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Data from: Release of tree species diversity follows loss of elephants from evergreen tropical forests

Terborgh, John1; Ong, Lisa2; Davenport, Lisa1; Tan, Wei Harn3; Solana Mena, Alicia4; McConkey, Kim4; Campos-Arceiz, Ahimsa2

Published Apr 27, 2026 on Dryad. https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.1zcrjdg3n

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Abstract

Little is known about the impacts of megaherbivores in closed-canopy tropical evergreen forests. We report on a decade of research on megaherbivore impacts in such forests in Gabon and Malaysia, comparing sites with (+) and without (-) elephants and documenting major differences in forest structure, tree species composition, and tree species diversity. In both regions, we compared sites supporting natural densities of elephants with otherwise undisturbed sites from which elephants had been absent for several decades. Elephant (+) sites supported low densities of seedlings and saplings relative to elephant (-) sites. In Lope National Park, Gabon, 88% of saplings and small trees (<20 cm dbh) were of species avoided by elephants, implicating forest elephants as powerful filters in tree recruitment. In Malaysia, Asian elephants showed strong preferences for monocots over dicots, as we found through both indirect and direct means. Loss of elephants from both Asian and African forests releases diversity from top-down pressure, as preferred forage species increase in abundance, leading to increased density of small stems and increased tree species diversity. In contrast, loss of other major functional groups of animals, including top carnivores, seed predators and seed dispersers, often results in negative impacts on tree diversity.