Elephant seasonal vegetation preferences across dry and wet savannas

摘要: As African savanna elephants (Loxodonta africana) become increasingly confined to smaller fragmented landscapes, concern over their potential detrimental impacts on vegetation and biodiversity has increased. Understanding elephant preferences across relevant spatial temporal scales is a critical step towards managing protected areas for the persistence of both biodiversity. To better understand selection, we fitted 68 with GPS collars strong rainfall gradient spanning seven southern countries period 6 years. We compared locations remotely-sensed environmental data that measure bi-monthly greenness study area. Elephants consistently seek out greener than expected throughout year. Interestingly, they do so by utilizing different phenologies selecting landscapes when are surroundings. found no differences between dry wet savannas. These patterns persist even constrained seasonally available water. In season, select variable such as open woodlands, shrublands, grasslands. have lower average annual but very green few months in season. prefer less more year-round well-wooded closed woodlands. Because types at times year, small homogeneous may be unsuitable elephants. Since woody during season water, human actions increase water availability contribute