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Data from: Experimental defaunation alters foraging behavior of a small antelope in Kenya

Reed, Courtney12; Albert, Loren13; Gomez, Chrishen1; Hassan, Ali2; Kurukura, Sam2; Musili, Paul4; Stahl, Maria5; Ward, David26; Young, Truman27; Palmer, Todd28; Goheen, Jacob92; Pringle, Robert52; Kartzinel, Tyler12

Research facility: Mpala Research Center and Wildlife Foundation
Published Nov 04, 2025 on Dryad. https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.2rbnzs832

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Nov 04, 2025 version files 222.13 MB

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Abstract

African savannas are experiencing large mammalian herbivore declines and extirpations, the consequences of which will be at least partially dependent on the functional responses of the species that persist. We used a long-term herbivore-exclusion experiment in semi-arid Kenyan savanna to understand how a small browsing antelope (dik-dik, Madoqua guentheri, ~5 kg) responds to the absence of larger herbivores across seasons (e.g., wet vs. dry) and sites (e.g., mesic vs. xeric). We found that dik-dik diets differed significantly from larger, co-occurring mixed-feeders (e.g., elephants: Loxodonta africana; impala: Aepyceros melampus). Dik-dik activity increased significantly in response to large herbivore exclusion, and they foraged selectivity based on plant nutritional properties and avoided Acacia species with strong physical and chemical defenses, especially during dry seasons and in xeric environments.  Shifts in selectivity due to competitive release were strongest under resource-scarce conditions, amplifying local impacts of large-herbivore losses on savanna plant communities. Together, these results provide strong evidence that dik-dik exhibit flexible foraging behavior in response to larger herbivores, especially in resource-scarce conditions. If large herbivores are extirpated, subsequent diet shifts by dik-dik may suppress long-term plant diversity in this savanna.