Kenya Long-term Exclosure Experiment (KLEE) dung count data

Starting in 2006, we have conducted biennial (roughly March and October) dung surveys along six-4 m x100 m permanent transects within each of the 18 KLEE plots and three control transects outside of the KLEE plots. This Excel worksheet features dung count data for each KLEE plot. Count data is broken down by herbivore species. To avoid recounting the same dung piles during subsequent surveys, we crush all recorded dung piles during each session. For animals that defecate in middens (such as steinbuck and Grant's gazelle), we used the number of dung pellets and differences in shape and color to estimate the number of separate defecation events. Dung piles for all major herbivore species could be positively identified to species in the field, with two exceptions. The dung of cattle and buffalo could not be distinguished, and we lumped them. The dung of plains and Grevy's zebras also could not be distinguished from each other; hence we grouped them as “zebra”. However, plains zebra far outnumber Grevy’s, so effectively we consider these to be plains zebra dung.