Part One.
EcosystemsThe elephant play an critically important role in its forest ecosystem. Commonly known as a ‘keystone’ species. It helps to open up forest clearings and distributes the seeds of trees and shrubs. They can also dig holes in dry riverbeds, creating watering holes for large animals; and their footprints collect rainwater, creating watering holes for smaller animals.
Elephant dung, is important to the environment. It distributes seeds, and is often carried underground by dung beetles and termites. This underground dung fertilizes the soil. In addition, even though they are big and takes up a big amount of room, elephants are regarded as an “umbrella species” because their conservation will also protect a large number of other species occupying the same area. Elephants both in Asia and Africa eat abundant amounts of fruit when available. These seeds pass through their stomachs, and later digested in excreted. Sometimes it's dumped tens of miles down the trail which sprouts a new plant if the conditions and requirements are met. Ecologists calls this process "seed dispersal". |
Population/SpeciesElephants are an important cultural icon in Asia. According to Indian mythology, the gods (deva) and the demons (asuras) turned the oceans to look for the potion of life so that they would become immortal. When they did this, nine jewels surfaced, one of them was the elephant. In Hinduism, the powerful god that is honored before all sacred rituals is the elephant-headed Lord Ganesha, who is also called the "Remover of Obstacles". They hold significant meanings to the humans that live around them, in their population.
Asian elephants are found in Southeast Asia in the islands of Sri Lanka, Borneo, and Sumatra. They are also present in India. The Malayan elephant is called a hirsute, the Indian elephant is called the indicus, the Sri Lankan elephant is called the E.m.maximus, and the Sumatran elephant is called the sumatranus. There are about somewhere between 20,000 – 60,000 Asian elephants remaining in the wild. In the Asian elephant population female family members often stay together their entire lives and they all form very strong bonds. They also spend a great amount of their time playing and interacting with each other. CommunityThey are very sociable and occur in groups of related females, led by the oldest female known as the 'matriarch'. Groups of Asian elephants averages from six to seven individuals, and will occasionally join with other groups to form herds. The matriarch, usually the oldest and largest female, sets the pace of the group's activities. Herds often join with others to form large groups called clans. Males leave herds at puberty, around their 13th year, and travel alone or in bachelor groups.
BiomeThe Asian elephant is now extinct in West Asia, Java, and most of China. It survives in isolated groups scattered across grasslands and tropical forests in thirteen Asian countries. Asian elephants inhabit a wide range of grasslands and forest types, including scrub forest, rain-forests, and semi-cultivated forests. They prefer environments that combine grass with low woody plants and trees.
They live mainly in the savannas of Southeast Asia, and greatly in India. However, Asian elephants also inhabit a variety of tropical forest habitats such as moist, evergreen lowland forest, dry semi-deciduous forests, and cooler mountain forests |
Flow Of Energy
Asian elephants are herbivores that sustains their lives on a diet of leaves, stems, fruits, grasses, and the bark of many trees and other plants. Much of the species’ habitat has been converted into farmland, so elephants frequently feed on domestic crops. Its predators are lions and tigers and others carnivores like them.
Human Interaction/ImpactThe Asian elephant has been worshiped for centuries and is still used today for ceremonial and religious practices. It is not only known for its role within Asian culture and religion, but it is also a key biological species in the tropical forests of Asia.
Human impact plays it affect on this elephant species through civilization. This species is threatened by extinction in the wild. Because of the rapidly growing human populations, the Asian elephant's habitat is shrinking fast. Wild elephant populations are mostly small, isolated, and unable to join together because migratory routes are cut off by human settlements. Another big negative human impact is the poaching, the illegal killings, of elephants by humans. A great number of adult male Asian elephants are tusk-less, and the percentage of males carrying ivory differentiates by region, possibly due to the intensity of past ivory hunting. Since Asian elephants consume crops, these crops also include the ones of agricultural farms which comes in contact with humans (farmers) and causes conflict. The human-elephant conflict is one of the biggest challenges because their habitats are transformed into agricultural areas, Elephants use their tusks to dig for roots and water, strip bark from trees, and even fight each other. However, since a lot of these elephants do not have their tusks anymore because it has been removed by humans, they cannot use that physical trait to their advantage which makes life for Asian elephants even more difficult. Because ivory is so valuable to some humans, many elephants have been killed for their tusks. This trade is illegal today, but it has not been completely eliminated. 90% of South India hunts for these Asian elephants' ivories while Sri Lanka takes credit for another 5%. |
Succession
Succession is the process by which the structure of a biological community evolves over time. Two different types of succession—primary and secondary—have been classified. Primary succession is the colonization of new sites by communities of organisms. It often occurs after a devastating event has wiped out the organisms that lived in an area, or with the creation of a new habitat. Secondary succession is a series of community changes which takes place on a previously colonized, but disturbed or damaged habitat. Asian elephants are going through secondary succession which is leading them to extinction. As more land is being industrialized or made into an agricultural area for making profit by humans, asian elephants are quickly dying in response to these great environmental changes. This ties into human impact because they do poaching which leads to secondary succession which is killing off the asian elephant species at an alarming rate.
Plant Adaptations
Physical- The Asian elephant is the largest land mammal in Asia.
- Asian elephants have one "finger" each on the upper lip of their trunk, - These animals always keep their ears moving in order to expand the heat they generate which cools them down. - The species are theorized to have well developed hearing, and vision. - Only male Asian elephants have tusk which is different from their African ancestors because African elephants, both male and female, have tusks. - Asian elephants use their tusks for feeding, interacting during social encounters, and as weapons. - This species support their large body on pillar-like legs. - The trunk provides a wide variety of functions from feeding, communication, bathing, smelling, breathing, and fighting. - These animals only require four hours sleep in a 24-hour period which allows them to eat for up to 20 hours a day. Average Size: Body length: 550-640cm Shoulder height: 250-300cm Weight: 5,000kg |
AdaptionsAdaptations/Behaviors- Asian elephants are very sociable.
- They form groups of six to seven related females, called herd, that are led by the oldest female, the matriarch, to protect each other. “They rely on the leadership and experience of the herd’s matriarchal elephant to provide safety and to find supplies of food and water. The old, female elephant that leads the herd is responsible for decisions such as when and where to bathe, where the herd should move next and when they should rest.” - These creatures are also fine swimmers. - Asian elephants are herbivores so they can sustain their life by just consuming plants. - Elephants are highly intelligent and long-lived animals because they can live as long as 70 years in captivity at least. - Asian elephants produce a range of noises to greet each other, to show happiness, or to assert dominance. - These elephants limit their movements to ensure that they are never far from a water supply, These noises include: - Grunts - Trumpets - Growls - Beating its trunk on the ground very loudly - Most of their noises are inaudible to humans. - One of the most important reasons for their communicating is to warn their herd of approaching danger. |
Reproduction- Asian elephants gather around in a circle around a birthing elephant to protect the new arrival in case of a predator.
- All females in the herd share the responsibility of looking after calves. - To protect calves from predators, mothers and other females in the herd cover them in dust to cover their smell. |