Posted on 01/27/2023 6:20:49 AM PST by Libloather
In findings published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), Saint Louis University researchers and colleagues report that elephants play a key role in creating forests that store more atmospheric carbon and maintaining the biodiversity of forests in Africa. If the already critically endangered elephants become extinct, the rainforest of central and west Africa, the second largest rainforest on earth, would lose between six and nine percent of its ability to capture atmospheric carbon, amplifying planetary warming.
**SNIP**
Within the forest, some trees have light wood (low carbon density trees) while others make heavy wood (high carbon density trees). Low carbon density trees grow quickly, rising above other plants and trees to get to the sunlight. Meanwhile, high carbon density trees grow slowly, need less sunlight, and are able to grow in shade. Elephants and other megaherbivores affect the abundance of these trees by feeding more heavily on the low carbon density trees, which are more palatable and nutritious than the high carbon density species. This “thins” the forest, much like a forester would do to promote growth of their preferred species. This thinning reduces competition among trees and provides more light, space and soil nutrients to help the high carbon trees to flourish.
“Elephants eat lots of leaves from lots of trees, and they do a lot of damage when they eat,” Blake said. “They’ll strip leaves from trees, rip off a whole branch or uproot a sapling when eating, and our data shows most of this damage occurs to low carbon density trees. If there are a lot of high carbon density trees around, that’s one less competitor, eliminated by the elephants.”
Elephants are also excellent dispersers of the seeds of high carbon density trees. These trees often produce large nutritious fruits which elephants eat.
(Excerpt) Read more at scitechdaily.com ...
Regardless of the “carbon” arguments:
Elephants are very social and sensitive animals.
There was a man who worked with elephants in a region in Africa for many years, in wild life preserves and in the wild. He knew many of the herds and knew and could distinguish individual elephants he knew. He provided medical help to many elephants, and he could visit their herds without them fearing him.
Elephants mourn for their dead. They will stand over their lost ones for hours and even days, as if on a vigil.
The fellow I was talking about died. When he died, an elephant matriarch and two of her herds, by some instinctual way, went to the man’s village and to his house, as if to visit him, standing vigil there for a long time - a journey that must have taken them twelve hours.
It is unknown how the elephants knew their human friend had died.
What we REALLY need is a herd of Mammoths - get those gene splicing scientists to work!
Do you understand that the CO2 in soft drinks is taken directly out of the atmosphere before the drink is make? Soft drinks do not produce CO2.
High probability that the are telepathic.
Is any of it absorbed by the body? I’m thinking not much.
Most of it is pissed away? Filtered out at the treatment plant and put in new carbonated drinks?
In the meantime, we can produce some fabulous belches. Put some muscle behind them for Olympic Grade enjoyment.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.