrast between adaptive niche specialization in leopards and facultative, context-dependent behavioural plasticity in lions. While the motivation for tree climbing is likely shaped by multiple proximate drivers, the quantitative insights provided here demonstrate how comparative analyses can disentangle facultative behaviours from functionally integrated niche use in sympatric carnivores.</p>","PeriodicalId":7844,"journal":{"name":"African Journal of Ecology","volume":"64 6","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2026-08-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/aje.70212","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148752981","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Forest Cover and Edge Effects Drive Bird Functional Homogenization Across Madagascar's Fragmented Landscapes 森林覆盖和边缘效应驱动马达加斯加破碎景观中的鸟类功能同质化
IF 1.4 4区 环境科学与生态学
African Journal of Ecology Pub Date : 2026-08-06 DOI: 10.1111/aje.70214
Khalid. A. E. Eisawi, Alfan Abeid Rija
{"title":"Forest Cover and Edge Effects Drive Bird Functional Homogenization Across Madagascar's Fragmented Landscapes","authors":"Khalid. A. E. Eisawi,&nbsp;Alfan Abeid Rija","doi":"10.1111/aje.70214","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/aje.70214","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Human changes to natural landscapes affect bird species in different ways. Some birds adapt well to new environments, while others see their populations decline or disappear locally. This study aimed to: (1) examine how forest cover and edges affect the richness and specialization of bird communities; (2) explore the link between the ‘winners’ and ‘losers’ of biotic homogenization and whether they are habitat specialists or generalists; and (3) identify which functional traits explain differences between specialists and generalists. We used a bird dataset to calculate the Species Specialization Index (SSI), which measures how many habitats each species uses and places them on a scale from generalists to specialists. The Community Specialization Index (CSI) was calculated using passive acoustic monitoring data from 2019 and 2020. We also gathered functional trait data from AVONET and the IUCN to study their physical and ecological features. Our results show that functional homogenization is happening in Antananarivo. The CSI was higher deeper in the forest and where there was more forest cover, but estimated species richness did not change with these landscape features. There were strong links between the SSI and population trends, with more specialized species more likely to decline. The analysis of functional traits showed that homogenization is not random and can lead to major changes in how bird communities function. These results show that human activities affect specialist and generalist birds differently, leading to non-random functional homogenization.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":7844,"journal":{"name":"African Journal of Ecology","volume":"64 6","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2026-08-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148752959","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Higher Functional Diversity in Simplified Landscapes: Rethinking Bird Responses in Mediterranean Vineyards 简化景观中更高的功能多样性:重新思考地中海葡萄园中鸟类的反应
IF 1.4 4区 环境科学与生态学
African Journal of Ecology Pub Date : 2026-08-04 DOI: 10.1111/aje.70213
Abdelkhalek Belkhiri, Ahmed Bendaoud, Abdelkader Chahlaoui, Mohcine Sadki, Youssef Haddadi
{"title":"Higher Functional Diversity in Simplified Landscapes: Rethinking Bird Responses in Mediterranean Vineyards","authors":"Abdelkhalek Belkhiri,&nbsp;Ahmed Bendaoud,&nbsp;Abdelkader Chahlaoui,&nbsp;Mohcine Sadki,&nbsp;Youssef Haddadi","doi":"10.1111/aje.70213","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/aje.70213","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Agricultural intensification has profoundly reshaped farming systems and eroded biodiversity. Yet, despite extensive research on these impacts and their restoration, the avifauna of viticultural agroecosystems on the southern Mediterranean shore remains understudied. From September 2022 to August 2023, we performed 742 point-count surveys in Moroccan vineyards, recording 4040 individuals across 38 species (64.1% residents, 35.9% insectivores). Using AICc-based model selection, we tested how landscape type and management system affect taxonomic diversity, functional diversity (FRic, FDis, FDiv, RaoQ), and guild-specific abundance. Our results suggest a hierarchical environmental filter governing community assembly: landscape type determines the baseline potential for functional diversity, while management system locally modulates its expression. In conventional vineyards, high edge density acts as a detrimental filter, rendering functional diversity dependent on spatial structure. Conversely, organic systems consistently supported null models, indicating a decoupling from landscape constraints. Organic management maintained functional diversity even in simplified landscapes, outperforming conventional systems in stability and resilience. This pattern suggests that organic farming buffers avian ecological functions against landscape fragmentation within viticultural systems. Ultimately, our findings identify key environmental drivers of bird diversity in understudied Mediterranean agroecosystems, highlighting the role of local agricultural practices in sustaining functional biodiversity.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":7844,"journal":{"name":"African Journal of Ecology","volume":"64 6","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2026-08-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148752532","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Seasonal and Environmental Drivers of Bird Community Composition in a Tropical Savannah Landscape 热带大草原鸟类群落组成的季节和环境驱动因素
IF 1.4 4区 环境科学与生态学
African Journal of Ecology Pub Date : 2026-08-04 DOI: 10.1111/aje.70210
Abdulsalam Ahmed Abdullahi, Deborah Tini Egilla, Barnabas Sani Bello, Lucky Okpanachi Atabo
{"title":"Seasonal and Environmental Drivers of Bird Community Composition in a Tropical Savannah Landscape","authors":"Abdulsalam Ahmed Abdullahi,&nbsp;Deborah Tini Egilla,&nbsp;Barnabas Sani Bello,&nbsp;Lucky Okpanachi Atabo","doi":"10.1111/aje.70210","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/aje.70210","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Understanding how environmental and structural factors shape bird communities is critical for biodiversity conservation in tropical savannah ecosystems. In this study, we examined the effects of seasonal variation and fine-scale vegetation structure on bird community composition within a protected savannah woodland at the Federal University Lokoja Zoo and Conservatory, north-central Nigeria. Bird surveys were conducted using line transects between February and May 2025, spanning the dry and early wet seasons. In total, we recorded 562 individuals representing 66 species across 37 families. Vegetation structure and environmental variables were measured at the transect level, and community patterns were analysed using multivariate and regression-based approaches. Bird community composition differed significantly between seasons, reflecting both shifts in species composition and variation within seasons. Species richness and Shannon diversity were higher during the wet season, whereas total abundance did not vary significantly. Ordination analysis indicated that vegetation structure was the primary driver of community organization, with grass height, shrub density and tree cover showing the strongest relationships with species composition. Generalized linear models further identified shrub density as the most consistent predictor, positively influencing species richness, abundance and diversity, while canopy cover showed negative associations with abundance and diversity. Indicator species analysis revealed clear seasonal patterns, with nectar-feeding sunbirds associated with the dry season and insectivorous and omnivorous species more common in the wet season. Overall, our findings emphasize the role of fine-scale habitat heterogeneity in shaping bird communities within small savannah fragments and provide valuable baseline data for biodiversity monitoring in understudied West African ecosystems.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":7844,"journal":{"name":"African Journal of Ecology","volume":"64 6","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2026-08-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148752531","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
African Savannah Elephant (Loxodonta africana) Interactions at Elephant Bones: Observations From Southern Kenya 非洲大草原象(Loxodonta africana)在象骨上的相互作用:来自肯尼亚南部的观察
IF 1.4 4区 环境科学与生态学
African Journal of Ecology Pub Date : 2026-08-03 DOI: 10.1111/aje.70211
Matthew J. Bowers, Simon Kasaine, Bernard Amakobe, Bruce A. Schulte
{"title":"African Savannah Elephant (Loxodonta africana) Interactions at Elephant Bones: Observations From Southern Kenya","authors":"Matthew J. Bowers,&nbsp;Simon Kasaine,&nbsp;Bernard Amakobe,&nbsp;Bruce A. Schulte","doi":"10.1111/aje.70211","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/aje.70211","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Elephant behaviour towards dead conspecifics has been well documented, but mostly on fresh female or calf carcasses. This study builds upon existing observations by describing elephant interactions at the mortality site of a long-dead bull African savannah elephant in southern Kenya. A camera was installed at the site for 3.5 months in 2023, during which 34 unique visits were recorded. Visiting elephants often interacted with (e.g., touched, sniffed) the bones. Most events (85.3%) were by lone males or bachelor groups. Patterns of visitation are compared to past studies, and hypotheses explaining the prolonged visitation to dead conspecifics are discussed.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":7844,"journal":{"name":"African Journal of Ecology","volume":"64 6","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2026-08-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148752476","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Habitat Heterogeneity and Seasonal Dynamics of Primate Populations in Nech Sar National Park, Ethiopia 埃塞俄比亚Nech Sar国家公园灵长类动物种群的生境异质性和季节动态
IF 1.4 4区 环境科学与生态学
African Journal of Ecology Pub Date : 2026-07-31 DOI: 10.1111/aje.70209
Wondimagegnehu Tekalign, Cherinet Tilahun
{"title":"Habitat Heterogeneity and Seasonal Dynamics of Primate Populations in Nech Sar National Park, Ethiopia","authors":"Wondimagegnehu Tekalign,&nbsp;Cherinet Tilahun","doi":"10.1111/aje.70209","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/aje.70209","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Primate populations in East Africa are increasingly affected by habitat fragmentation and seasonal resource variability. This study assessed species-specific density, abundance, population structure and habitat use of three primate species—the Olive Baboon (<i>Papio anubis</i>), Mantled Guereza (<i>Colobus guereza</i>) and Vervet Monkey (<i>Chlorocebus pygerythrus</i>)—in Nech Sar National Park (NSNP), Ethiopia, across dry and wet seasons. Using distance sampling, we estimated species-level densities and encounter rates rather than relying solely on raw counts. A total of 503 individuals were recorded, with higher observed abundance in the wet season (268) compared to the dry season (235). Density estimates were consistently higher in the wet season for all species, with <i>P. anubis</i> reaching up to 21.9 individuals km<sup>−2</sup>, followed by <i>C. pygerythrus</i> (8.5 individuals km<sup>−2</sup>) and <i>C. guereza</i> (7.4 individuals km<sup>−2</sup>). Seasonal variation in encounter rates was statistically significant (<i>t</i> = −7.201, <i>df</i> = 2, <i>p</i> = 0.019). Because density estimates were derived using distance sampling, these seasonal differences are interpreted primarily as reflecting variation in detection probability and spatial aggregation of primate groups rather than definitive changes in true population size. Riverine forests (Arba Minch Groundwater Forest) supported the highest density and species co-occurrence, whereas open grassland habitats were dominated primarily by <i>P. anubis</i>. Species-level habitat associations showed that <i>C. guereza</i> was strongly restricted to riverine forests, while <i>P. anubis</i> utilized all habitat types, indicating higher ecological flexibility. Beta diversity analyses revealed moderate spatial turnover (<i>β</i>≈0.42) between riverine and woodland habitats, highlighting the importance of habitat heterogeneity. Demographic analyses indicated female-biased sex ratios and relatively higher juvenile proportions during the wet season. However, because the study covered only a 6-month period, these demographic patterns should be regarded as preliminary and may also reflect seasonal differences in detectability among age and sex classes. Overall, the results demonstrate that habitat heterogeneity and seasonal resource dynamics primarily influence primate distribution and detectability rather than absolute population size. These findings highlight the ecological importance of riverine forests and the need to conserve habitat mosaics to sustain primate populations under increasing anthropogenic and climatic pressures.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":7844,"journal":{"name":"African Journal of Ecology","volume":"64 6","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2026-07-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148647931","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Inferring Interspecific Interactions Among African Savannah Herbivores Using Detectability-Corrected Co-Abundance Patterns 利用可探测校正的共丰度模式推断非洲大草原食草动物种间相互作用
IF 1.4 4区 环境科学与生态学
African Journal of Ecology Pub Date : 2026-07-28 DOI: 10.1111/aje.70208
Harry B. M. Wells, Izak P. J. Smit, Judith Botha, Robert M. Pringle, Ramiro D. Crego
{"title":"Inferring Interspecific Interactions Among African Savannah Herbivores Using Detectability-Corrected Co-Abundance Patterns","authors":"Harry B. M. Wells,&nbsp;Izak P. J. Smit,&nbsp;Judith Botha,&nbsp;Robert M. Pringle,&nbsp;Ramiro D. Crego","doi":"10.1111/aje.70208","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/aje.70208","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Competition and facilitation are fundamental concepts in ecology, but evidence for the strength and direction of interspecific interactions within trophic levels is difficult to obtain, particularly in large assemblages of free-ranging animals. We investigated abundance patterns and interspecific associations among 10 African savannah herbivores by implementing a multispecies hierarchical distance-sampling model with a variance–covariance matrix that accounted for (i) imperfect detection; (ii) habitat preferences; and (iii) ‘indirect’ associations (i.e., shared/contrasting associations between two species mediated by any third species). Animal groups were more likely to go undetected at sampling locations with more woody vegetation. Herds of all species were less numerous on sandier soils and far from water, while associations with NDVI and woody vegetation were mixed. Positive associations dominated the correlations among species (before accounting for ‘indirect’ associations), and ‘direct’ pairwise associations after accounting for habitat preferences were generally weaker (correlation for all species pairs &lt;|0.55|); the strongest positive correlation was between white rhino and warthog (0.47, posterior probability = 95%). The lack of strong negative associations among species is consistent with coexistence theory's premise that intraspecific competition outweighs interspecific competition. The directions of the weaker ‘direct’ pairwise interactions were largely consistent with biological mechanisms proposed or identified in previous work.</p>","PeriodicalId":7844,"journal":{"name":"African Journal of Ecology","volume":"64 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2026-07-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/aje.70208","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148616228","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Honey Plant Diversity of the Stingless Bee, Plebeina armata (Magrett) (Hymenoptera: Apidae) in South-Central Burkina Faso 布基纳法索中南部无刺蜜蜂的蜜植物多样性(膜翅目:蜂科)
IF 1.4 4区 环境科学与生态学
African Journal of Ecology Pub Date : 2026-07-27 DOI: 10.1111/aje.70203
Souleymane Koussoubé, Josefa Somé, Adama Kaboré, Apolline Sanou, Karim Ouédraogo, Farûk Koira, Issouf Ouédraogo, Gérald Nana, Frédéric Soubandé, Kiatoko Nkoba, Mamoudou Traoré, Mamounata Bélem, Souleymane Nacro
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