All Dave Thompson articles

  • Low-Res_Gozi_East-Elephan-Carcass-uc-santa-barbara (1)
    News

    Elephants continue to shape the savanna even after death

    2026-10-13T09:37:00Z

    Researchers who studied the sites of elephant carcasses in South Africa’s Kruger National Park discovered that decomposition creates nutrient hotspots that can persist on the landscape for years, possibly decades. This flush of nutrients fuels microbial activity and plant vigor, which attracts herbivores to the site long after the visual signs of the elephant have disappeared.