Spatial ecology of male hippopotamus in a changing watershed

The obligate dependency of the common hippopotamus, Hippopotamus amphibius , on water makes them particularly vulnerable to hydrological disturbances. Despite the threats facing this at-risk species, there is a lack of information regarding H. amphibius spatial ecology. We used high-resolution track...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Scientific reports 2019-10, Vol.9 (1), p.15392-13, Article 15392
Main Authors: Stears, Keenan, Nuñez, Tristan A., Muse, Epaphras A., Mutayoba, Benezeth M., McCauley, Douglas J.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
631/158/2039
631/158/2165
631/158/672
631/158/856
631/601/18
Adults
Animal Distribution
Animals
Anthropogenic factors
Aquatic mammals
Artiodactyla - physiology
Dry season
Endangered Species
Floodplains
Fresh Water
Grassland
Hippopotamus amphibius
Home range
Humanities and Social Sciences
Hydrology
Male
Males
multidisciplinary
Rivers
Science
Science (multidisciplinary)
Seasons
Water flow
Watersheds
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Summary:The obligate dependency of the common hippopotamus, Hippopotamus amphibius , on water makes them particularly vulnerable to hydrological disturbances. Despite the threats facing this at-risk species, there is a lack of information regarding H. amphibius spatial ecology. We used high-resolution tracking data of male H. amphibius to assess home range size, movement mode (e.g. residency and migratory movements), and resource selection patterns. We compared these results across seasons to understand how hydrological variability influences H. amphibius movement. Our study watershed has been severely impacted by anthropogenic water abstraction causing the river to stop flowing for prolonged periods. We observed H. amphibius movements to be highly constrained to the river course with grassy floodplains being their preferred habitat. Dominant and small sub-adult males displayed year-round residency in/near river pools and had smaller home ranges compared to large sub-adults. During the dry season, large sub-adult males made significant (~15 km) upstream movements. The larger home range size of large sub-adults can be attributed to the elevated levels of migratory and exploratory activities to limit conspecific aggression as the river dries. Our observations provide insight into how future changes in water flow may influence male H. amphibius movements and populations through density-dependent effects.
ISSN:2045-2322
2045-2322
DOI:10.1038/s41598-019-51845-y