Publication: Frugivory and seed dispersal by Asian elephants, Elephas maximus, in a moist evergreen forest of Thailand
Issued Date
2007-05-01
Resource Type
ISSN
14697831
02664674
02664674
Other identifier(s)
2-s2.0-34247498211
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Mahidol University
Rights Holder(s)
SCOPUS
Bibliographic Citation
Journal of Tropical Ecology. Vol.23, No.3 (2007), 373-376
Suggested Citation
Shumpei Kitamura, Takakazu Yumoto, Pilai Poonswad, Prawat Wohandee Frugivory and seed dispersal by Asian elephants, Elephas maximus, in a moist evergreen forest of Thailand. Journal of Tropical Ecology. Vol.23, No.3 (2007), 373-376. doi:10.1017/S0266467407004026 Retrieved from: https://repository.li.mahidol.ac.th/handle/20.500.14594/24013
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Title
Frugivory and seed dispersal by Asian elephants, Elephas maximus, in a moist evergreen forest of Thailand
Abstract
The Asian elephant Elephas maximus is the only living species of the genus Elephas (Elephantidae) that evolved in Africa c. 5-6 million y ago and migrated into Eurasia (Sukumar 2003). The Asian elephant is one of the few remaining extant megafauna (Owen-Smith 1988) and has disappeared from c. 95% of its historical range (Sukumar 2006). Asian elephants eat fruit when it is available, defecating intact seeds, of which some later germinate in the dung (Lekagul & McNeely 1977, Ridley 1930). However, to date there has been no detailed study of frugivory and seed dispersal by Asian elephants (Corlett 1998). The only common feature of the fruit reported to be eaten by Asian elephants is their relatively large size, but there is no evidence that they are exclusive dispersers of any plant species (Corlett 1998), in contrast to the more frugivorous African forest elephants, Loxodonta africana cyclotis (Babweteera et al. 2007, Chapman et al. 1992, Cochrane 2003, Feer 1995). Copyright © 2007 Cambridge University Press.