Effect of the habitat and tusks on trunk grasping techniques in African savannah elephants.

Autor: Costes P; Adaptive Mechanisms and Evolution (MECADEV) UMR 7179 CNRS/MNHN Paris France.; Institut de Systématique, Evolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB), UMR 7205, CNRS, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, SU, EPHE, UA Paris France., Soppelsa J; Adaptive Mechanisms and Evolution (MECADEV) UMR 7179 CNRS/MNHN Paris France., Houssin C; Institut de Systématique, Evolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB), UMR 7205, CNRS, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, SU, EPHE, UA Paris France., Boulinguez-Ambroise G; Adaptive Mechanisms and Evolution (MECADEV) UMR 7179 CNRS/MNHN Paris France.; Department of Evolutionary Anthropology Duke University Durham North Carolina USA., Pacou C; Adaptive Mechanisms and Evolution (MECADEV) UMR 7179 CNRS/MNHN Paris France., Gouat P; Laboratoire d'Éthologie Expérimentale et Comparée E.R. 4443 Université Sorbonne Paris Nord Villetaneuse France., Cornette R; Institut de Systématique, Evolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB), UMR 7205, CNRS, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, SU, EPHE, UA Paris France., Pouydebat E; Adaptive Mechanisms and Evolution (MECADEV) UMR 7179 CNRS/MNHN Paris France.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Ecology and evolution [Ecol Evol] 2024 Apr 19; Vol. 14 (4), pp. e11317. Date of Electronic Publication: 2024 Apr 19 (Print Publication: 2024).
DOI: 10.1002/ece3.11317
Abstrakt: Among tetrapods, grasping is an essential function involved in many vital behaviours. The selective pressures that led to this function were widely investigated in species with prehensile hands and feet. Previous studies namely highlighted a strong effect of item properties but also of the species habitat on manual grasping behaviour. African savannah elephants ( Loxodonta africana ) are known to display various prehensile abilities and use their trunk in a large diversity of habitats. Composed of muscles and without a rigid structure, the trunk is a muscular hydrostat with great freedom of movement. This multitasking organ is particularly recruited for grasping food items while foraging. Yet, the diet of African savannah elephants varies widely between groups living in different habitats. Moreover, they have tusks alongside the trunk which can assist in grasping behaviours, and their tusk morphologies are known to vary considerably between groups. Therefore, in this study, we investigate the food grasping techniques used by the trunk of two elephant groups that live in different habitats: an arid study site in Etosha National Park in Namibia, and an area with consistent water presence in Kruger National Park in South Africa. We characterised the tusks profiles and compared the grasping techniques and their frequencies of use for different foods. Our results show differences in food-grasping techniques between the two groups. These differences are related to the food item property and tusk profile discrepancies highlighted between the two groups. We suggest that habitat heterogeneity, particularly aridity gaps, may induce these differences. This may reveal an optimisation of grasping types depending on habitat, food size and accessibility, as well as tusk profiles.
Competing Interests: The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest.
(© 2024 The Authors. Ecology and Evolution published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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