Browsing by Author "Struhsaker, Thomas T."

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    Elephants, Selective Logging and Forest Regeneration in the Kibale Forest, Uganda
    (Journal of Tropical Ecology, 1996) Struhsaker, Thomas T.; Lwanga, Jeremiah S.; Kasenene, John M.
    The Kibale Forest, western Uganda, is the only site where studies have compared the impact of elephants on rainforest regeneration in logged and unlogged control areas. Elephants used heavily logged areas more than lightly logged and unlogged areas. Forest gaps were used more by elephants than closed-canopy areas and large gaps more than small ones. Gaps were larger in logged than unlogged forest. There were lower densities of young trees (saplings and poles) and a higher incidence of elephant damage to them in heavily logged forest than in lightly logged and unlogged sites. Elephant use of an area and damage to young trees was inversely or unrelated to the density of young trees and directly related to the density of herbaceous tangle. Heavy logging resulted in large areas of herbaceous tangle, which attracted elephants who suppressed forest regeneration by damaging young trees and perpetuating the herbaceous tangle. The tangle directly competed with regeneration of young trees while also attracting elephants and rodents (seed and seedling predators) and facilitating increased windthrow of trees. Selective browsing of young trees by elephants affected rates of regeneration, growth form and species composition. Rather than remove elephants, a more effective and humane approach to long-term management of logging is to reduce logging offtake and incidental damage caused by timber extraction.
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    Primate Community Dynamics in Old Growth Forest over 23.5 Years at Ngogo, Kibale National Park, Uganda: Implications for Conservation and Census Methods
    (International Journal of Primatology, 2000) Mitani, John C.; Struhsaker, Thomas T.; Lwanga, Jeremiah S.
    Few data exist regarding long-term changes in primate populations in old-growth, tropical forests. In the absence of this information, it is unclear how to assess population trends efficiently and economically. We addressed these problems by conducting line-transect censuses 23.5 years apart at the Ngogo study area in Kibale National Park, Uganda. We conducted additional censuses over short time intervals to determine the degree to which the temporal distribution of censuses affected estimates of primate numbers. Results indicate that two species, blue monkeys and red colobus, may have experienced significant reductions over the past 23.5 years at Ngogo. In contrast, five other species, baboons, black-and-white colobus, chimpanzees, mangabeys, and red-tailed guenons, have not changed in relative abundance. Additional findings indicate that different observers may vary significantly in their estimates of sighting distances of animals during censuses, thus rendering the use of measures of absolute densities problematic. Moreover, censuses conducted over short periods produce biased estimates of primate numbers. These results provide guidelines for the use of line-transect censuses and underscore the importance of protecting large blocks of forests for primate conservation.