• Learn About Soil
    • What’s New
    • Blog
    • Gold Nuggets
    • Farm Tours PRO
    • Webinar Replay PRO
    • Mastermind Replays PRO
    • Recommended Books
    • 7 Steps to Healthy Soils
  • Buy Courses
    • All Courses
    • Featured Courses
    • Animal Health
    • Biodynamics
    • Compost and Compost Teas
    • Farming Systems
    • Human Health
    • Soil Health
    • View all Categories
  • My Courses
  • Community PRO
    • Members Perks PRO
    • Regenerative Soil Mastermind CallPRO
    • Members Directory PRO
    • Member’s Map
  • Soil Blog

    Shopping Cart

    No products in the cart.

    Sign in Sign up

    Shopping Cart

    No products in the cart.

    • Log In
    • Register
    • Get Started
    • Learn About Soil
      • What’s New
      • Blog
      • Farm Tours
      • Podcast
      • Webinar Replay
    • Buy Courses
      • All Courses
      • Featured Courses
      • Short Courses

    The Amazing Biodiversity within an Elephant’s Footprint

    Our understanding of the elephant’s role as an ecosystem engineer continues to evolve.

    When you weigh upwards of 6,000 kilograms, you tend to leave a trace of yourself wherever you walk. That’s definitely the case with African elephants (Loxodonta africana), which, according to new research, is actually a boon for dozens of other, much tinier, species. As discussed in a paper published recently in the African Journal of Ecology, elephant feet play an important ecological role in Uganda, and probably in other countries. As elephants walk through the forest, they leave deep footprints behind them. These footprints then fill up with water, creating little foot-shaped microhabitats for at least 61 different microinvertebrate species from nine different orders. Among those living in Footprint Land were species of mites, mayflies, backswimmers, leeches and gastropods. They also found a large number of tadpoles. None of this has been observed before, although some previous research has linked elephant footprints to mosquito breeding sites, according to the paper.

    The researchers, from Germany’s University of Koblenz-Landau and other institutions, did more than just discover this microinvertebrate community. They wanted to know just how much the tiny denizens relied on these elephant footprints. They measured the age of each footprint, as well as the temperature and pH of the water inside, as well as its distance to other footprints and natural bodies of water. They also created a series of artificial elephant footprints in order to test things even further.

    All told, they found that the oldest footprints held the highest levels of biodiversity due to the added level of dead leaves that had fallen into the prints, as well as new vegetation that had started to grow. The oldest prints were also the only ones that contained tadpoles. Meanwhile, the medium-aged prints had the lowest biodiversity levels.

    The authors acknowledge that this is a preliminary study and that more work needs to be done in order to understand just how the elephant’s foot plays into the broader ecosystem, but they write that this appears to be an important part of the lifecycle and food web for many species. They especially call out amphibians, as larger invertebrates could eat tadpoles while adult frogs could eat the other invertebrates.

    As written before, elephants are important seed dispersers and have numerous other vital roles in their ecosystems. This new research just adds to that knowledge, and serves as one more reminder of what we can lose if the ongoing poaching crisis affecting Africa’s elephants continues to eliminate these essential animals from their habitats.

    Soil Lovers at Soil Learning Center Say:

    The world of microorganisms relies on many activities often unseen or unthought of by us.

    Download PDF

    🔒 PRO Access Only

    Some content on this page is locked to members only!

    Dig Deeper and unearth your connection to the soil. Soil PRO membership is a revolutionary community that connects you with all things soil-related, from global challenges right down to the soil in your own backyard.

    Unlock the years of video archives, search the vault for "soil-utions", connect with mentors who can help you fast track and join an online community of soil loving enthusiasts on our Mastermind Calls.

    It's non-stop soil learning goodness!
    UPGRADE TO PRO NOW
    Locked

    We acknowledge First Nations owners of Country and their continuing connection to the land, waters and culture across Australia and from all over the world. As Soil Lovers we respectfully acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of all the lands on which we work and pay our respects to the Elders past present and emerging. When caring for your land take a moment in stillness to respect the wisdom your land is sharing with us.

    Facebook-f Youtube Microphone-alt

    Latest Soil Blogs

    Worms Are The Answer!

    Super nutrition for revitalised soils

    Support local while you FindGoodFood with tasty new app

    How Brix Meters work!

    Is the food that you are growing or eating bursting with nutrients?

    Why Soil Organic Matter actually matters

    Soil Matters Monthly Newsletter!

    Dig into the most up-to-date news on soil health and regenerative trends – with community tips from top experts and mentors! Sign Up Now!

    Your information is 100% secure. We will NEVER share your information with anyone.

    ©2006 - 2022 All rights reserved​.

    Made with 🤎 Created by Soil Lovers at Farming Secrets.

    Clear Clear All

    Omg... this sale is crazy!

    Days
    Hours
    Minutes
    Seconds

    hurry up and grab these deals:

    • 50% Courses
    • 30% Digital Downloads
    • 30% Memberships
    View all the deals