Breeding Phenology In Relation To Ndvi Variability In Free-ranging African Elephant (2007)

The phenology of reproduction is often correlated with resource availability and is hypothesized to be shaped by selective forces in order to maximize lifetime reproductive success. African elephants have the distinctive life history traits of a 22 month gestation and extended offspring investment, necessitating a long-term strategy of energy acquisition and reproductive expenditure to ensure successful offspring recruitment. We investigated the relationship between the reproductive phenology of a wild elephant population and resource availability using remotely sensed Normalized differential vegetation index (NDVI) data as a measure of time-specific primary productivity and hence forage quality.