Giant Gardeners of the Forest: How African Forest Elephants (Loxodonta cyclotis) Shape Mammal Biodiversity in the Republic of Congo

Abstract

The African forest elephant (Loxodonta cyclotis), a critically endangered species, is a megaherbivore that browses and transforms large quantities and varieties of vegetation during its foraging activities and movements. However, the cascading effects of this ‘ecosystem engineer’ on animal biodiversity are poorly known. In this study, based on data from 38 camera traps placed in a lowland forest in the National Park of Conkouati-Douli, Republic of Congo, we examined the effects of the forest elephant and ecological variables like flooding time on local biodiversity in mammal species. Camera traps recorded 31 terrestrial mammalian species and our results show that mammal biodiversity was maximum for intermediate levels of frequentation by forest elephants. The occurrence frequency of various mammal species also reached its highest value under similar conditions. Possible explanations for this phenomenon are discussed.