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

par Deblauwe, Vincent ;Luskin, Matthew Scott;Assola, Serge Désiré;Hardy, Olivier J. ;Jansen, Simon ;Loubières, Céline ;Mempong, Gaston Guy;Ntsihe, Jean Mathurin;Ndjock, Gilbert Oum;Onguene Kwecheu, Eric Rostand;Powell, Luke L.L.;Sonke, Bonaventure ;Smith, Thomas Bates
Référence Science advances, 11, 35, eady4392
Publication Publié, 2025-08-01

Article révisé par les pairs

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Résumé :

Critically 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.