Food selection by elephants in the ‘miombo’ biome, in relation to leaf chemistry

Abstract

Mature foliage selected by elephants in Brachystegial Julbernardia woodlands was characterized by high mineral and sugar content. Tree species avoided were high in total phenols and steroidal saponins, and often were poorly digestable due to high concentrations of lignin. In general, food selection appeared to be unrelated to protein content, which is probably available in sufficient amounts throughout the year. Immature leaves were rejected after tasting, presumably due to the presence of high concentrations of steroidal saponins, lignin and phenolic compounds, of which the latter showed an in vitro protein precipitating capacity which was twice as high as that of mature leaves. The selective pushing over of trees may be related to the varying concentrations of polyphenols in mature and coppice phase trees under the influence of browsing.