Dr. Bruce Schulte, head of WKU’s Department of Biology, is featured in a BBC report about research on how elephants impact ecosystems in Africa. The study by Schulte and other scientists suggests that areas heavily damaged by elephants are home to more species of amphibians and reptiles than areas where the beasts are excluded. The findings have been published in the African Journal of Ecology.
“Elephants, along with a number of other species, are considered to be ecological engineers because their activities modify the habitat in a way that affects many other species,” Schulte said. “They will do everything from digging with their front legs, pulling up grass to knocking down big trees. So they actually change the shape of the landscape.”
Contact: Bruce Schulte, (270) 745-4856.
