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A recent investigation has unveiled that African Elephants possess an exceptional capability to efficiently satisfy their extensive dietary needs. Research involving over 150 elephants demonstrated that these large creatures navigate their environments with careful consideration of energy expenditures and resource availability. The insights from this study, published today in the Journal of Animal Ecology, could be vital for the conservation of these majestic animals and their habitats.
The life of an elephant is challenging. As colossal herbivores, they require substantial quantities of low-calorie plant material daily, leading to significant energy demands. Their considerable size translates to a high energy cost associated with movement, meaning each step is critical, particularly while traversing expansive and often hostile terrains.
Comprehending the movement patterns of elephants is crucial for developing effective conservation measures, especially in the face of habitat fragmentation and human encroachment that jeopardize their populations. Despite this importance, the specific factors influencing elephant movements have remained largely ambiguous.
This new investigation, spearheaded by a team from the University of Oxford, the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), and Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena, utilized GPS tracking data collected over 22 years (1998-2020) in Northern Kenya from 157 African elephants. The data was gathered by Save the Elephants, a UK-based organization focused on research and conservation in Kenya.
Key findings:
- Elephants favor terrain that minimizes movement costs; 94% of the individuals studied avoided steep slopes and rugged landscapes. This behavior indicates an awareness of their surroundings, leading to energy-efficient route choices.
- There is a marked preference for areas with high vegetation productivity, with 93% of the elephants indicating a tendency to inhabit resource-rich regions.
- While water sources influence their movements, individual elephants display variation in their proximity to water. Some remain near these resources, whereas others venture farther afield, suggesting a complexity in their movement that extends beyond simply seeking the nearest water source.
- Increased speed correlates with an even stronger aversion to demanding terrain; 74% of the elephants avoided energetically costly areas when moving slowly, a figure that rose to 87% at moderate speeds and 93% when traveling quickly. This reflects a thoughtful balance between exertion and energy conservation, particularly during extended journeys.
Researchers noted a behavioral parallel between elephants and birds that seem to strategically utilize thermal currents to minimize energy expenditure during flight.
The research team utilized an innovative modeling approach named ENERSCAPE to evaluate the tracking data. This method calculates the energy costs of movement based on body weight and terrain slope. By integrating these calculations with satellite-derived data on vegetation productivity and water availability, they crafted detailed energy landscapes that clarify elephants’ movement choices.
To examine the pathways taken by elephants, the team employed step-selection functions, a statistical method that contrasts actual movement locations with alternative nearby areas. This approach has enabled the identification of the environmental factors influencing elephants’ movement and habitat selection.
The implications of these findings for wildlife conservation are significant, providing guidance for formulating protected areas and migration routes to mitigate human-wildlife conflict. The research indicates that conservation strategies should also take into account individual variations in habitat preferences, especially regarding water accessibility.
Moreover, these results may aid in forecasting how elephant movement patterns could adapt to climate change, which impacts both the energetic costs of movement and the availability of food and water resources.
Looking ahead, researchers plan to refine their energy landscape models by factoring in additional elements such as seasonal variations, human disturbances, and the influence of climate change on elephant behaviors.
Co-author Professor Fritz Vollrath from the University of Oxford remarked, “While further research is essential to gain a complete understanding of an elephant’s habitat utilization, this study emphasizes a crucial decision-making aspect for traveling elephants: conserving energy whenever feasible.”
Lead researcher Dr. Emilio Berti from the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research and Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena noted, “These findings carry important considerations for the evaluation and planning of conservation and restoration efforts, such as creating dispersed corridors, by taking into account the energy costs associated with movement.”
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