Some preliminary results of the relationship between soils and tree response to elephant damage

Vwaza Marsh Game Reserve (VMGR) in Malawi exhibits a variety of conditions ranging from sandy well-drained sites where soil-water dynamics generally favour plant biomass production to clay poorly drained sites where soil-water dynamics do not favour plant biomass production. This paper examines pre...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Thomas McShane
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: IUCN 1989-06-01
Series:Pachyderm
Online Access:https://pachydermjournal.org/index.php/pachyderm/article/view/678
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Summary:Vwaza Marsh Game Reserve (VMGR) in Malawi exhibits a variety of conditions ranging from sandy well-drained sites where soil-water dynamics generally favour plant biomass production to clay poorly drained sites where soil-water dynamics do not favour plant biomass production. This paper examines preliminary data on the relationship between the range of these soil-water conditions in VMGR and how trees respond to elephant damage. Whereas the standard models of elephant-woodland interactions hypothesize that the effect of elephant on woodland is to reduce tree density, and therefore to reduce food availability, this study indicates that elephant-woodland interactions may be more site specific that previously considered.
ISSN:1026-2881
1683-5018