The Depression of Reptile Biomass by Large Herbivores
- 1 May 1976
- journal article
- research article
- Published by University of Chicago Press in The American Naturalist
- Vol. 110 (973) , 371-400
- https://doi.org/10.1086/283074
Abstract
An apparent very low density of reptiles in a wide variety of African habitats is probably due to exceptional predation pressure on reptiles by a large array of carnivores that are maintained in 2 ways by the exceptionally large biomass of large herbivores in these habitats. There is anecdotal and circumstantial evidence suggesting that some of the regular predators on reptiles may take carrion or other products from big game in times of short supply of regular prey, thereby maintaining higher population densities than would otherwise be the case. There is also anecdotal evidence suggesting that regular consumers of large game may take reptiles as the occasion permits. A brief examination of the reptile fauna of E and S Africa, in search of traits expected of a reptile fauna under exceptional predator pressure, reveals little to support or deny this hypothesis. African large herbivores may substantially reduce reptile biomass through habitat destruction, especially in more seasonal areas where local water sources and riparian vegetation are important to reptiles, their prey and large herbivores.This publication has 8 references indexed in Scilit:
- MARINE FAUNAL DOMINANCE AND MOLLUSCAN SHELL FORMEvolution, 1974
- The Structure of Lizard CommunitiesAnnual Review of Ecology and Systematics, 1973
- Prey Selection and Hunting Behavior of the African Wild DogThe Journal of Wildlife Management, 1967
- The Prey of Carnivores During One Cycle of Mouse AbundanceJournal of Animal Ecology, 1966
- Food Web Complexity and Species DiversityThe American Naturalist, 1966
- Reptiles and Amphibians Collected in the Port Harcourt Area of NigeriaIchthyology & Herpetology, 1953
- Competition for Food by Birds of PreyJournal of Animal Ecology, 1946
- Life histories of North American birds of prey pt. 1: Order FalconiformesBulletin of the United States National Museum, 1937