AMBIO, Journal Year: 2022, Volume and Issue: 51(8), P. 1786 - 1799
Published: Feb. 21, 2022
Language: Английский
Current Biology, Journal Year: 2023, Volume and Issue: 33(11), P. R584 - R610
Published: June 1, 2023
Language: Английский
Citations
98
Science, Journal Year: 2022, Volume and Issue: 377(6609), P. 1008 - 1011
Published: Aug. 25, 2022
Food webs influence ecosystem diversity and functioning. Contemporary defaunation has reduced food web complexity, but simplification caused by past is difficult to reconstruct given the sparse paleorecord of predator-prey interactions. We identified changes terrestrial mammal globally over ~130,000 years using extinct extant traits, geographic ranges, observed interactions, deep learning models. underwent steep regional declines in complexity through loss links after arrival expansion human populations. estimate that a 53% decline globally. Although extinctions explain much this effect, range losses for species degraded similar extent, highlighting potential restoration via recovery.
Language: Английский
Citations
79
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Journal Year: 2023, Volume and Issue: 120(5)
Published: Jan. 23, 2023
Megaherbivores have pervasive ecological effects. In African rainforests, elephants can increase aboveground carbon, though the mechanisms are unclear. Here, we combine a large unpublished dataset of forest elephant feeding with published browsing preferences totaling nearly 200,000 records covering >800 plant species and nutritional data for 145 species. Elephants carbon stocks by: 1) promoting high wood density trees via preferential on leaves from low species, which more palatable digestible; 2) dispersing seeds that relatively highest average among tree guilds based dispersal mode. Loss could cause an in abundance fast-growing 6% to 9% decline due regeneration failure elephant-dispersed trees. These results demonstrate importance megaherbivores maintaining diverse, high-carbon tropical forests. Successful conservation will contribute climate mitigation at globally-relevant scale.
Language: Английский
Citations
43
Science, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 383(6682), P. 531 - 537
Published: Feb. 1, 2024
Large mammalian herbivores (megafauna) have experienced extinctions and declines since prehistory. Introduced megafauna partly counteracted these losses yet are thought to unusually negative effects on plants compared with native megafauna. Using a meta-analysis of 3995 plot-scale plant abundance diversity responses from 221 studies, we found no evidence that impacts were shaped by nativeness, "invasiveness," "feralness," coevolutionary history, or functional phylogenetic novelty. Nor was there introduced facilitate more than Instead, strong traits impacts, larger-bodied bulk-feeding promoting diversity. Our work suggests trait-based ecology provides better insight into interactions between do concepts nativeness.
Language: Английский
Citations
43
Cambridge Prisms Extinction, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 2
Published: Jan. 1, 2024
Across the last ~50,000 years (the late Quaternary) terrestrial vertebrate faunas have experienced severe losses of large species (megafauna), with most extinctions occurring in Late Pleistocene and Early to Middle Holocene. Debate on causes has been ongoing for over 200 years, intensifying from 1960s onward. Here, we outline criteria that any causal hypothesis needs account for. Importantly, this extinction event is unique relative other Cenozoic 66 million years) its strong size bias. For example, only 11 out 57 megaherbivores (body mass ≥1,000 kg) survived present. In addition mammalian megafauna, certain groups also substantial extinctions, mainly non-mammalian vertebrates smaller but megafauna-associated taxa. Further, severity dates varied among continents, severely affected all biomes, Arctic tropics. We synthesise evidence against climatic or modern human (Homo sapiens) causation, existing tenable hypotheses. Our review shows there little support major influence climate, neither global patterns nor fine-scale spatiotemporal mechanistic evidence. Conversely, increasing pressures as key driver these emerging an initial onset linked pre-sapiens hominins prior Pleistocene. Subsequently, synthesize ecosystem consequences megafauna discuss implications conservation restoration. A broad range indicates elicited profound changes structure functioning. The late-Quaternary thereby represent early, large-scale human-driven environmental transformation, constituting a progenitor Anthropocene, where humans are now player planetary Finally, conclude restoration via trophic rewilding can be expected positive effects biodiversity across Anthropocene settings.
Language: Английский
Citations
35
Current Biology, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 34(9), P. R435 - R451
Published: May 1, 2024
Language: Английский
Citations
32
Nature Ecology & Evolution, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: unknown
Published: March 14, 2025
Language: Английский
Citations
2
Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, Journal Year: 2021, Volume and Issue: 9
Published: Nov. 5, 2021
Research in Macaronesia has led to substantial advances ecology, evolution and conservation biology. We review the scientific developments achieved this region, outline promising research avenues enhancing conservation. Some of these discoveries indicate that Macaronesian flora fauna are composed rather young lineages, not Tertiary relicts, predominantly European origin. also seems be an important source region for back-colonisation continental fringe regions on both sides Atlantic. This group archipelagos (Azores, Madeira, Selvagens, Canary Islands, Cabo Verde) been crucial learn about particularities macroecological patterns interaction networks islands, providing evidence development General Dynamic Model oceanic island biogeography subsequent updates. However, addition exceptionally high richness endemic species, is home a growing number threatened along with invasive alien plants animals. Several innovative management actions place protect its biodiversity from other drivers global change. The Islands well-suited field study ecology research, mostly due special geological layout 40 islands grouped within five differing age, climate isolation. A large amount data now available several groups organisms around many islands. continued efforts should made toward compiling new information their biodiversity, pursue various fruitful develop appropriate tools.
Language: Английский
Citations
80
Science Advances, Journal Year: 2021, Volume and Issue: 7(46)
Published: Nov. 10, 2021
Anthropogenic extinctions and alien establishments cause an overall loss of functional diversity island bird communities.
Language: Английский
Citations
74
Science, Journal Year: 2021, Volume and Issue: 372(6541), P. 491 - 495
Published: April 29, 2021
Megafauna play important roles in the biosphere, yet little is known about how they shape dryland ecosystems. We report on an overlooked form of ecosystem engineering by donkeys and horses. In deserts North America, digging ≤2-meter wells to groundwater feral equids increased density water features, reduced distances between waters, and, at times, provided only present. Vertebrate richness activity were higher equid than adjacent dry sites, mimicking flood disturbance, became nurseries for riparian trees. Our results suggest that equids, even those are introduced or feral, able buffer availability, which may increase resilience ongoing human-caused aridification.
Language: Английский
Citations
60