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What are the factors influencing the distribution of wildlife in East Africa?

Give the factors which influence the distribution of wildlife in East Africa.

Answers

Maurice
Outline the factors that Influence Distribution of Wildlife in E. Africa.

Climate

- Heavy rainfall results in big forests which favour animals such as elephants and buffaloes e.g. Mt. Kenya forest.
- Arid and semi-arid climate supports hardy animals which can stand scarcity of water e.g. hart beast and gerenuk which can stand scarcity of water.

Relief

(a) Aspect

- Windward sides which receive heavy rainfall support big forests which favour animals such as elephants while leeward sides of mountains which experience low rainfall favour grasslands which favour carnivores which in turn attract herbivores e.g. Amboseli.

(b) Terrain

- Hunting animals like cheetah are found in plains and plateaus which are relatively level where they are able to run for long distances chasing their prey.

Soils

- Infertile and shallow soils favour grasslands which suit many herbivores and carnivores.

Vegetation

- Birds live where there are trees so as to have shelter

- Savannah woodlands with more acacia trees favour giraffes which feed on foliage from the trees.

- Desert and semi-desert vegetation supports hardy animals such as grants gazelle.
Availability of water
- Fish are found in rivers, lakes and oceans e.g. Lakes Victoria Kyoga and Indian Ocean.
- Some animals such as hippos and crocodiles live mainly in fresh water in rivers and lakes e.g. R. Nile and L. Naivasha.
Human activities

- Man hunts animals illegally threatening some species with extinction.

- Man has displaced animals from their natural habitat by clearing vegetation for agriculture and settlement.

- Man has taken measures to conserve endangered species of wildlife through establishing national parks, game reserves and sanctuaries

National Parks

- Area set aside for preservation of scenery, wildlife and historical sites e.g. Tsavo, Mombasa marine, Amboseli, Samburu in Kenya, Kilimanjaro, Arusha and Serengeti in Tanzania and Kipendo valley and Ruwenzori in Uganda.

OR

(i) Type of soil affects fauna in a place.

(ii) Human activities displace wildlife.

(iii) Type of vegetation covers.

(iv) Presence of water.

(v) Climate of a place for example, snakes are found in warm areas.

Soil types.
Different species of plants grow in different soils. Earthworms and burrowing animals like rodents, can only live in particular types of soils. Crabs and some species of beetles are usually found in sandy soils while termites and rodents like to stay in red volcanic soils, which are warmer.

Drainage.
Well drained areas support a variety of plants and animals. Areas of poor drainage support a very limited number of plants as only those that grow under waterlogged conditions can survive such as papyrus, marsh and ferns. There are also animals such as the waterbuck that find such conditions ideal. Open water bodies such as rivers, lakes and seas are a host to a variety of organisms. These include birds such as flamingos, herons and pelicans and animals such as crocodiles and hippos. A variety of fish are also found in such water bodies.
maurice.mutuku answered the question on June 20, 2017 at 08:16

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