(May 17, 2019) Elephants are “ecosystem engineers” that impact other species of plants and animals by changing the environment. For example, browsing elephants remove trees causing grasslands to expand, dung left in wetlands has an important fertilizing effect, and seeds passed through the digestive tract are more likely to germinate. Elephants also deliver benefits to smaller fauna; browsing damages trees and creates cavities used by geckos as hiding places, and dung piles provide a home (and foo...

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