Serengeti II: Dynamics, Management, and Conservation of an Ecosystem

by Anthony R.E. Sinclair (Editor)

Serengeti Dynamics, Management, and Conservation of an Ecosystem brings together twenty years of research by leading scientists to provide the most most thorough understanding to date of the spectacular Serengeti-Mara ecosystem in East Africa, home to one of the largest and most diverse populations of animals in the world.

Building on the groundwork laid by the classic Dynamics of an Ecosystem , published in 1979 by the University of Chicago Press, this new book integrates studies of the ecosystem at every level—from the plants at the bottom of the visible food chain, to the many species of herbivores and predators, to the system as a whole. Drawing on new data from many long-term studies and from more recent research initiatives, and applying new theory and computer technology, the contributors examine the large-scale processes that have produced the Serengeti's extraordinary biological diversity, as well as the interactions among species and between plants and animals and their environment. They also introduce computer modeling as a tool for exploring these interactions, employing this new technology to test and anticipate the effects of social, political, and economic changes on the entire ecosystem and on particular species, and so to shape future conservation and management strategies.

673 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 1995

Reviews

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel a little guilty rating this book because I did not read it cover to cover. The book is essentially a large collection of scientific articles covering plant/herbivore interactions, predator behavioral ecology (I liked the wild dog articles in particular), and herbivore and predator population dynamics (like a lot of applied ecology, many of the studies are concerned with determining and predicting population sizes - because counting animals can be harder than you'd think). About of third of the book are articles covering park management and conservation (an article on the history of poaching and anti-poaching efforts in the park was interesting). For each article I read the introduction, looked at figures, skimmed over model outputs, then read the discussion and conclusion. For a tome like this I think it was a reasonable approach to get what I could out of it, especially since I couldn't renew it from the library anymore and I was accruing overdue fines. The best part was seeing citations for Schaller (the lion guy) and Kruuk (the hyena guy) continuously pop up- Schaller wrote "Golden Shadows, Flying Hooves" (which I was also reading), and Kruuk appears in it.

[Alan Mills · Rating 4 out of 5]

A series of serious scientific articles on various aspects of the ecology of the Serengeti. The articles each are arranged in the standard academic format: statement of the problem, description of the methodology, results, conclusions. They articles cover a wide range of issues from the ecology of various plants to the relationship between ecological studies and conservation efforts.

While the methodology (and results) are sometimes too technical for the general reader without a science background (among which I count myself), most are completely understandable to the lay reader, and a few contain some fascinating nuggets of counter-intuitive findings.

My favorite example was the Cheetah. The number of most predators are determined by the prevalence of prey. But observations show the Cheetah has exactly the opposite relationship to prey: the more prevalent the prey, the fewer Cheetah! Why? It turns out that Cheetahs have an extremely high mortality rate: something like 95% of Cheetahs do not survive to sexual maturity. About 75% of that death rate is caused by lions and hyenas killing baby or juvenile Cheetah. When there are a lot of prey (gazelles, and other similar animals) lions and hyenas reproduce at far greater rates. With more predators, more Cheetahs are killed, thus reducing the overall number of Cheetah reaching sexual maturity!