Declines of ebony and ivory are inextricably linked in an African rainforest

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dc.creatorDeblauwe, V.
dc.creatorLuskin, M.S.
dc.creatorAssola, S.D.
dc.creatorHardy, O.J.
dc.creatorJansen, S.
dc.creatorLoubières, C.
dc.creatorMempong, G.G.
dc.creatorNtsihe, J.M.
dc.creatorNdjock, G.O
dc.creatorKwecheu, E.R.O.
dc.creatorPowell, L.L.
dc.creatorSonke, B.
dc.creatorSmith, T.B.
dc.date2025-08-29
dc.date2025-09-18T08:30:09Z
dc.date2025-09-18T08:30:09Z
dc.date.accessioned2026-06-27T15:52:40Z
dc.descriptionCritically endangered African forest elephants preferentially eat fruits and disperse seeds of carbon-dense trees, including the highly valued and threatened African ebony. The illegal ivory trade has led to severe declines in elephant populations, but the long-term impacts on tree species are poorly understood. Using a comprehensive dataset including age-class, spatial, genetic, and experimental data, across a hunting pressure gradient, we show how paired declines in elephant and ebony populations are linked by a previously unrecognized mutualism in which elephant dung protects ebony seeds against seed predators. Disruption of this mutualism by poaching exacerbates seed predation by herbivores and was associated with a 68% reduction in small sapling recruitment. This threat to the survival of a valuable and iconic tree species raises concerns about the far-reaching consequences of forest elephant extermination.
dc.formatapplication/pdf
dc.identifierhttps://hdl.handle.net/10568/176564
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/123456789/116135
dc.languageen
dc.publisherAmerican Association for the Advancement of Science
dc.rightsOpen Access
dc.sourceDeblauwe, V., Luskin, M.S., Assola, S.D., Hardy, O.J., Jansen, S., Loubières, C., ... & Smith, T.B. (2025). Declines of ebony and ivory are inextricably linked in an African rainforest. Science Advances, 11, (35): eady4392, 1-12.
dc.subjectforestry
dc.subjectseeds
dc.subjecthunting
dc.subjectelephants
dc.titleDeclines of ebony and ivory are inextricably linked in an African rainforest
dc.typeJournal Article

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Instituto Internacional de Agricultura Tropical (IITA)