The spatial and temporal utilization of resources by the red hartebeest (Alcelaphus buselaphus caama)

Abstract

Ibis study on red hartebeest was conducted on the S.A. Lombard Nature Reserve (SALNR), location of one of the largest remaining examples of the Cymbopogon - Themeda grassland. The grassland on the SALNR was characterized by high quantitative and qualitative fluctuations, which elicited spatial and temporal responses from the red hartebeest population. Hartebeest responded to the dry and most limiting period by selecting plant communities of relatively high biomass, including dicotyledenous material in their diet and the tendency to disperse into small groups to minimise intraspecific competition for food. In contrast, hartebeest responded to high rainfall periods by selecting plant communities with the highest nutrient content and forming large herds, which facilitated defence of neonates. During this period of food abundance, their diet consisted almost exclusively of grass. The adaptations to the fluctuating conditions on the western Transvaal Highveld ensured that optimal use of available resources was achieved by the red hartebeest breeding herd on the SALNR.