Change in Mesoherbivore Browsing Is Mediated by Elephant and Hillslope Position
- Lagendijk, D.D.G.
- Thaker, M.
- Boer, W.F., de
- Page, B.R.
- Prins, H.H.T.
- Slotow, R.
DOIAbstract
Elephant are considered major drivers of ecosystems, but their effects within small-scale landscape features and on other herbivores still remain unclear. Elephant impact on vegetation has been widely studied in areas where elephant have been present for many years. We therefore examined the combined effect of short-term elephant presence (<4 years) and hillslope position on tree species assemblages, resource availability, browsing intensity and soil properties. Short-term elephant presence did not affect woody species assemblages, but did affect height distribution, with greater sapling densities in elephant access areas. Overall tree and stem densities were also not affected by elephant. By contrast, slope position affected woody species ...
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