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dc.contributor.authorHelm, Chantal
dc.contributor.authorWitkowski, Edward
dc.date.accessioned2013-07-30T07:33:00Z
dc.date.available2013-07-30T07:33:00Z
dc.date.issued2013-06
dc.identifier.citationHelm , C & Witkowski , E 2013 , ' Continuing decline of a keystone tree species in the Kruger National Park, South Africa ' , African Journal of Ecology , vol. 51 , no. 2 , pp. 270-279 . https://doi.org/10.1111/aje.12032
dc.identifier.issn1365-2028
dc.identifier.otherPURE: 1400627
dc.identifier.otherPURE UUID: ac0eb685-d0c7-41e2-a76b-22d2bf64d56c
dc.identifier.otherScopus: 84876448642
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/2299/11216
dc.description.abstractSclerocarya birrea subsp. caffra (marula), a keystone large tree species in southern Africa and heavily utilized by people and herbivores, is declining at an unprecedented rate in the Kruger National Park (KNP), South Africa. Due to increasing concerns over large tree declines in the KNP, mirroring those in eastern Africa over the last 50 years, and local extinctions of marula populations in the north-western KNP, adult trees in the southern KNP were monitored between 2001 and 2010. Annual mortality rates across all adult size classes ranged between 3.2 and 4.6%. Loss of adult marula trees in some areas over the last decade exceeded 25%. Rainfall had a strong influence on mortality rates temporally and spatially, but the distance to the nearest perennial river had little influence. Overall, marula populations continue to decline and further local extinctions are possible. Given the clearly unacceptable trends of decline, the next step is to utilize this information (i) to develop predictive models for the future dynamics of marula populations incorporating all drivers; (ii) to advocate active management of refugia within the park where marula populations are protected from elephant impacts; and in combination with (iii) continued monitoringen
dc.language.isoeng
dc.relation.ispartofAfrican Journal of Ecology
dc.titleContinuing decline of a keystone tree species in the Kruger National Park, South Africaen
dc.contributor.institutionSchool of Life and Medical Sciences
dc.contributor.institutionHealth & Human Sciences Research Institute
dc.contributor.institutionDepartment of Human and Environmental Sciences
dc.contributor.institutionGeography, Environment and Agriculture
dc.contributor.institutionEcology
dc.contributor.institutionAgriculture, Food and Veterinary Sciences
dc.description.statusPeer reviewed
rioxxterms.versionofrecordhttps://doi.org/10.1111/aje.12032
rioxxterms.typeJournal Article/Review
herts.preservation.rarelyaccessedtrue


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