Arid
DOI10.1016/j.biocon.2016.09.007
Prolonged drought results in starvation of African elephant (Loxodonta africana)
Wato, Yussuf A.1,2; Heitkonig, Ignas M. A.1; van Wieren, Sipke E.1; Wahungu, Geoffrey3; Prins, Herbert H. T.1; van Langevelde, Frank1
通讯作者Wato, Yussuf A.
来源期刊BIOLOGICAL CONSERVATION
ISSN0006-3207
EISSN1873-2917
出版年2016
卷号203页码:89-96
英文摘要

Elephant inhabiting arid and semi-arid savannas often experience periods of drought, which, if prolonged, may cause mortality. During dry periods, elephant aggregate around water sources and deplete local forage availability. However, the relationships between adult elephant mortality and both high local elephant density and forage availability close to water during dry periods remain unexplored. We hypothesized that elephant mortality is higher: a) when dry periods are longer, b) closer to water points, and c) in areas with higher local elephant density. Using nine years of elephant carcass data from Tsavo Conservation Area in Kenya, we analysed the probability of adult elephant mortality using maximum entropy modelling (MaxEnt). We found that elephant carcasses were aggregated and elephant mortality was negatively correlated with four months cumulative precipitation prior to death (which contributed 41% to the model), Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) (19%) and distance to water (6%), while local elephant density (19%) showed a positive correlation. Three seasons (long dry, short dry and short wet seasons) showed high probability of elephant mortality, whereas low probability was found during long wet seasons. Our results strongly suggest that elephants starve to death in prolonged drought. Artificial water holes may lead to lower mortality, but also to larger populations with subsequent high browsing pressure on the vegetation. Our results suggest that elephant populations in arid and semi-arid savannas appear to be regulated by drought-induced mortalities, which may be the best way of controlling elephant numbers without having to cull. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.


英文关键词Mortality Carcasses Savanna Seasonality Maximum entropy modelling MaxEnt
类型Article
语种英语
国家Netherlands ; Kenya
收录类别SCI-E
WOS记录号WOS:000388156100010
WOS关键词NATIONAL-PARK ; POPULATION-DYNAMICS ; LARGE HERBIVORES ; FOOD SELECTION ; CLIMATE-CHANGE ; CALF SURVIVAL ; DENSITY ; DEMOGRAPHY ; MOVEMENTS ; MORTALITY
WOS类目Biodiversity Conservation ; Ecology ; Environmental Sciences
WOS研究方向Biodiversity & Conservation ; Environmental Sciences & Ecology
资源类型期刊论文
条目标识符http://119.78.100.177/qdio/handle/2XILL650/191772
作者单位1.Wageningen Univ, Resource Ecol Grp, Droevendaalsesteeg 3a, NL-6708 PB Wageningen, Netherlands;
2.Kenya Wildlife Serv, POB 40241-00100, Nairobi, Kenya;
3.Natl Environm Management Author, POB 67839-00200, Nairobi, Kenya
推荐引用方式
GB/T 7714
Wato, Yussuf A.,Heitkonig, Ignas M. A.,van Wieren, Sipke E.,et al. Prolonged drought results in starvation of African elephant (Loxodonta africana)[J],2016,203:89-96.
APA Wato, Yussuf A.,Heitkonig, Ignas M. A.,van Wieren, Sipke E.,Wahungu, Geoffrey,Prins, Herbert H. T.,&van Langevelde, Frank.(2016).Prolonged drought results in starvation of African elephant (Loxodonta africana).BIOLOGICAL CONSERVATION,203,89-96.
MLA Wato, Yussuf A.,et al."Prolonged drought results in starvation of African elephant (Loxodonta africana)".BIOLOGICAL CONSERVATION 203(2016):89-96.
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