'Remote' behavioural ecology: do megaherbivores consume vegetation in proportion to its presence in the landscape?

ABSTRACT: Examination of the feeding habits of mammalian species such as the African elephant (Loxodonta africana) that range over large seasonally dynamic areas is exceptionally challenging using field-based methods alone. Although much is known of their feeding preferences from field studies, conclusions, especially in relation to differing habits in wet and dry seasons, are often contradictory. Here, two remote approaches, stable carbon isotope analysis and remote sensing, were combined to investigate dietary changes in relation to tree and grass abundances to better understand elephant dietary choice in the Kruger National Park, South Africa. A composited pair of Landsat Enhanced Thematic Mapper satellite images characterising flushed and senescent vegetation states, typical of wet and dry seaso

SUBMITTER: Marston CG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7035871 | biostudies-literature | 2020

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature