Diet DNA reveals novel African Forest elephant ecology on the grasslands of the Congo Basin

A groundbreaking study reveals that African forest elephants, typically frugivorous browsers, exhibit behavioral plasticity and shift their diet to include grasses during the early wet season in Garamba National Park. This challenges traditional ecological roles by demonstrating their potential as ecosystem drivers in grasslands, akin to savanna elephants. Researchers used diet DNA metabarcoding of non-invasively collected dung samples alongside GPS collar data to assess habitat use and dietary niche partitioning among megaherbivores. The findings highlight the forest elephants' unique role in maintaining grassland biodiversity, with males showing greater risk-taking behavior by foraging on fruit in human-altered landscapes. This adaptive behavior suggests a functional role for this recovering population in restoring and sustaining these ecosystems.

Meyer, J. M., Honig, N., & Hadly, E. A. (2022). Diet DNA reveals novel African Forest elephant ecology on the grasslands of the Congo Basin. Environmental DNA, 4(4), 846–867. Portico. https://doi.org/10.1002/edn3.296