Abstract:
This study investigated the influence of herbaceous biomass and species richness on the herbivore densitydistribution at Maasai Mara National Reserve (MMNR), adjacent community conservancies and in the triangle. Stratified random sampling was employed to draw up transects across three management sectors of Mara (mara triangle, mara reserve and outside in the community conservancies), where road counts of herbivores, herbaceous biomass assessment and herbaceous species richness were conducted simultaneously.
DISTANCE was employed to establish animal density across the three management sectors while quadrant technique was used to quantify for the associated biomass along transect of sample. There was a significance difference in herbivore distribution in the three treatments P<0.05, P= 0.044097, F=5.702265, N=3. Highest animal density was recorded outside MMNR in the community dispersal areas which was associated with low biomass. There was statistical significance difference in the biomass distribution across the three management sectors (outside reserve and triangle)P= 0.003839, F=16.15911, N=3. Triangle management sector had highest biomass records and the lowest biomass was recorded outside in the community management sector.
There was a negative correlation between biomass and herbivore density across the three management sectors P =0.000833, F=31.1454, r2=0.816. Herbaceous species richness differed significantly in distribution across the three treatments with the highest diversity exhibited outside which attracted more herbivore density than the reserve and the triangle management sectors. P<0.05, P=0.000876, F=28.34891, N=3. Low biomass outside management sector was attributed by the high animal density including livestock which fed on all the available forage material facilitating new generation of the plants to grow in diversity of forms. Hooves seed burying activity and large number of droppings of dung facilitated soil fertility and subsequent sustainability of the large herds in the sector. Triangle management sector had lowest herbaceous species diversity count and lowest animal density compared to the reserve and outside. This is explaining the factor behind the herbivore density distribution in that herbaceous species diversity plays a key role in sustaining large densities of herbivores in savanna ecosystem and not high biomass values.
