Migration of the wildebeest in the Serengeti-Mara Ecosystem

The seasonal migration of the Serengeti wildebeest, Connochaetes taurinus, is widely regarded as one of the about spectacular group events in the animal kingdom. Each yr hundreds of thousands of herds travel from the Serengeti plains in Tanzania to the Massai Mara area in Kenya in search of suitable forage (Mduma, et al,. 1999) The Wildebeest share a complex relationship with their environment. Their behaviour is significantly related to family unit ground heterogeneity with migration occurring in response to the spatial dissemination of provender and resources within their environment (Musiega, et al., 2004). However, the migration itself has a profound topic on both(prenominal) the flora and fauna of the ecosystem not only hotheaded the movement of other migratory herbivores such as zebra Eques burchelli and Thompson gazelle Gazelli thompsoni, and thereby the carnivores that prey on them, but also directly shorten the dynamics of the plant community by affecting t he start and distribution of vegetation and thus the nutrient cycling of the plaza ground (Musiega, et al., 2004). The intrinsic role of the wildebeest has established this species as the ground tackle by which the Serengeti-Mara ecosystem is both determined and delineate (Sinclair, 1979). The Serengeti-Mara ecosystem covers over 25, 000km2 ranging from northerly Tanzania to south easternern Kenya.

The system is closed; special(a) by both ecological and man-made boundaries which restrict the migration and interdict the emigration and immigration of animals. The area lies within the forested Loita hill s, which dismission from north-east to sout! h where they merge with the Gregory Rift escarpment and the Ngororngoro volcanic crater high res publicas to form the eastern boundary. The Loita plains delimit the northern boundary and the be western stain is fenced off by agricultural land of the Wasukuma, Wakoma and Wakuria tribes (Mduma et al., 1999). The habitat is characterised by open grass plains with acacia woodland in... If you desire to get a full essay, order it on our website: OrderCustomPaper.com

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