MegaFeed: Global database of megaherbivores' feeding preferences

Abstract

Terrestrial mammalian herbivores heavier than ~1000 kg, also known as megaherbivores, perform unique ecological functions due to their combination of heavy body mass, extended home ranges, abundant biomass consumption, and highly diverse diet. Megaherbivores can have substantial effects on ecosystem functioning, vegetation structure, and biogeochemical cycles. Elephants (family Elephantidae) and rhinoceros (family Rhinocerotidae) are two of the remaining megaherbivores that survived the late Pleistocene extinctions, but their populations have been globally declining in the last century. Feeding preferences are a key factor determining the influence of megaherbivores on ecosystems and plant communities; however, comprehensive and centralized data on megaherbivores food preferences are lacking. Here we present MegaFeed, an extensive dataset of megaherbivores feeding preferences across their distribution. This first version of MegaFeed here described contains more than 12,000 records of feeding preferences for the extant elephant species: Loxodonta africana (African savanna elephant), Loxodonta cyclotis (African Forest elephant), and Elephas maximus (Asian elephant). MegaFeed will contribute to a better understanding of the ecological functions of megaherbivores, evaluate the consequences of their decline, and guide rewilding and conservation initiatives such as habitat restoration and reduction of human-wildlife conflicts.