Increasing Elephant Population
Background Information
In 2016, the African Elephant Status Report reported a continental decline in elephant population in Africa by approximately 104,000 to 114,000 since 2007 (Thouless et al., 2016). To better understand this loss of elephant numbers, it is essential to first familiarize oneself with the background information about biomes and ecosystems and thus generate possible solutions.
An ecosystem encompasses the variety of interactions between and within biological systems. It comprises all the biotic and abiotic factors in a certain area; for instance, in the savannah ecosystem, these include plants, animals, water sources, sunlight, soil and, all the abiotic environmental factors. In contrast, biomes are major terrestrial or aquatic life zones characterized by vegetation type and physical environment, respectively. The main terrestrial biomes for elephants are savannas. Other types include chaparral, temperate grassland, temperate broadleaf forest and, coniferous forests (Simon, Dickey, Reece, and Campbell, 2019).
Savannas are mostly dominated by grasses and scattered trees. Temperatures are warm and rainfall varies with seasons and averages from approximately 30-50cm annually. Periodic fires caused by either human activity or lightning are essential abiotic factors in this biome. Seeds of some plants rapidly sprout after a fire, while other plants survive the fire as their shoots are located below the ground. Plants experience luxuriant growth during the rainfall season and provide a source of food to animals that feed on them.
Chaparral biomes experience mild and rainy winters. Vegetation in this region is majorly shrubs that are dense, spiny and, evergreen. Also, annual plants dominate the region during the wet winters and springs. Chaparral plants are adapted to periodic fires caused by lightning. They utilize the stored food reserves in the survived roots for rapid shoot regeneration, and other chaparral seeds can only germinate after hot fires. Chaparral biomes are home to animals such as seed-eating rodents and fruit-eating birds.
Temperate grasslands are warm throughout the year but are relatively cold along rivers or streams. Rainfall averages from 25 to 75cm annually. The region is predominated by severe and frequent droughts, which is insufficient forest growth. Grazing by large mammals and periodic fires also prevent the growth of woody plants. Owing to the treeless characteristic of this biome, birds nest on the ground. Small animals like pocket gophers burrow deep in the soil to escape predators.
Temperate broadleaf forests occur throughout the mid-latitude regions. The evenly distributed relatively high annual rainfall in these regions is sufficient for the growth of large trees. Temperatures vary seasonally, with hot summers and cold winters. The dominating vegetation comprises dense deciduous trees. They shed off their leaves when the temperature is too cold for efficient photosynthesis. Most mammals of these forests enter a hibernation state, which is an adaptation to the cold winter, while some birds migrate to warmer regions.
Coniferous forests are heavily logged forests characterized by evergreen cone-bearing trees such as pine and hemlock. An example is taiga, the northern coniferous forest. It is characterized by long and snowy winters and summers short and occasionally warm. The conifers present a conical shape that prevents the over-accumulation of snow on their branches. The taiga is a habitat for animals like elk, migratory birds, and wolves.
Major Threats Facing African Elephants
The major threats facing African elephants are loss of habitat, conflict with humans, and poaching. The root causes of these problems include poor land-use practices and policies that lead to inadequacy in elephant habitat protection. Two, the development of infrastructure increases the demand for land and forest products such as timber, which, in turn, destroys elephant habitats. Third, habitat conversion and lack of enough space for elephants drive them to invade human agricultural lands where they might be killed in retaliation. Finally, the need to generate revenue and the illegal ivory market make the elephants susceptible to poaching, with the demand for ivory and elephant meat as the driving forces (Stephenson and Ntiamoa-Baidu, 2010).
Biodiversity And Elephant Numbers
Biodiversity refers to all living things. It includes the species, genetic, and ecosystem diversities. The genetic and species function to increase the number of genotypes and species, respectively, and ensure even distribution of their abundance (Srivastava and Vellend, 2005). Ecosystem diversity entails services like climate regulation, erosion control, and air and water purification. Thus, the conservation of biodiversity results in adequate habitats for elephants with sufficient characteristics that favor the increase in elephant numbers. For instance, the availability of land allows for elephant migration and the growth of plants that provide sources of food. Consequently, the loss of biodiversity implicates a decrease in elephant numbers. Factors contributing to the loss of biodiversity include pollution, overexploitation, and destruction of habitats by climate changes or human activities.
Population Growth Models
The exponential population growth model aims to describe population growth in an unlimited environment. The population size increases rapidly as new individuals are added to the population. The population size is given by multiplying the current population number by a constant, which is represented by subtracting the death rate from the birth rate. The speed rate produces a J-shaped curve in a graph that shows the rapid increase in the population. Disturbances resulting from abiotic factors such as floods, cold temperatures, and fires may cause a sudden decrease in the size of the population. Human activities such as deforestation and pollution also contribute to declining the population size.
In a logistic population growth model, the number of individuals occupying a habitat is controlled by limiting factors that restrict growth, and the maximum population that a habitat can sustain is called the carrying capacity. The population size declines as it approaches the carrying capacity, and when at carrying capacity, there is no growth. The availability of species and resources in a habitat determines its carrying capacity. Abiotic factors and interactions between organisms also affect the habitat’s carrying capacity. In organisms expressing equilibrial life history patterns like elephants, selection occurs when the population size is approaching or at carrying capacity. During competition, these organisms can allocate energy for their survival and hence increase their numbers.
Community And Elephant Population
A community refers to the assemblage and interaction of populations of different species living in the same region. Thus, in an ecosystem, elephants interact with various organisms from different species. To elaborate, they interact with plants that they graze on and predators like lions. Hence, practices that sustain the occurrence of natural selection in an ecosystem are important. Additionally, climate changes and human activities have a role in the elephant population. Plentiful rainfall and human activities that allow the use of natural resources without causing damage cause an increase in the elephant population. Such factors ensure that elephant habitats hold sufficient resources that can sustain large elephant populations.
Conclusion
Elephants in Africa are facing threats majorly from human activities, and possible solutions in increasing their population include the conservation and management of biodiversity. This entails preserving species like the endangered elephants and sustaining the entire ecosystem to enable natural selection. It also involves restoration biology that focuses on maintaining and returning destroyed regions to their natural state. Additionally, many elephants are killed for their ivory and poaching; therefore, setting up policies to stop the illegal ivory market and poaching is also important.
References
Simon, E., Dickey, J., Reece, J. and Campbell, N. (2019). Campbell essential biology. 7th ed. Pearson.
Srivastava, D.S. and Vellend, M. (2005). Biodiversity-Ecosystem Function Research: Is It Relevant to Conservation? Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics, [online] 36(1), pp.267-294. <http://sci-hub.se/10.1146/annurev.ecolsys.36.102003.152636>
Stephenson, P.J. and Ntiamoa-Baidu, Y. (2010). Conservation planning for a widespread, threatened species: WWF and the African elephant Loxodonta africana. Oryx, 44(2), pp.194-204.
Thouless, C.R., Dublin, H.T., Blanc, J.J., Skinner, D.P., Daniel, T.E., Taylor, R.D., Maisels, F., Frederick, H. and Bouché, P. (2016). African Elephant Status Report 2016: An update from the African Elephant Database. Occasional Paper Series of the IUCN Species Survival Commission, No. 60 IUCN / SSC Africa Elephant Specialist Group. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland.
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Question 
There is a decline in the elephant population in a specific area in Africa. You are an activist trying to increase the elephant population. You are required to present a proposed solution to this problem. Create a proposal to solve this elephant problem. Background information describes the main biome where elephants are located; describe an ecosystem and 4 other types of biomes. Name and discuss how elephants are threatened in Africa (Research). Discuss how biodiversity can affect the increase and decline of the elephant population. Differentiate between the types of population growth models that can increase or decrease the elephant population. Discuss how community populations relate to your population. Additional resources are welcomed for more support, but the grade is associated with the information from the book. Campell Essential Biology by Simon and Dicky chapters 18,19,20.