干旱区生态环境知识资源中心(Arid): Long-term high densities of African elephants clear the understorey and promote a new stable savanna woodland community

Arid

DOI	10.1111/jvs.13101
	Long-term high densities of African elephants clear the understorey and promote a new stable savanna woodland community
	Ferry, Nicolas; Dray, Stephane; Fritz, Herve; Ipavec, Audrey; Wigley, Benjamin J.; Charles-Dominique, Tristan; Bourgarel, Mathieu; Sebele, Lovelater; Valeix, Marion
通讯作者	Ferry, N (corresponding author)，Univ Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Lab Biometrie & Biol Evolut, CNRS UMR 5558, Villeurbanne, France.
来源期刊	JOURNAL OF VEGETATION SCIENCE
ISSN	1100-9233
EISSN	1654-1103
出版年	2021
卷号	32 期号:6
英文摘要	Questions Species defined as ecosystem engineers (e.g. elephant) are able to strongly shape their habitat. In African savannas, elephants have often been shown to reduce woody-plant abundance and diversity. However, recent studies highlight more complex elephant-induced effects on vegetation. Here, we assessed if long-term high elephant densities (>2 km(-2)) in a large open landscape resulted in the depletion of savanna woodland woody communities or if it led to a new alternative equilibrium. Location Woodland savanna of Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe. Elephant densities at the study site have remained high for the past two decades (>2 km(-)(2)). Methods We measured long-term (>15 years) elephant utilisation of woody-plant communities and their effects on vegetation structure, species composition and functional traits (e.g. N leaf concentration, specific leaf area) in 12 vegetation plots. Results We observed opportunistic foraging behaviour by elephants with only a slight temporal shift in species composition, mainly explained by changes in rare species. Further, we did not observe any modification in mean functional trait values, overall height, and stem diameters of the woody-plant communities. However, we found differential changes in woody-plant abundance according to the height layer (decrease in the number of tall plants [>200 cm] and increase in the number of short plants [<50 cm]) and a strong reduction in crown diameter for plants in the 50-200 cm height class. Conclusion Our study strongly suggests that long-term high elephant densities have led to a stable state in savanna woodland vegetation in terms of plant community composition and their functional traits. However, high elephant densities did affect vegetation structure, which would have several important indirect effects on this ecosystem (e.g. predator-prey interactions). We hope that this study stimulates more work on the long-term effects of ecosystem engineers in large and open ecosystems.
英文关键词	alternative stable state ecosystem engineer herbivore-plant interactions Loxodonta africana megaherbivore plant diversity and structure semi-arid woodland savanna vegetation dynamics woody-plant functional traits
类型	Article
语种	英语
收录类别	SCI-E
WOS记录号	WOS:000734882300011
WOS关键词	NATIONAL-PARK ; WOODY VEGETATION ; LOXODONTA-AFRICANA ; TREE COVER ; FIRE ; HABITAT ; DIVERSITY ; BEHAVIOR ; NITROGEN ; FOREST
WOS类目	Plant Sciences ; Ecology ; Forestry
WOS研究方向	Plant Sciences ; Environmental Sciences & Ecology ; Forestry
资源类型	期刊论文
条目标识符	http://119.78.100.177/qdio/handle/2XILL650/375878
作者单位	[Ferry, Nicolas; Dray, Stephane; Fritz, Herve; Valeix, Marion] Univ Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Lab Biometrie & Biol Evolut, CNRS UMR 5558, Villeurbanne, France; [Fritz, Herve] Nelson Mandela Univ, Sustainabil Res Unit, George, South Africa; [Fritz, Herve; Bourgarel, Mathieu; Valeix, Marion] LTSER France, Hwange Natl Pk, Dete, Zimbabwe; [Fritz, Herve; Valeix, Marion] CNRS CIRAD HERD Hwange Environm Res Dev Programme, Dete, Zimbabwe; [Ipavec, Audrey] RWCP Northern Western & Cent Africa Off, London, England; [Wigley, Benjamin J.] Natl Ctr Biol Sci, Tata Inst Fundamental Res, Bangalore, Karnataka, India; [Wigley, Benjamin J.] Nelson Mandela Univ, Sch Nat Resource Management, George, South Africa; [Charles-Dominique, Tristan] Inst Ecol & Environm Sci Paris, CNRS UMR 7618, Paris, France; [Charles-Dominique, Tristan] Sorbonne Univ, Paris, France; [Bourgarel, Mathieu] CIRAD, UMR ASTRE, Harare, Zimbabwe; [Bourgarel, Mathieu] Univ Montpellier, INRA, CIRAD, ASTRE, Montpellier, France; [Sebele, Lovelater] Zimbabwe Pk & W...
推荐引用方式 GB/T 7714	Ferry, Nicolas,Dray, Stephane,Fritz, Herve,et al. Long-term high densities of African elephants clear the understorey and promote a new stable savanna woodland community[J],2021,32(6).
APA	Ferry, Nicolas.,Dray, Stephane.,Fritz, Herve.,Ipavec, Audrey.,Wigley, Benjamin J..,...&Valeix, Marion.(2021).Long-term high densities of African elephants clear the understorey and promote a new stable savanna woodland community.JOURNAL OF VEGETATION SCIENCE,32(6).
MLA	Ferry, Nicolas,et al."Long-term high densities of African elephants clear the understorey and promote a new stable savanna woodland community".JOURNAL OF VEGETATION SCIENCE 32.6(2021).