ReferencesandAcknowledgements

Riteofpassage:determiningelephant-mediatedseedshadowsfromground-truthgutpassagedata

ChrisBeirne1,ChaseL.Nuñez1,MelissaBaldino1,Seokmin Kim1,JuliaKnorr1,TaylorMinich1,Lingrong Jin2,AlinaXiao2,WalterMbamy3,GuichardNdzeng Obiang3,JulianaMasseloux1,TanguyNkoghe3,MédardObiangEbanega3,ColinRundel4,JustinP.Wright1,2,JohnR.Poulsen1

1NicholasSchooloftheEnvironment,DukeUniversity,2DepartmentofBiology,DukeUniversity,3DépartementdeGéographie,Université OmarBongo,Libreville,Gabon,4DepartmentofStatisticalScience,DukeUniversity

Introduction

FieldMethods

Results

Gut passage sensors

Elephant followBaitingSensor collection

from elephant dung

StatMethodsTheroleofforestelephantsas

seeddispersershasbeenunderestimatedandunderappreciated

Baiting

Historicalmovement

Movingwindow

Conclusions

FutureDirections

§ Impactsofelephantingestiononseedgermination,seedlinggrowth&survival

§ Effectsofseedpredationinelephantdungonpost-dispersalseedsurvivorship

• Africanforestelephants(Loxodontacyclotis) areimportantseeddispersersintropicalforestsandinfluencethefloralcommunitystructure

• Seeddispersalpatternisdeterminedby:1)gutpassagetime(GPT)and2)movementpatternsoftheseeddispersers

We developed novel GPT measuring methods, obtained the first GPT datain wild forest elephants, and modeled elephant-mediated seed dispersalshadows based on GPT and elephant movement data.

Dung Tracking

Seedshadows

GPT

• 99%ofseedsfallwithin15km

• Thecontinuedlossofforestelephantswillbedetrimentaltotropicalforeststructure

4-15km

Scantoseereferencesandacknowledgements!

Fig.adaptedfromCuadra &Grullon (2017)

Fig.adaptedfromCuadra &Grullon (2017)

(km)

(km)