Foraging Relationships Between Elephants and Lantana camara Invasion in Mudumalai Tiger Reserve, India. (March 2014)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Wilson, Gaius; Gruber, Monica A.; Lester, Philip J.
• Is Part Of: Biotropica. Volume 46:Number 2(2014:Mar.)
• Page Start: 194
• Page End: 201
• Publication Date: 2014-03
• Subjects: Biotic communities -- Tropics -- Periodicals; Applied ecology -- Tropics -- Periodicals; Biology -- Tropics -- Periodicals; 577.80913
• DOI: 10.1111/btp.12094
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0006-3606

Abstract

<abstract abstract-type="main" id="btp12094-abs-0001"> <title>Abstract</title> <p> <italic>Lantana camara</italic> is a widespread exotic invasive species in India, capable of dominating and displacing native forage species. We investigated whether <italic>L. camara</italic> was associated with variation in elephant foraging behavior in Mudumalai Tiger Reserve, India. The behavioral responses of elephants to <italic>L. camara</italic> were assessed from feeding and stepping rates. Elephants were never observed to feed on <italic>L. camara, </italic> but rather fed on grass and browse present within and around <italic>L. camara</italic> patches. A multiple regression analysis showed that feeding rates were negatively associated with <italic>L. camara</italic> invasion (<italic>F</italic><sub>1, 55</sub> = 4.26, <italic>R</italic><sup>2</sup> = 0.07), but not stepping rates. Instead, grass cover and browse density were associated with stepping rates (<italic>F</italic><sub>2, 55</sub> = 11.16, <italic>R</italic><sup>2</sup> = 0.30). Path analysis indicated that the total effect of <italic>L. camara</italic> on feeding rates was 11 percent (<italic>β</italic> = −0.24) less than the direct negative association (<italic>β</italic> = −0.27) owing to a positive indirect association of <italic>L. camara</italic> with feeding rates through grass cover and browse density (<italic>β</italic> = 0.03), while stepping rates were negatively associated with grass cover (<italic>β</italic> = −0.39) and positively associated with browse density (<italic>β</italic> = 0.38). Our results indicate that <italic>L. camara</italic> appears capable of modifying feeding rates of elephants, likely through a loss of grass areas due to <italic>L. camara</italic> invasion. Experimental work is needed to test for causal relationships among the variables we measured, to enhance our understanding of how invasive weeds modify elephant behavior.</p> </abstract>