Elephants in the Garb of Ecological Engineers: They Can Create More Complex Habitats that can Support More Biodiversity

Areas heavily damaged by elephants are a frequent sight in forest areas. Some view it as a nuisance and waste of resources. Here is a surprising piece of info that adds a new twist to it. New research by a team from Georgia Southern University, US, has come up with the findings that areas heavily damaged by elephants are home to more species of amphibians and reptiles than areas where they are excluded. The elephants are living up to the name "ecological engineers" given to them by some ecologists.

By digging with their front legs, pulling up grass and bringing big trees crashing down, the elephants inadvertently change the shape of the landscape. The digestive system of elephants is not good at processing many of the seeds that they eat and in the process they unwittingly act as seed carriers and rejuvenate the landscape by transporting seeds to new places. Elephant faeces act as a good fertilizer.

"Eighteen herpetofaunal species were identified in areas of high elephant damage. Medium damage areas had 12 species, while areas of low damage had 11 species. A control fenced area maintained by the scientists had the lowest species richness with only eight species

The scientist says the craters and coarse woody debris formed by uprooted and broken trees increased the number of refuges against predators. They added that the locations were also favoured by insects, which were an important food source for amphibians and reptiles. Amphibians and reptiles tend to be sensitive to habitat change, and many of them are limited in terms of how far they can go in a relatively short space of time to escape problems.

The scientists maintain that the findings have implications for habitat and wildlife management strategies. Things may not look particularly pretty to a human eye but that does not mean that it is detrimental to all the life out there in the wilderness.

Details of the study appear in the latest issue of  African Journal of Ecology