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The influence of the invasive weed Lantana camara on elephant habitat use in Mudumalai Tiger Reserve, southern India

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 April 2013

Gaius Wilson ,
Ajay A. Desai ,
Dalice A. Sim  and
Wayne L. Linklater
Gaius Wilson*
Affiliation:
School of Biological Sciences, New Kirk Building, Kelburn Parade, Victoria University of Wellington, PO Box 600, Wellington, New Zealand
Ajay A. Desai
Affiliation:
84 BC Camp, Belgaum, Karnataka, 590 001, India
Dalice A. Sim
Affiliation:
School of Mathematics, Statistics and Operations Research, Cotton Building, Kelburn Parade, Victoria University of Wellington, PO Box 600, Wellington, New Zealand
Wayne L. Linklater
Affiliation:
School of Biological Sciences, New Kirk Building, Kelburn Parade, Victoria University of Wellington, PO Box 600, Wellington, New Zealand
*
1Corresponding author. Email: [email protected]
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Abstract:

Invasive weeds like Lantana camara have a range of effects on animals such as elephant. These plants are not edible by the Asian elephant (Elephas maximus). They also compete for space with elephant food plants and take over large areas of elephant habitat. We tested whether the addition of L. camara to a model consisting of measured environmental variables improved predictions of habitat use by elephant in Mudumalai Tiger Reserve, India. Elephant dung density was used to assess elephant habitat use from 62 line transects 1-km in length. Results indicated that habitat and impact of human settlements significantly influenced elephant habitat use at a landscape scale. However, we found no evidence for the hypothesis that the addition of L. camara significantly predicted elephant habitat use at the landscape level. We then tested the association of L. camara on elephant habitat use in the dry deciduous forest (DDF) where there was a significant interaction between DDF and L. camara. In the DDF, L. camara significantly predicted elephant habitat use. We conclude that while no significant effects of L. camara were seen at the level of an entire reserve, at a finer scale and in specific habitats negative effects of this invasive plant on elephant habitat use were observed.

Keywords

anthropogenic disturbanceElephas maximuselephanthabitatinvasive weedsLantana camara
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Tropical Ecology , Volume 29 , Issue 3 , May 2013 , pp. 199 - 207
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2013 

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