Shifting mammal communities and declining species richness along an elevational gradient on Mount Kenya

A study on Mount Kenya, Africa's second-highest mountain, reveals that species richness and abundance of medium and large mammals decline with increasing elevation, contradicting the mid-domain effect hypothesis. Instead, the findings align with the energy richness hypothesis, where biodiversity peaks at lower elevations due to higher gross primary productivity. Camera trap transects across 219 sites from 2329 to 4657 meters above sea level on the western slope of Mount Kenya showed that protected natural habitats at lower elevations support the highest diversity and abundance of native species, while degraded agro-forestry lands adjacent to the park exhibit reduced biodiversity due to domestic animal activity. The research highlights significant differences in community structure between protected and unprotected areas, with large carnivores remaining consistent but dominant herbivores shifting along the elevation gradient. This underscores the high conservation value of protecting mountain ecosystems for biodiversity preservation.

Snider, M. H., Helgen, K. M., Young, H. S., Agwanda, B., Schuttler, S., Titcomb, G. C., Branch, D., Dommain, R., & Kays, R. (2024). Shifting mammal communities and declining species richness along an elevational gradient on Mount Kenya. Ecology and Evolution, 14(4). Portico. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.11151