The award is from the Editorial Board of Biotropica magazine for Doug and Agus’s article, Forest tree persistence, elephants, and stem scars.

In their paper, Sheil and Salim analyze damage to trees caused by elephants in Rabongo Forest, Uganda. They suggest different tree species use four general strategies to help them to survive under these conditions: repellence, resistance, tolerance, and avoidance. The results show evidence of each strategy in the studied tree species. For example, neither spiny nor toxic bark species were damaged, large trees appear to persist through strength and resistance, and epiphytic figs escaped damage while at small sizes.

Sheil and Salim conclude that the research implies the elephants’ selective processes can operate more strongly against some species than others, thus influencing tree diversity, forest structure, and the landscape. On the other hand, the tree species seem to have differing strategies and sensitivities in response to the elephants.

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