Social and Seasonal Factors Contribute to Shifts in Male African Elephant (<i>Loxodonta africana</i>) Foraging and Activity Patterns in Kruger National Park, South Africa

African savannah elephants (<i>Loxodonta africana</i>) are well-known as ecosystem engineers with the ability to modify vegetation structure. The present study aimed to examine how male elephant foraging behaviour is affected across (a) season (wet versus dry); (b) time of day (before or...

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Autores principales:	Kara du Plessis, Stefanie Birgit Ganswindt, Henk Bertschinger, Bruce Crossey, Michelle Deborah Henley, Mmatsawela Ramahlo, André Ganswindt
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	EN
Publicado:	MDPI AG 2021
Materias:	mega-herbivore sociality grazing browsing bimodal feeding diet-switching Veterinary medicine SF600-1100 Zoology QL1-991
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/cc2bc3f81de541ada23ff4932edbe7ff
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spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:cc2bc3f81de541ada23ff4932edbe7ff2021-11-25T16:14:30ZSocial and Seasonal Factors Contribute to Shifts in Male African Elephant (<i>Loxodonta africana</i>) Foraging and Activity Patterns in Kruger National Park, South Africa10.3390/ani111130702076-2615https://doaj.org/article/cc2bc3f81de541ada23ff4932edbe7ff2021-10-01T00:00:00Zhttps://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/11/11/3070https://doaj.org/toc/2076-2615African savannah elephants (<i>Loxodonta africana</i>) are well-known as ecosystem engineers with the ability to modify vegetation structure. The present study aimed to examine how male elephant foraging behaviour is affected across (a) season (wet versus dry); (b) time of day (before or after noon); (c) presence or absence of other elephants; and (d) reproductive state (musth versus no musth). Six radio-collared adult elephant bulls were observed twice per week from June 2007–June 2008 in Kruger National Park (KNP), South Africa. Using generalized linear mixed effect modeling, results indicate that elephant bulls graze more during the wet season and browse more during the dry season. To potentially offset the costs associated with thermoregulation during the heat of the day, KNP elephants spent more time foraging during the morning, and more time resting during the afternoon. Male elephants also foraged significantly less when they were associated with females compared to when they were alone or with other males. This is likely due to male–female associations formed mainly for reproductive purposes, thus impeding on male foraging behaviours. In contrast, the condition of musth, defined by the presence of related physical signs, had no significant effect on foraging behaviour.Kara du PlessisStefanie Birgit GanswindtHenk BertschingerBruce CrosseyMichelle Deborah HenleyMmatsawela RamahloAndré GanswindtMDPI AGarticlemega-herbivoresocialitygrazingbrowsingbimodal feedingdiet-switchingVeterinary medicineSF600-1100ZoologyQL1-991ENAnimals, Vol 11, Iss 3070, p 3070 (2021)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN
topic	mega-herbivore sociality grazing browsing bimodal feeding diet-switching Veterinary medicine SF600-1100 Zoology QL1-991
spellingShingle	mega-herbivore sociality grazing browsing bimodal feeding diet-switching Veterinary medicine SF600-1100 Zoology QL1-991 Kara du Plessis Stefanie Birgit Ganswindt Henk Bertschinger Bruce Crossey Michelle Deborah Henley Mmatsawela Ramahlo André Ganswindt Social and Seasonal Factors Contribute to Shifts in Male African Elephant (<i>Loxodonta africana</i>) Foraging and Activity Patterns in Kruger National Park, South Africa
description	African savannah elephants (<i>Loxodonta africana</i>) are well-known as ecosystem engineers with the ability to modify vegetation structure. The present study aimed to examine how male elephant foraging behaviour is affected across (a) season (wet versus dry); (b) time of day (before or after noon); (c) presence or absence of other elephants; and (d) reproductive state (musth versus no musth). Six radio-collared adult elephant bulls were observed twice per week from June 2007–June 2008 in Kruger National Park (KNP), South Africa. Using generalized linear mixed effect modeling, results indicate that elephant bulls graze more during the wet season and browse more during the dry season. To potentially offset the costs associated with thermoregulation during the heat of the day, KNP elephants spent more time foraging during the morning, and more time resting during the afternoon. Male elephants also foraged significantly less when they were associated with females compared to when they were alone or with other males. This is likely due to male–female associations formed mainly for reproductive purposes, thus impeding on male foraging behaviours. In contrast, the condition of musth, defined by the presence of related physical signs, had no significant effect on foraging behaviour.
format	article
author	Kara du Plessis Stefanie Birgit Ganswindt Henk Bertschinger Bruce Crossey Michelle Deborah Henley Mmatsawela Ramahlo André Ganswindt
author_facet	Kara du Plessis Stefanie Birgit Ganswindt Henk Bertschinger Bruce Crossey Michelle Deborah Henley Mmatsawela Ramahlo André Ganswindt
author_sort	Kara du Plessis
title	Social and Seasonal Factors Contribute to Shifts in Male African Elephant (<i>Loxodonta africana</i>) Foraging and Activity Patterns in Kruger National Park, South Africa
title_short	Social and Seasonal Factors Contribute to Shifts in Male African Elephant (<i>Loxodonta africana</i>) Foraging and Activity Patterns in Kruger National Park, South Africa
title_full	Social and Seasonal Factors Contribute to Shifts in Male African Elephant (<i>Loxodonta africana</i>) Foraging and Activity Patterns in Kruger National Park, South Africa
title_fullStr	Social and Seasonal Factors Contribute to Shifts in Male African Elephant (<i>Loxodonta africana</i>) Foraging and Activity Patterns in Kruger National Park, South Africa
title_full_unstemmed	Social and Seasonal Factors Contribute to Shifts in Male African Elephant (<i>Loxodonta africana</i>) Foraging and Activity Patterns in Kruger National Park, South Africa
title_sort	social and seasonal factors contribute to shifts in male african elephant (<i>loxodonta africana</i>) foraging and activity patterns in kruger national park, south africa
publisher	MDPI AG
publishDate	2021
url	https://doaj.org/article/cc2bc3f81de541ada23ff4932edbe7ff
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Social and Seasonal Factors Contribute to Shifts in Male African Elephant (<i>Loxodonta africana</i>) Foraging and Activity Patterns in Kruger National Park, South Africa

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