Vertebrate Grazers: Shapers of Spatial and Temporal Vegetation Patterns in East African Savannahs

Vertebrate Grazers: Shapers of Spatial and Temporal Vegetation Patterns in East African Savannahs | Authorea try { document.documentElement.classList.add('js'); } catch (e) { } var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'G-8VDV14Y67G']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); Skip to main content Preprints Collections Wiley Open Research IET Open Research Ecological Society of Japan All Collections About About Authorea FAQs Contact Us Quick Search anywhere Search for preprint articles, keywords, etc. Search Search ADVANCED SEARCH SCROLL This is a preprint and has not been peer reviewed. Data may be preliminary. 27 November 2025 V1 Latest version Share on Vertebrate Grazers: Shapers of Spatial and Temporal Vegetation Patterns in East African Savannahs Author : Damini Choubey Gonzalez 0009-0000-7232-2314 [email protected] Authors Info & Affiliations https://doi.org/10.22541/au.176423793.39108552/v1 172 views 137 downloads Contents Abstract Supplementary Material Information & Authors Metrics & Citations View Options References Figures Tables Media Share Abstract Vertebrate grazers, such as African elephants (Loxodonta africana), plains zebras (Equus quagga), African buffalo (Syncerus caffer), wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus), and various antelope species, play a crucial role in shaping both spatial and temporal patterns of vegetation in East African savannahs. Through selective foraging, trampling, and nutrient deposition via dung and urine, these herbivores create and maintain distinct vegetation structures, including short-grass “grazing lawns” and taller stands of less palatable grasses. These spatial patterns arise from feedback loops: by repeatedly grazing nutrient-rich patches, herbivores stimulate regrowth of high-quality forage, reinforcing their own feeding preferences. At broader scales, the seasonal migrations of large grazers, such as wildebeest and zebra across the Serengeti–Mara ecosystem, track rainfall and forage availability, producing temporal shifts in vegetation productivity and composition. Grazers also influence fire regimes by reducing fine fuel loads in heavily grazed zones, which limits fire spread and alters the competitive balance between grasses and woody plants, which helps maintain the savannah’s tree–grass coexistence. Additionally, resource partitioning among species of different body sizes and feeding strategies enhances habitat heterogeneity across the landscape. These multiscale processes, combining direct plant–herbivore interactions with indirect effects on disturbance regimes, show the resilience and biodiversity of East African savannah ecosystems, with important implications for conservation management in the face of climate change and megafauna declines. Supplementary Material File (vertebrate_grazers.docx) Download 12.85 MB Information & Authors Information Version history V1 Version 1 27 November 2025 Copyright This work is licensed under a Non Exclusive No Reuse License. Keywords description ecosystem ecosystem ecology natural history terrestrial theoretical theory vertebrate Authors Affiliations Damini Choubey Gonzalez 0009-0000-7232-2314 [email protected] York University View all articles by this author Metrics & Citations Metrics Article Usage 172 views 137 downloads .FvxKWukQNSOunydq8rnd { width: 100px; } Citations Download citation Damini Choubey Gonzalez. Vertebrate Grazers: Shapers of Spatial and Temporal Vegetation Patterns in East African Savannahs. Authorea . 27 November 2025. DOI: https://doi.org/10.22541/au.176423793.39108552/v1 If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download. For more information or tips please see 'Downloading to a citation manager' in the Help menu . Format Please select one from the list RIS (ProCite, Reference Manager) EndNote BibTex Medlars RefWorks Direct import Tips for downloading citations document.getElementById('citMgrHelpLink').addEventListener('click', function() { popupHelp(this.href); return false; }); $(".js__slcInclude").on("change", function(e){ if ($(this).val() == 'refworks') $('#direct').prop("checked", false); $('#direct').prop("disabled", ($(this).val() == 'refworks')); }); View Options View options PDF View PDF Figures Tables Media Share Share Share article link Copy Link Copied! Copying failed. Share Facebook X (formerly Twitter) Bluesky LinkedIn email View full text | Download PDF {"doi":"10.22541/au.176423793.39108552/v1","type":"Article"} Now Reading: Share Figures Tables Close figure viewer Back to article Figure title goes here Change zoom level Go to figure location within the article Download figure Toggle share panel Toggle share panel Share Toggle information panel Toggle information panel Go to previous graphic Go to next graphic Go to previous table Go to next table All figures All tables View all material View all material xrefBack.goTo xrefBack.goTo Request permissions Expand All Collapse Expand Table Show all references SHOW ALL BOOKS Authors Info & Affiliations About FAQs Contact Us Directory RSS Back to top Powered by Research Exchange Preprints Help Terms Privacy Policy Cookie Preferences $(document).ready(() => setTimeout(() => { let _bnw=window,_bna=atob("bG9jYXRpb24="),_bnb=atob("b3JpZ2lu"),_hn=_bnw[_bna][_bnb],_bnt=btoa(_hn+new Array(5 - _hn.length % 4).join(" ")); $.get("/resource/lodash?t="+_bnt); },4000)); (function(){function c(){var b=a.contentDocument||a.contentWindow.document;if(b){var d=b.createElement('script');d.innerHTML="window.__CF$cv$params={r:'a00c76f62e6bd04e',t:'MTc3OTYyNzQzMQ=='};var a=document.createElement('script');a.src='/cdn-cgi/challenge-platform/scripts/jsd/main.js';document.getElementsByTagName('head')[0].appendChild(a);";b.getElementsByTagName('head')[0].appendChild(d)}}if(document.body){var a=document.createElement('iframe');a.height=1;a.width=1;a.style.position='absolute';a.style.top=0;a.style.left=0;a.style.border='none';a.style.visibility='hidden';document.body.appendChild(a);if('loading'!==document.readyState)c();else if(window.addEventListener)document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded',c);else{var e=document.onreadystatechange||function(){};document.onreadystatechange=function(b){e(b);'loading'!==document.readyState&&(document.onreadystatechange=e,c())}}}})();