Vertebrate Grazers: How They Shape Vegetation Patterns in East African Savannahs

Abstract

Vertebrate grazers, such as African elephants (Loxodonta africana), plains zebras (Equus quagga), African buffalo (Syncerus caffer), wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus), and various antelope species, play a crucial role in shaping both spatial and temporal patterns of vegetation in East African savannahs. Through selective foraging, trampling, and nutrient deposition via dung and urine, these herbivores create and maintain distinct vegetation structures, including short-grass “grazing lawns” and taller stands of less palatable grasses. These spatial patterns arise from feedback loops: by repeatedly grazing nutrient-rich patches, herbivores stimulate regrowth of high-quality forage, reinforcing their own feeding preferences. These multiscale processes, combining direct plant–herbivore interactions with indirect effects on disturbance regimes, show the resilience and biodiversity of East African savannah ecosystems, with important implications for conservation management in the face of climate change and megafauna declines.