Publications by authors named "Hillary Madzikanda"
Article Synopsis
- Predators of similar sizes compete for food in ecosystems where water is scarce, which can lead to more conflicts among them, especially in Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe.
- The study found that African wild dogs, lions, hyenas, cheetahs, and leopards had overlapping diets, primarily feeding on kudu, and that competition increased in areas with fewer waterholes.
- To help wild dogs face less competition, the study suggests conserving larger prey species that rely less on water and managing water resources to maintain diversity in habitat availability.
Article Synopsis
- A high-quality reference genome is crucial for studying endangered species like the African wild dog, providing insights into their population dynamics and aiding conservation efforts.
- Researchers successfully created a cost-effective reference genome for the African wild dog, achieving significant genomic continuity and reconstructing a large portion of conserved mammalian genes.
- The study indicates that African wild dogs possess high genetic diversity despite historically low population sizes, underscoring the potential for improved genetic monitoring and conservation strategies for this species.
The spatial structuring of populations or communities is an important driver of their functioning and their influence on ecosystems. Identifying the (in)stability of the spatial structure of populations is a first step towards understanding the underlying causes of these structures. Here we studied the relative importance of spatial vs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn dry biomes, spatio-temporal variation in surface water resource stocks is pervasive, with unknown effects on the ranging behaviour of large predators. This study assessed the effect of spatial variation in surface water resources on the ranging behaviour of the African wild dog (Lycaon pictus). We analyzed data for 1992 (dry year with 20 water points) and 2000 (wet year with 30 water points) against presence-only data for five packs of L.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe test two hypotheses that could account for patch departure by large mammalian carnivores. One hypothesis is the unsuccessful-hunt hypothesis, where carnivores leave an area after an unsuccessful hunt but continue hunting in the same area after a successful hunt. The second hypothesis is the patch-disturbance hypothesis, where carnivores depart the area after a successful hunt because of behavioral responses of prey to predator presence.
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