Foraging site recursion by forest elephants Elephas maximus borneensis

作     者：Megan ENGLISH Marc ANCRENAZ Graeme GILLESPIE Benoit GOOSSENS Sen NATHAN Wayne LINKLATER 

作者机构：Centre for Biodiversity and Restoration Ecology School of Biological Sciences New Kirk Building Kelburn Parade Kelburn Campus Victoria University of Wellington 6012 New Zealand Hutan Kinabatangan Orangutan Conservation Project and Elephant Conservation Unit Sukau Kinabatangan Sabah Malaysia Zoology Department University of Melbourne Parkville Victoria 3010 Australia Danau Girang Field Centre c/o Sabah Wildlife Department Wisma Muis 88100 Kota Kinabalu Sabah Malaysia Organisms and Environment Division School of Biosciences Cardiff University Sir Martin Evans Building Museum AvenueCardiff CF10 3AX UK Sabah Wildlife Department Wisma Muis 88100 Kota Kinabalu Sabah Malaysia Centre for African Conservation Ecology Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University Port Elizabeth South Africa 

出 版 物：《Current Zoology》 (动物学报（英文版）)

年 卷 期：2014年第60卷第4期

页      面：551-559页

核心收录：

学科分类：0710[理学-生物学] 07[理学] 071002[理学-动物学] 

基　　金：supported by funds to Megan English and Dr Wayne Linklater from Zoos Victoria  Australia 

主　　题：Asian elephant Recursion Site re-use Herbivory Megaherbivore Optimal foraging 

摘      要：Recursion by herbivores is the repeated use of the same site or plants. Recursion by wild animals is rarely investigated but may be ubiquitous. Optimal foraging theory predicts site recursion as a function of the quality of the site, extent of its last use, and time since its last use because these influence site resource status and recovery. We used GPS collars, behaviour and site sampling to investigate recursion to foraging sites for two elephant Elephas maximus borneensis herds in the Lower Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary, Borneo, over a 12 month period. Recursion occurred to 48 out of 87 foraging sites and was most common within 48 hours or between 151-250 days, indicating two different types ofrecursion. Recursion was more likely to occur if the site had previously been occupied for longer. Moreover, the time spent at a site at recursion was the same as the time spent at the site on the first occasion. The number of days that had passed between the first visit and recursion was also positively correlated with how much time was spent at the site at recursion. Habitat type also influenced the intensity of site-use, with more time spent at recursion within riverine/open grass areas along forest margins compared to other habitat types. Recursion is a common behaviour used by the elephants and its pattern suggests it may be a foraging strategy for revisiting areas of greater value. The qualities of recursion sites might usefully be incorporated into landscape management strategies for elephant conservation in the area [Current Zoology 60 （4）： 551-559, 2014].