du Plessis Kara, Ganswindt Stefanie Birgit, Bertschinger Henk, Crossey Bruce, Henley Michelle Deborah, Ramahlo Mmatsawela, Ganswindt André
Mammal Research Institute, Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Private Bag X20, Hatfield 0028, South Africa.
Veterinary Population Management Laboratory, Section of Reproduction, Department of Production Animal Studies, University of Pretoria, Private Bag X04, Onderstepoort 0110, South Africa.
Animals (Basel). 2021 Oct 27;11(11):3070. doi: 10.3390/ani11113070.
African savannah elephants () 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.
非洲草原象被誉为具有改变植被结构能力的生态系统工程师。本研究旨在探讨雄性大象的觅食行为如何受到以下因素的影响：(a)季节（雨季与旱季）；(b)一天中的时间（中午之前或之后）；(c)其他大象的存在与否；以及(d)生殖状态（发情期与非发情期）。2007年6月至2008年6月期间，在南非克鲁格国家公园（KNP）每周对6头佩戴无线电项圈的成年雄象进行两次观察。使用广义线性混合效应模型，结果表明雄象在雨季啃食更多，在旱季采食更多。为了可能抵消白天炎热时与体温调节相关的成本，克鲁格国家公园的大象在早晨花费更多时间觅食，在下午花费更多时间休息。与单独或与其他雄性在一起时相比，雄性大象与雌性在一起时觅食时间也显著减少。这可能是由于雄性与雌性的关联主要是出于繁殖目的，从而妨碍了雄性的觅食行为。相比之下，由相关身体体征定义的发情状态对觅食行为没有显著影响。
