​Tropical Grasslands

Keystone Species:

As keystone species, elephants stop the progression of grassland to forest or thicket by weeding out the trees and shrubs. Elephants browse on these woody plants, yanking young trees out by their roots or stunting their growth by eating the growth points on their branches. Even if a tree or two escapes the weeding, they won't last long. Sooner or later an elephant will push the plant over, yank it out of the ground, or kill it slowly by prying away its bark.