Sacoglottis gabonensis fruiting and the seasonal movements of elephants in the Lopé Reserve, Gabon

Abstract

(1) Tropical rainforests vary greatly in composition and may exhibit strong seasonality of plant production (e.g. Whitmore 1984); (2) Fruit is an important part of forest elephant diet (Alexandre 1978, Merz 1981, Short 1981, White et al., in press); (3) Forest elephant densities fluctuate locally, and even regionally, perhaps in response to fruit availability (Short 1983); (4) Mean group size is lower than for savanna elephants, perhaps because of the importance of fruit in their diet (White et al., in press).