International Journal of Biology; Vol. 13, No. 2; 2021 ISSN 1916-9671 E-ISSN 1916-968X Published by Canadian Center of Science and Education 1 The Relationship Between Feeding Patch Quality and Fodder Species of Wild Elephants in the Teknaf Wildlife Sanctuary, Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh Amir Hossen 1 & Eivin Røskaft² 1 Department of Zoology, Jagannath University, Dhaka 1100, Bangladesh 2 Department of Biology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, NTNU, Realfagbygget 7491 Trondheim, Norway Correspondence: Eivin Røskaft, Department of Biology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, NTNU, Realfagbygget7491 Trondheim, Norway Received: July 30, 2021 Accepted: September 15, 2021 Online Published: November 18, 2021 doi:10.5539/ijb.v13n2p1 URL: https://doi.org/10.5539/ijb.v13n2p1 Abstract We examined the relationship between the presence or absence of elephants in patches of land and the most common ecological factors, such as fodder species, water bodies, resting places, elephant movement trails, and soil types, across ten transect sites in the Teknaf Wildlife Sanctuary (TWS), Bangladesh. By ground-truthing 360 line transects and 1080 quadrate blocks, we recorded a total of 184 fodder species, including 71 monocotyledons, 58 dicotyledons, and 55 domesticated plant species. Three categories of domesticated fodder species were recorded that consisted of 13 cultivated crops, 24 vegetables, and 18 homestead garden plants. We also applied dung-pile dissection techniques to a total of 250 dung piles between August 2018 and July 2019. Highly statistically significant differences among the abundances of different fodder species and presence of elephants were found across different transect sites. The average fodder species density was found to be 3.44 plant species per site per km 2 , while the elephant density was 0.63 individuals per site per km 2 . A significant strong correlation was found between fodder species density and the number of elephants among the transect sites (P = 0.02). The numbers of ground-recorded fodder species were higher than those found in dung piles. The presence of elephants across transect sites was influenced not only by fodder species but also by other ecological factors, such as water bodies, resting places, movement trails, and soil types. Keywords: Asian elephants, ecological factors, fodder species, dicotyledons, monocotyledons, homestead garden, movement trails, resting places, soil types, water bodies, socioeconomic factors 1. Introduction The presence of elephants in an area depends on its characteristics. Some ecological factors, such as the availability of fodder species, perennial water sources, access to free feeding trails, and undisturbed resting places, are prime requirements for high-quality sites (Desi, 1991; Hedges, Tyson, Sitompul, Gunaryadi, & Aslan, 2005). Different forms of human activities are considered to present major threats to elephant habitats (Sukumar, 1989a; Mallegowda, Rengaian, Krishnan, & Niphadkar, 2015). High-quality fodder species are additional prerequisites for the presence of elephants at a site. However, the availability of different fodder species, density, and evenness, which are regulated by soil nutrients, pH balance, and soil texture along with topographical features and meteorological parameters (e.g., temperature, rainfall, and moisture), are the main characteristics of a habitat (Sukumar, 1990; Vacaylenberg, 1977; Guy, 1975; Jachman, 1983; and Douglas & Sheldrick, 1964). Over the generations, there has been a harmonious relationship between mega-herbivores such as elephants and high-quality fodder species in elephant habitats (Baskaran, 1998; Laws, Parker, & Johnstone, 1975; Jachman, 1983). However, extreme anthropogenic pressures, the effects of climate change, a lack of awareness, corruption, and poor forest management systems have appeared to be leading causes of imbalances in this kind of relationship (Sarker & Røskaft, 2014; Ishwaran, 1983). Disturbance-free interactions among the diversified biotic and abiotic factors in a habitat can ensure healthy ecological conditions that provide good relationships between fodder and their feeders (Sukumar, 2006). Heterogeneous features are better than homogeneity within in a habitat regarding the potential for high species richness and availability of fodder species within a limited confined landscape (Desi, 1991; Guy, 1975). Furthermore, naturally modified areas of habitats sometimes contain the highest number of fodder species rather than unmodified habitats (Pringle, 2008). However, several driving factors might influence the abundance of fodder species, which can influence the level of high forage quality for elephants (Duncan, 1983). Nutrient flows in habitats promote elephant forage quality