Seasonal importance of wetlands to ungulates in a grassland system

Abstract

South African grasslands have high inter-seasonal variability, and to survive this, herbivores must use functional dry season habitats such as wetlands. This study aimed to determine herbivore habitat use, quantifying the seasonal availability of grazing forage in wetlands and grasslands and identifying grass species consumed by selective herbivores throughout the seasons. Herbivore habitat use was assessed with a combination of camera trap surveys and dung transects, vegetation surveys included disc pasture meter readings, Geographic Resource Solutions densitometer readings and veld condition assessments, while the diet of selected herbivores was studied through microhistology. Results showed that wetlands were more productive than surrounding grasslands, and herbivores increasingly used them during the late dry season. Microhistology also confirmed that the ungulates adjusted their diets in response to seasonal changes in forage availability. To best conserve these systems, management should focus on the continued monitoring of wetland vegetation conditions.