Browsing RESEARCH: Somers M by Title

Factors affecting the success of artificial pack formation in an endangered, social carnivore: the African wild dog

Marneweck, C.; Becker, P.A.; Beverley, G.; Davies-Mostert, H.T.; du Plessis, C.; Forssman, K.; Graf, J.; Gusset, M.; Hofmeyr, M.; Kelly, C.; Kilian, P.J.; Marchal, A.F.J.; Marneweck, D.G.; Marnewick, K.; Owen, C.; Postiglione, G.; Slotow, R.; Somers, M.J.; Gunther, M.S.; van Dyk, G.; Whittington-Jones, B.; Parker, D.M. (2019)

Social integration is an important factor when reintroducing group-living species, but examples of the formation of social groups before reintroduction are largely lacking. African wild dogs Lycaon pictus are endangered, ...

Fencing for Conservation: restriction of evolutionary potential or a riposte to threatening processes?

Somers, Michael J. (Springer, 2012-01)

How can we best protect the world’s biodiversity in the face of the growing human population? This question is the central theme of contemporary conservation biology. The protection of biodiversity from overuse by fencing ...

Food, family and female age affect reproduction and pup survival of African wild dogs

Marneweck, D.G.; Druce, D.J.; Somers, M.J. (Springer, 2019)

Understanding factors that affect the reproductive output and growth of a population of endangered carnivores is key to providing information for their effective conservation. Here, we assessed patterns in reproduction ...

The foraging ecology of reintroduced African wild dog in small protected areas

Vogel, J.T.; Somers, M.J.; Venter, J.A. (BioOne, 2018)

Restoring large predators to small confined areas (< 400 km2) is inherently complex and therefore any data on the foraging behaviour and top–down influences hold significant value for the conservation and reintroduction ...

Functional responses of retaliatory killing versus recreational sport hunting of leopards in South Africa

Swanepoel, L.H.; Somers, M.J.; Dalerum, F. (PloS, 2015-04-25)

Predation strategies in response to altering prey abundances can dramatically influence the demographic effects of predation. Despite this, predation strategies of humans are rarely incorporated into quantitative assessments ...

Grazing by large savanna herbivores indirectly alters ant diversity and promotes resource monopolization

Purdon, J.; Parr, C.L.; Somers, M.J. (Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0, 2019)

In savannas, grazing is an important disturbance that modifies the grass layer structure and composition. Habitat structural complexity influences species diversity and assemblage functioning. By using a combination of ...

Habitat use responses of the African leopard in a human-disturbed region of rural Mozambique

Strampelli, P.; Andresen, L.; Everatt, K.T.; Somers, M.J.; Rowcliffe, J.M. (Elsevier GmbH., 2018)

Leopard (Panthera pardus) populations across Africa are increasingly exposed to high levels of anthropogenic disturbance, and information on habitat use responses of leopards in human-disturbed landscapes can help inform ...

Heterogeneity in the density of spotted hyaenas in Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park, South Africa

Graf, Jan A.; Somers, Michael J.; Szykman Gunther, Micaela; Slotow, Rob (Polish Academy of Science, 2009)

Animal population sizes and trends, as well as their distributions, are essential information to the understanding and conservation of ecosystems. During this study in Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park, South Africa, a spotted hyaena ...

Home range use of free-ranging cheetah on farm and conservation land in Botswana

Houser, AnnMarie; Somers, Michael J.; Boast, Lorraine K. (Southern African Wildlife Management Association, 2009-07)

Cheetah ( Acinonyx jubatus) movements should be considered when developing management strategies for long-term survival and coexistence with humans. Although work has been done in Namibia, South Africa and Tanzania little ...

Home ranges of cheetahs ( Acinonyx jubatus ) outside protected areas in South Africa

Marnewick, K.; Somers, Michael J. (SAWMA, 2015-09)

As many carnivores occur outside protected areas, they are vulnerable to anthropogenic threats. In South Africa, the largest proportion of the distribution range of cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) is outside protected areas ...

The implications of the reclassification of South African wildlife species as farm animals

Somers, M.J.; Walters, M.; Measey, J.; Strauss, W.M.; Turner, A.A.; Venter, J.A.; Nel, L.; Kerley, G.I.H.; Taylor, W.A.; Moodley, Y. (2020)

Inbreeding avoidance influences the viability of reintroduced populations of African Wild Dogs (Lycaon pictus)

Becker, Penny A.; Miller, Philip S; Micaela Szykman Gunther, Micaela Szykman Gunther; Somers, Michael J.; Wildt, David E.; Maldonado, Jesu´ s E. (Plos, 2012-05)

The conservation of many fragmented and small populations of endangered African wild dogs (Lycaon pictus) relies on understanding the natural processes affecting genetic diversity, demographics, and future viability. We ...

Inbreeding, heterozygosity and fitness in a reintroduced population of endangered African wild dogs (Lycaon pictus)

Spiering, P.A.; Szykman Gunther, M.; Somers, M.J.; Wildt, D.E.; Walters, M.; Wilson, A.S.; Maldonado, J.E. (Springer, 2011-03-17)

It is crucial to understand the genetic health and implications of inbreeding in wildlife populations, especially of vulnerable species. Using extensive demographic and genetic data, we investigated the relationships among ...

The influence of prey , pastoralism and poaching on the hierarchical use of habitat by an apex predator

Everatt, K.T.; Andresen, L.; Somers, Michael J. (SAWMA, 2015)

As an apex predator, habitat selection by African lions,Panthera leo, is primarily determined by bottom-up processes; however, increasing anthropogenic pressures may alter these relationships. Using camera traps and track ...

Interactive effects of species richness and species traits on functional diversity and redundancy

Dalerum, Fredrik; Cameron, Elissa Z.; Kunkel, Kyran; Somers, Michael J. (Springer, 2012-01)

The importance of species diversity for ecosystem function has emerged as a key question for conservation biology. Recently, there has been a shift from examining the role of species richness in isolation towards understanding ...

Landscape suitability in Botswana for the conservation of its six large African carnivores

Winterbach, H.E.K.; Winterbach, C.W.; Somers, M.J. (PloS, 2014-06-20)

Wide-ranging large carnivores often range beyond the boundaries of protected areas into human-dominated areas. Mapping out potentially suitable habitats on a country-wide scale and identifying areas with potentially high ...

Leopard Panthera pardus density in southern Mozambique: evidence from spatially explicit capture-recapture in Xonghile Game Reserve

Strampelli, P.; Andresen, L.; Everatt, K.T.; Somers, M.J.; Rowcliffe, J.M. (2020)

Rigorous status estimates of populations of large carnivores are necessary to inform their management and help evaluate the effectiveness of conservation interventions. The African leopard Panthera pardus faces rising ...