A new experiment shows that white rhinos have a larger effect on the structure of African grasslands than what was recently believed, and poaching these rhinos can have serious consequences on their ecosystem. This experiment was conducted by Joris Cromsigt and Mariska te Beest. Previous studies have said that grassland ecosystems are mainly impacted by African elephants and no other mega-herbivore species. The experimenters took 40 different sections of grass land, taking note of their heterogeneity and when they were recolonized by rhinos. They then recorded the number of rhinos in each area and the quantity of grass and foliage. They concluded that white rhinos have started to change the composition of the savannah grasslands.
http://esciencenews.com/articles/2014/02/12/poaching.threatens.savannah.ecosystems
- Source Credibility: Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
- Science is based on evidence: The researchers found that the population of white rhinos had a direct impact on grassland composition
- Science is subject to debate: Before this experiment, many believed that only african elephants were the pivotal species in the balance of savannah ecosystems
I found that this article was very similar to the role of the wolf in Yellowstone. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysa5OBhXz-Q) This video talks about how reintroducing the wolf in Yellowstone not only changed the animals but also changed abiotic factors such as the river. The rhino and wolf are keystone species in there respective ecosystems.
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