 |
 |
 |
|
|
Tanzania: |
ACM Tanzania Program Field Projects |
|
Fall 2003 Titles and abstracts of field projects completed by participants in the fall 2003 ACM Tanzania Program. These papers are not available for distribution. Go
to Project directory |
|
|
|
Ecology
Geology
Archaeology
Anthropology
Medical Anthropology
|
|
|
|
Ecology
Investigating mammalian activity at waterholes
in the Seronera region of Serengeti National Park From October 8th to November 1st, 2003, observations were made at twenty-six waterholes in the Seronera Region of Serengeti National Park. Twenty-five of these were classified as riverside sites, located along the Game-Viewing Circuit of the Seronera and Wandahu Rivers. The remaining site (known as Kisimani ['the place of the well']) was located off of the Game-Viewing Circuit, between Seronera Lodge and Seronera Village. At each site, mammalian behavior and change behavior with the onset of human activity was recorded. At the riverside sites, human activity was always in the form of tourist vehicles. At Kisimani, human activity was in the form of tourist vehicles, TANAPA vehicles, pedestrians, and low-flying airplanes. Human activity induced 147 instances of spookings, classified as either 'temporarily startled' (84% of total) or 'exit-related behavior' (16% of total), distributed almost equally between the riverside sites and Kisimani (49% : 51%). Zebra [Equus burchelli] was the species most prone to spooking (49%). Additionally, interspecific mammalian association was measured using the index of association. Particular paired species that had moderately high indices of associations included: topi-warthog; impala-topi; impala warthog; topi-zebra; topi-wildebeest; zebra-impala; and zebra-wildebeest. Also, species that are more similar in size were found to associate more frequently. This study concluded that while humans are influencing animal behavior at waterholes, human-induce spookings do not inhibit species from associating with each other.
Small mammal composition on kopjes and the
surrounding landscape in Serengeti National Park The kopjes of Serengeti National Park, Tanzania, provide ideal habitat for small mammals. There exists a difference between population sizes, community composition and species richness between kopjes and the area surrounding them. Seventy percent of the small mammal populations found at kopjes sites were located on the kopjes, and thirty percent were found in the surrounding area, referred to as the matrix. Species were divided into generalist and specialist, with two kopjes specialists (Graphirururs murinus, Acomys wilsoni), one matrix specialist (Tatera boehmi) and two generalist (Mastomys natalensis, Arvicathis laernatus). Factors at each site-including human disturbance, kopje area, matrix type and kopje vegetation-have effects on the populations of small mammals. Human disturbance reduced the abundance of small mammals and effected their species composition. The short grass matrix type was preferred over tall grass or woodland habitat types by matrix species. Kopjes with abundant vegetation and large area had correspondingly larger populations of small mammals and slightly smaller populations in the matrix.
Are the roads in Serengeti affecting vegetation
in grasslands? Serengeti National Park is recognized as a World Heritage Site and a Biosphere Reserve. The park is home to large numbers of predators such as lions and cheetahs as well as massive numbers of herbivore species that support the predators. The presences of all the animals together bring in large numbers of tourists and tourism related vehicles. The increasing amount of tourism vehicle traffic is becoming a threat to animal population and, if left unchecked, could have effects like poaching and fire. I observed that vehicles appeared to be changing the ecotone around the roads by changing the way soil drains, erosion of nutrients inn the soil, increased amount of dust on nearby vegetation, and flinging large rocks onto roadside vegetation. I took 30 different transects in the grasslands south of Seronera to look for changes in vegetation patterns as you move away from the road. My results show a decrease in specie richness along the road and less space occupied by grasses. The nutritious grasses like Themida triandra, Pennisetum mezianium, and Paniculm coloratum seem to be affected. The loss of the nutritious grasses could lead to a decrease in the population sizes of the herbivore that feed on them.
Micro-habitat characteristics and their
effects on biodiversity of vegetation at kopjes in Serengeti National
Park, Tanzania I examined vegetation communities at kopjes (inselbergs) in Seronera Valley Region of the Serengeti National Park, Tanzania. Past research indicates that inselbergs in tropical habitats are biologically diverse habitats in which species composition differs significantly from the surrounding community. This biodiversity means kopjes are especially important to the stability of the entire Serengeti ecosystem. This study has been designed to focus primarily on the effect of human disturbance on biodiversity among kopjes. The secondary objectives of this study are to determine the effects of basal area, height, pH of soil, and surrounding matrix type on biodiversity among kopjes. Human disturbance is qualified in three levels; 1 being no disturbance, 2 being low traffic, and 3 being highly trafficked and disturbed. Each kopje is surveyed according to the number of species seen at the site, the percent cover of each species, and the number of unique species. Human disturbance has a significant effect on the number of species at kopjes. In areas of no disturbance the number of broadleaf species ranged from 25 to 35, in areas of low traffic the number of species ranged from 20 to 30, and in areas of high disturbance from 15 to 16 species. The effect of surrounding matrix type on biodiversity is not significant, possibly due to an inability to isolate matrix type from disturbance level. The effects of basal area, height, and pH of soil on number of species are also insignificant. Number of unique species among kopjes does not seem to be correlated to any of these expected variables. |
|
Geology A
comparative study of modern taphonomy in various micro-environments
at Laetoli, Tanzania The objective of this project was to design and begin a multi-year study of neo-taphonomic weathering, as exhibited in various microenvironments at the site of Laetoli, Tanzania. A total of five transects were plotted, representing grassland, open woodland, wooded grassland, bushland, and riverine environments. The location, type and weathering stage was documented for all bones in the transects. Future ACM researchers will relocate each transect and the bones with them to record weathering changes and can then be compared to fossil faunal remains to determine the paleoenvironment of the site as well as possible microenvironments being exploited by specific species. In this stage of the study, the main focus was to clearly and accurately document the transects and bones to ensure that their relocation would be possible. Continuing work will be done at Iowa State University, analyzing the soil composition of each transect and compiling a collection of recent taphonomy articles for use by ACM students in Tanzania. Pliocene
Paleoenvironmental analysis of the footprint tuff at Laetoli, Tanzania
Following a four week field study at the unique paleoanthropological site of Laetoli, I have used habitat analogies to try to assess what the Pliocene paleoenvironmental conditions were. To accomplish this, I identified the different kinds of large mammals that were present at each of three sites that I documented animal prefers (e.g., woodland, savanna, etc.). I have also collected GPS points from the sites where I worked in order to put that information into a Geographical Information System (GIS). Overall, my data suggests the presence of wooded areas in addition to savanna grasslands during the Pliocene in the Laetoli area.
Modern mammalian death assemblage, Serengeti
National Park, Tanzania Currently, paleontologists and archaeologists lack sufficient understanding of the fidelity with which the fossil record represents paleocommunity structure. By analyzing the current bone assemblage, this study elucidates the relationship between the potential fossil record and the faunal community in the Serengeti National Park, Tanzania. Mammalian remains were examined along fourteen transects covering a total distance of about 12.5 km in various microenvironments over six days of data collection. A total of 2779 bones were found, representing 219 individuals and 18 out of the 65 species weighing over 1 kg present in the Serengeti. Forty-five and a half percent of taxa over 15 kg and 9.7% of taxa between 1 and 15 kg were represented in the death assemblage. Although population size and size of the individual animal are likely the most important factors in probability of preservation, these alone do not account for all the discrepancies between the death assemblage and the faunal community with respect to species abundance, diversity of species, and species rank order of abundance. |
|
Archeology
Lithic technology and temporal representation
in high density artifact exposures near kopjes in Serengeti National
Park Our research examined the land use patterns and lithic technology of Middle Stone Age (MSA) and Later Stone Age (LSA) people in the Serengeti National Park (SENAPA). Survey targeted high artifact density exposure near kopjes within SENAPA because these features have been established as areas of high artifact concentrations and may have been strategically utilized sites in the MSA and LSA material cultures. Initial analysis suggests that both MSA and LSA assemblages were present at all sites surveyed but further analysis needs to be completed to confirm these observations. If both industries are in fact present at all surveyed sites, it may suggest similar cognitive ability and reasoning in the way MSA and LSA peoples moved through their landscape. This data may support theories proposing that modern cognitive capacity and behavior were present in the MSA. This modern culture then gradually accumulated to the point of finally manifesting itself in the material record of the LSA. |
|
Anthropology
Effects of increased education and Kiswahili
literacy among the Ngorongoro Division Maasai on Maasai/NCAA relations:
Increasing Maasai political power The relationship between the Maasai who inhabit the Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA) and the ruling body there, the NCA Authority (NCAA), has largely been characterized by distrust and misunderstanding since the NCA's creation in 1959. Within the past ten years, however, Maasai attitudes toward outside influences, such as education and Kiswahili, have largely changed. The aim of this study was to determine to what extent that change in attitude has affected the Maasai relationship with the NCAA. The study was administered using two interview modules. The first was used to gain a demographic overview of the NCA population and gauge basic Maasai political understanding and opinions. The second used open-ended questions to probe into why informants felt the way they did about the NCAA. The results from the study show a strong correlation between being able to speak Kiswahili, as well as having gone to school, and one's understanding and acceptance of the NCAA and its policies. The strongest relationship was found to exist between Kiswahili and one's political knowledge. This suggests that communication is the key factor in understanding the relationship. Most Maasai view the relationship as having improved over the past ten years due to increased education and employment of Maasai by the NCAA, an improvement many Maasai predict will continue in the future.
Global change and the maintenance of
tribal traditions: Maasai feelings about their changing way of life The Maasai pastoralists of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, a group with heritage tracing back several centuries in East Africa, live on a tenuous foundation. Though they were once a powerful tribe, controlling vast areas of land, they have seen their power collapse, their territory substantially limited, and their way of life threatened. The degree of change they have experienced in the last century is dramatic, though the degree of change occurring in the region, nation, and world has been no less dramatic or significant. Many seemingly distant and removed changes have in fact indirectly affected the lives of the Maasai, some of which they realize, much of which they do not. It is of critical importance to the survival of their unique way of life to examine what they notice and how they feel about current efforts to manage and develop their populace in a world that is growing closer together each day.
Cultivation and the non-Maasai in the Ngorongoro
Conservation Area A conflict was created between Maasai residents, who needed grain to supplement their pastoral diets, and conservationists, who feared environmental degradation and harm to wildlife when cultivation was banned in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA) in 1975. Cultivation remains one of the most serious land use conflicts in the NCA, compounded by population growth and immigration it is a potential obstacle to the coexistence of the Maasai and wildlife. Non-Maasai in the Endulen village and surrounding areas were interviewed from October 8th to November 1st, 2003 to find out their past and present cultivation practices, as well as find out how the ban on cultivation has affected the non-Maasai in the NCA. Few non-Maasai are still cultivating in the NCA. Past cultivation was primarily of maize and beans, on a small scale, for home consumption. Many of the non-Maasai I interviewed reported effects of the ban in the community but not in their own homes. The results of this study offer a different view of non-Maasai cultivation than has been presented previously. |
|
Medical Anthropology The
incidence of eye disease in Ngorongoro Conservation Area A significant health problem among the Maasai people of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area in Northern Tanzania is the prevalence of eye disease. Many of the most common eye problems involve inflammations of the conjunctiva. In this study, we examined the eyes of children and adults in the Endulen area; test sites included the Endulen Hospital and villages serviced by its counterpart, the Endulen Outreach Clinic Program. Using simple diagnostic tests, we recorded the incidence of the eye problems, focusing on each of the two types of conjunctivitis: bacterial, and allergic, trachoma and manifestations of vitamin A deficiency. We supplemented diagnosis with a simple interview, obtaining basic history of the patient to examine the correlation of eye disease with age and diet. We found that the most prevalent eye disease of the NCA were bacterial and allergic conjunctivitis and are most significantly caused by the climate and crowded, unhygienic living situations. Based on our research, we hope that future studies can be designed to specifically address the most prominent issues.
Bovine Tuberculosis among pastoralists
in the NCA: a look at prevalence, knowledge and practices Tuberculosis (TB) is the leading cause of death due to a single infectious agent among adults in the world. Mycobacterium tuberculosis is the most common cause of human TB, but an unknown proportion of cases are due to Mycobacterium bovis (Cosivi 1998). Bovine tuberculosis, M. bovis, is a zoonotic strain of tuberculosis transmitted from cattle to humans. In studies, pastoralists such as the Maasai have had a more elevated rate of the bovine strain of tuberculosis than the rest of the population (Kazwala1997). In this study, we interviewed Maasai communities of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area to access their behaviors such as eating uncooked meat and drinking blood, most people pasteurize milk before drinking it. Maasai houses are poorly ventilated and almost all respondents keep animals inside the house at night. Of the 122 people interviewed, 77.7% knew symptoms of tuberculosis. 52.8% knew how it is spread and 30.9% knew one or more prevention method.
Tuberculosis among the Maasai of the Ngorongoro
Conservation Area: a look at prevalence, knowledge, and practices Tuberculosis has become an increasing concern, since the onset of HIV/AIDS in the 1980's, as Immuno-suppressed patients are at higher risk for acquiring tuberculosis. Bovine tuberculosis, which affects cattle, has also become a concern among pastoralist people in developing countries, since it can be spread from cattle to human and human to cattle. For the Maasai, a pastoralist group whose wealth is based on cattle, this disease presents a serious problem. In collaboration with Courtney Coleman, a total of 64 male and 58 female Maasai in Endulen and surrounding villages of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area were interviewed. Questions pertained to high-risk practices and an assessment of their knowledge about tuberculosis was limited. Most people knew about coughing as a symptom of TB but few knew about prevention or spread. Most Maasai interviewed engage in high-risk activities of keeping animals in the house and drinking animal blood. About half eat uncooked meat. Very few drink unboiled milk. There is no statistically significant difference between the prevalence of tuberculosis in men and women. The most affected male age group was 46 and over and the most affected female age group was 16-30.
Prevalence of Refractive Error and Basic
Assessment of Eye Care Availability and Local Opinions within the
NGA This project was conducted in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area in the Endulen area. In this project, two experiments were performed regarding refractive error. The first was a basic visual acuity test using Snellen charts. Students from local primary and secondary schools participated as well as patients attending the outreach clinic. 136 people participated in the eye testing, a majority of which were students. The second experiment consisted of 45 interviews. These interviews were used to determine the basic opinions regarding eyeglasses, expense and level of eye care. A significant amount of people (12%) demonstrated a need for further eye care which is not available in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. In this project, the prevalence of refractive error, the level of eye care and basic perception of eyeglasses was assessed. |
|
|
| Go
to Project directory Go to projects from: fall 2006 ... fall 2005 ... fall 2004 ... fall 2003 ... fall 2002 ... fall 2001 ... fall 2000 ... fall 1999 ... fall 1998 |
updated 5/25/07
|
|
||