Key Stone Species: Elephants By: Ely Hienrich

Key Stone Species

What is a Key Stone Species?

“A keystone species is a plant or animal that plays a unique and crucial role in the way an ecosystem functions. Without keystone species, the ecosystem would be dramatically different or cease to exist altogether.” –National Geographic

Quick Facts about Elephants

Different Species?: There are two species of elephants; African and Asian.

Diet?: grass, leaves, bamboo, roots, even banana and sugar grown by farmers.

Population?: between 450,000 to 700,000 African elephants and 35,000 to 40,000 Asian Elephant in the beginning of the 20th century there were a few million African and about 100,000 Asian , but with the increase in hunting elephants both species) have become endangered.

Where Do Elephants Live? African Elephants: They are found in savannahs in

37 different countries across Africa south of the Sahara Desert. Also you can find them in the rainforest of West and Central Africa.

Asian Elephants: They are found in India, Sri Lanka, China, and most of Southeast Asia.

Why are Elephants A Key Stone Species?

Without elephants grasslands would easily turn into forests. Since elephants graze on trees (like acacias) which prevents them from reaching maturity.

This slows down any sort of rapid reproduction of trees, and or unintentionally growing a forest.

If the habitat were to change rapidly this would hurt many species and without a doubt affect the food chain and would subsequently force many species to become extinct from habitat loss or their inability to adapt to the changing environment.