Knowledge Resource Center for Ecological Environment in Arid Area
DOI | 10.1016/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
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ISSN | 0006-3207 |
EISSN | 1873-2917 |
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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