The relationship between elephants and the riverine tree communities of the Northern Tuli Game Reserve, Botswana

Abstract

The species composition, and relative impact of elephants, on the riverine tree Northern Tuli Game Reserve, communities Botswana, in the Were investigated. Elephants showed tortilis, A. nigrescens, A. a preference for Acacia albida and Schotia brachypetala. Croton megalobotrys rarely showed bark damage. Debarking predisposes trees to mortality. Relatively high mortality rates were recorded for preferred species. The dominance of C. megalobotrys may be attributable to a relatively low mortality rate, associated with a low level of bark utilization, and an apparently high recruitment. The riverine tree communities seem to have a retrogressive succession pattern towards monospecific C. megalobotrys stands, facilitated by elephant activity. The energy, phenolic or crude protein content of bark does not explain the species preference of elephants. Species and pliable preferred pliable. bark was preferred. However, species was not necessarily with strong the bark of strong and pliable.