An international group of scientists led by researchers from Aarhus University in Denmark examined how herbivorous megafauna shape ecological systems. The findings were published in Nature Ecology and Evolution, a leading scientific journal that focuses on the interplay between ecology and evolutionary processes.
In today’s terminology, megafauna refers to large herbivores such as elephants, antelope species, deer, and other creatures weighing 45 kilograms or more.
The team reviewed 297 peer reviewed studies and concluded that wild communities of large herbivores contribute to sustaining biodiversity in forests and other natural habitats by boosting the structural diversity of plant communities and the physical complexity of landscapes.
Put simply, big animals can feed on tall and tough plant varieties that smaller herbivores cannot, thereby creating opportunities for a wider range of plant life to take root. They also influence the ecosystem through activities such as breaking trees and trampling grasses, which reshapes the habitat and opens space for different species.
Senior author Eric Lundgren explained that large herbivores tend to consume lower quality foods like twigs and stems. This feeding pattern can lead to disproportionate effects on the most dominant plant species, giving less competitive plants a better chance to access sunlight and space needed for growth.
The researchers stressed that healthy ecosystems require ongoing protection of existing wild megafauna and, in many regions, active efforts to restore their populations where their absence has left ecological gaps in the landscape.
Earlier work in the field has investigated why isolated reserves sometimes fail to safeguard elephant populations effectively even when protection is in place. The study highlights the importance of landscape connectivity, broader conservation strategies, and adaptive management to ensure resilient megafauna populations that can sustain ecosystem function across multiple habitats.