Title of article :
Elephants (and extinct relatives) as earth-movers and ecosystem engineers
Author/Authors :
Haynes، نويسنده , , Gary، نويسنده ,
Issue Information :
روزنامه با شماره پیاپی سال 2012
Pages :
9
From page :
99
To page :
107
Abstract :
Modern African elephants affect habitats and ecosystems in significant ways. They push over trees to feed on upper branches and often peel large sections of bark to eat. These destructive habits sometimes transform woody vegetation into grasslands. Systems of elephant trails may be used and re-used for centuries, and create incised features that extend for many kilometers on migration routes. Elephants, digging in search of water or mineral sediments, may remove several cubic meters of sediments in each excavation. Wallowing elephants may remove up to a cubic meter of pond sediments each time they visit water sources. Accumulations of elephant dung on frequented land surfaces may be over 2 kg per square meter. Elephant trampling, digging, and dust-bathing may reverse stratigraphy at archeological localities. This paper summarizes these types of effects on biotic, geomorphic, and paleontological features in modern-day landscapes, and also describes several fossil sites that indicate extinct proboscideans had very similar effects, such as major sediment disturbances.
Keywords :
Landscape sculpting , Ecosystem engineering , Proboscideans
Journal title :
Geomorphology
Serial Year :
2012
Journal title :
Geomorphology
Record number :
2361841
Link To Document :
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