Comparative changes in adult vs. juvenile survival affecting population trends of African ungulates - OWEN-SMITH - 2005 - Journal of Animal Ecology - Wiley Online Library

Comparative changes in adult vs. juvenile survival affecting population trends of African ungulates - OWEN-SMITH - 2005 - Journal of Animal Ecology - Wiley Online Library: "Among large mammalian herbivores, juvenile survival tends to vary widely and may thus have a greater influence on population dynamics than the relatively constant survival rates typical of adults. However, previous studies yielding stage-specific survival rates have been mostly on temperate zone ungulates and in environments lacking large predators. Annual censuses coupled with assessments of population structure enabled annual survival rates to be estimated for the juvenile, yearling and adult segments of nine ungulate species in South Africa's Kruger National Park. Four of these populations persisted at high abundance after initial increases (zebra, wildebeest, impala and giraffe), while five showed progressive declines during the latter part of the study period (kudu, waterbuck, warthog, sable antelope and tsessebe)."