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Pranzini N, Maiorano L, Cosentino F, Thuiller W, Santini L. The role of species interactions in shaping the geographic pattern of ungulate abundance across African savannah. Sci Rep 2024; 14:19647. [PMID: 39179790 PMCID: PMC11344126 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-70668-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2024] [Accepted: 08/20/2024] [Indexed: 08/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Macroecologists traditionally emphasized the role of environmental variables for predicting species distribution and abundance at large scale. While biotic factors have been increasingly recognized as important at macroecological scales, producing valuable biotic variables remains challenging and rarely tested. Capitalizing on the wealth of population density estimates available for African savannah ungulates, here we modeled species average population density at 100 × 100 km as a function of both environmental variables and proxies of biotic interactions (competition and predation) and estimated their relative contribution. We fitted a linear mixed effect model on 1043 population density estimates for 63 species of ungulates using Bayesian inference and estimated the percentage of total variance explained by environmental, anthropogenic, and biotic interactions variables. Environmental and anthropogenic variables were the main drivers of ungulate population density, with NDVI, Distance to permanent water bodies and Human population density showing the highest contribution to the variance. Nonetheless, biotic interactions altogether contributed to a quarter of the variance explained, with predation and competition having a negative effect on species density. Despite the limitations of modelling biotic interactions in macroecological studies, proxies of biotic interactions can enhance our understanding of biological patterns at broad spatial scales, uncovering novel predictors as well as enhancing the predictive power of large-scale models.
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Affiliation(s)
- N Pranzini
- Department of Biology and Biotechnologies ''Charles Darwin,'' ''Sapienza,'', University of Rome, 00185, Roma, Italy.
| | - L Maiorano
- Department of Biology and Biotechnologies ''Charles Darwin,'' ''Sapienza,'', University of Rome, 00185, Roma, Italy
| | - F Cosentino
- Department of Biology and Biotechnologies ''Charles Darwin,'' ''Sapienza,'', University of Rome, 00185, Roma, Italy
| | - W Thuiller
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, Univ. Savoie Mont Blanc, CNRS, LECA, 38000, Grenoble, France
| | - L Santini
- Department of Biology and Biotechnologies ''Charles Darwin,'' ''Sapienza,'', University of Rome, 00185, Roma, Italy.
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2
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Defourneaux M, Barrio IC, Boulanger-Lapointe N, Speed JDM. Long-term changes in herbivore community and vegetation impact of wild and domestic herbivores across Iceland. AMBIO 2024; 53:1124-1135. [PMID: 38402492 PMCID: PMC11182994 DOI: 10.1007/s13280-024-01998-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2023] [Revised: 01/18/2024] [Accepted: 02/08/2024] [Indexed: 02/26/2024]
Abstract
Changes in wild and domestic herbivore populations significantly impact extensive grazing systems, particularly in low productive environments, where increasing wild herbivore populations are perceived as a threat to farming. To assess the magnitude of these changes in Iceland, we compiled time series on herbivore populations from 1986 to 2020 and estimated changes in species densities, metabolic biomass, and consumption of plant biomass in improved lands and unimproved rangelands. We compared estimates of consumption rates to past and present net primary production. Overall, the herbivore community composition shifted from livestock to wildlife dominated. However, wild herbivores only contributed a small fraction (14%) of the total herbivore metabolic biomass and consumption (4-7%), and livestock dominated the overall herbivore biomass. These insights highlight the necessity of developing improved local integrated management for both wild and domestic herbivores where they coexist.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mathilde Defourneaux
- Faculty of Environmental and Forest Sciences, Agricultural University of Iceland, Árleyni 22, Keldnaholt, 112, Reykjavík, Iceland.
| | - Isabel C Barrio
- Faculty of Environmental and Forest Sciences, Agricultural University of Iceland, Árleyni 22, Keldnaholt, 112, Reykjavík, Iceland
| | | | - James D M Speed
- Department of Natural History, NTNU University Museum, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, 7491, Trondheim, Norway
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3
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Karp AT, Koerner SE, Hempson GP, Abraham JO, Anderson TM, Bond WJ, Burkepile DE, Fillion EN, Goheen JR, Guyton JA, Kartzinel TR, Kimuyu DM, Mohanbabu N, Palmer TM, Porensky LM, Pringle RM, Ritchie ME, Smith MD, Thompson DI, Young TP, Staver AC. Grazing herbivores reduce herbaceous biomass and fire activity across African savannas. Ecol Lett 2024; 27:e14450. [PMID: 38857323 DOI: 10.1111/ele.14450] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2023] [Revised: 04/29/2024] [Accepted: 04/29/2024] [Indexed: 06/12/2024]
Abstract
Fire and herbivory interact to alter ecosystems and carbon cycling. In savannas, herbivores can reduce fire activity by removing grass biomass, but the size of these effects and what regulates them remain uncertain. To examine grazing effects on fuels and fire regimes across African savannas, we combined data from herbivore exclosure experiments with remotely sensed data on fire activity and herbivore density. We show that, broadly across African savannas, grazing herbivores substantially reduce both herbaceous biomass and fire activity. The size of these effects was strongly associated with grazing herbivore densities, and surprisingly, was mostly consistent across different environments. A one-zebra increase in herbivore biomass density (~100 kg/km2 of metabolic biomass) resulted in a ~53 kg/ha reduction in standing herbaceous biomass and a ~0.43 percentage point reduction in burned area. Our results indicate that fire models can be improved by incorporating grazing effects on grass biomass.
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Affiliation(s)
- Allison Tyler Karp
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Department of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, USA
| | - Sally E Koerner
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina Greensboro, Greensboro, North Carolina, USA
| | - Gareth P Hempson
- School of Biodiversity, One Health and Veterinary Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
- Centre for African Ecology, School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Joel O Abraham
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, USA
| | - T Michael Anderson
- Department of Biology, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA
| | - William J Bond
- Biological Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Deron E Burkepile
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, California, USA
- South African Environmental Observation Network, Ndlovu Node, Scientific Services, Kruger National Park, Phalaborwa, South Africa
| | - Elizabeth N Fillion
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Jacob R Goheen
- Department of Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming, USA
- Mpala Research Centre, Nanyuki, Kenya
| | - Jennifer A Guyton
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, USA
| | - Tyler R Kartzinel
- Institute at Brown for Environment and Society, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, USA
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, USA
| | - Duncan M Kimuyu
- Mpala Research Centre, Nanyuki, Kenya
- Department of Natural Resources, Karatina University, Karatina, Kenya
| | - Neha Mohanbabu
- Department of Biology, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York, USA
- University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, Minnesota, USA
| | - Todd M Palmer
- Biological Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - Lauren M Porensky
- Rangeland Resources and Systems Research Unit, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
| | - Robert M Pringle
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, USA
| | - Mark E Ritchie
- Department of Wildland Resources, Utah State University, Logan, Utah, USA
| | - Melinda D Smith
- Department of Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
| | - Dave I Thompson
- Centre for African Ecology, School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
- South African Environmental Observation Network, Ndlovu Node, Scientific Services, Kruger National Park, Phalaborwa, South Africa
| | - Truman P Young
- Mpala Research Centre, Nanyuki, Kenya
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of California Davis, Davis, California, USA
| | - A Carla Staver
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Yale Institute for Biospheric Studies, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
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4
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Murray PJ, Nevard TD. The Ecological Separation of Deer and Domestic, Feral and Native Mammals in Tropical Northern Australia-A Review. Animals (Basel) 2024; 14:1576. [PMID: 38891624 PMCID: PMC11171043 DOI: 10.3390/ani14111576] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2024] [Revised: 05/23/2024] [Accepted: 05/24/2024] [Indexed: 06/21/2024] Open
Abstract
We explored the ecological and historical factors that led to formation of the unique guild of native and introduced mammalian herbivores between 5 and 1000 kg in northern Australia. Following the disappearance of large native herbivores about 46 kya, and until the arrival of Europeans and their livestock, the only herbivorous mammals were mid-sized endemic marsupial macropods, which continued to utilise the same vegetation as their much larger former neighbours. Only one species of contemporary native herbivore has an adult bodyweight approaching 100 kg, and for the past 150-200 years, the total biomass of introduced domestic and wild vertebrate herbivores has massively exceeded that of native herbivorous species. We conclude that the current guild of native and introduced mammalian herbivores differentially utilises the landscape ecologically. However, climate- and anthropogenically related changes due to fire, drought, flooding, predation and introduced weeds are likely to have significant impacts on the trajectory of their relative ecological roles and populations. Given their differing ecological and dietary characteristics, against this backdrop, it is unclear what the potential impact of the dispersal of deer species could have in northern Australia. We hence focus on whether sufficient knowledge exists against which the potential impacts of the range expansion of three deer species can be adequately assessed and have found a dearth of supporting evidence to inform appropriate sustainable management. We identify suitable research required to fill the identified knowledge gaps.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter J. Murray
- School of Agriculture and Environmental Science, University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba, QLD 4350, Australia
| | - Timothy D. Nevard
- The Cairns Institute, James Cook University, Cairns, QLD 4870, Australia;
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Courtenay AP, Moonlight PW, Toby Pennington R, Lehmann CER. Underground trees inhabit varied environmental extremes across the Afrotropics. ANNALS OF BOTANY 2024; 133:757-772. [PMID: 37642263 PMCID: PMC11082510 DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcad124] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2023] [Accepted: 08/28/2023] [Indexed: 08/31/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Geoxyles, a distinctive feature of Afrotropical savannas and grasslands, survive recurrent disturbances by resprouting subshrub branches from large below-ground woody structures. Underground trees are a type of geoxyle that independently evolved within woody genera of at least 40 plant families in Africa. The environmental limits and determinants of underground tree biogeography are poorly understood, with the relative influence of frost and fire debated in particular. We aim to quantify variability in the niche of underground tree species relative to their taller, woody tree/shrub congeners. METHODS Using occurrence records of four Afrotropical genera, Parinari (Chrysobalanaceae), Ozoroa (Anacardiaceae), Syzygium (Myrtaceae) and Lannea (Anacardiaceae), and environmental data of nine climate and disturbance variables, the biogeography and niche of underground trees are compared with their open and closed ecosystem congeners. KEY RESULTS Along multiple environmental gradients and in a multidimensional environmental space, underground trees inhabit significantly distinct and extreme environments relative to open and closed ecosystem congeners. Niche overlap is low among underground trees and their congeners, and also among underground trees of the four genera. Of the study taxa, Parinari underground trees inhabit hotter, drier and more seasonal environments where herbivory pressure is greatest. Ozoroa underground trees occupy relatively more fire-prone environments, while Syzygium underground trees sustain the highest frost frequency and occur in relatively wetter conditions with seasonal waterlogging. Lannea underground trees are associated with the lowest temperatures, highest precipitation, and varying exposure to disturbance. CONCLUSIONS While underground trees exhibit repeated convergent evolution, varied environments shape the ecology and biogeography of this iconic plant functional group. The multiplicity of extreme environments related to fire, frost, herbivory and waterlogging that different underground tree taxa occupy, and the distinctiveness of these environments, should be recognized in the management of African grassy ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anya P Courtenay
- GeoSciences, Crew Building, The King’s Buildings, Edinburgh EH9 3FF, UK
- Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH3 5LR, UK
| | - Peter W Moonlight
- Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH3 5LR, UK
- Botany Department, School of Natural Sciences, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland
| | - R Toby Pennington
- Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH3 5LR, UK
- Geography, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4RJ, UK
| | - Caroline E R Lehmann
- GeoSciences, Crew Building, The King’s Buildings, Edinburgh EH9 3FF, UK
- Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH3 5LR, UK
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6
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Ritwika VPS, Gopinathan A, Yeakel JD. Beyond the kill: The allometry of predation behaviours among large carnivores. J Anim Ecol 2024; 93:554-566. [PMID: 38459609 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.14070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2023] [Accepted: 02/06/2024] [Indexed: 03/10/2024]
Abstract
The costs of foraging can be high while also carrying significant risks, especially for consumers feeding at the top of the food chain. To mitigate these risks, many predators supplement active hunting with scavenging and kleptoparasitic behaviours, in some cases specializing in these alternative modes of predation. The factors that drive differential utilization of these tactics from species to species are not well understood. Here, we use an energetics approach to investigate the survival advantages of hunting, scavenging and kleptoparasitism as a function of predator, prey and potential competitor body sizes for terrestrial mammalian carnivores. The results of our framework reveal that predator tactics become more diverse closer to starvation, while the deployment of scavenging and kleptoparasitism is strongly constrained by the ratio of predator to prey body size. Our model accurately predicts a behavioural transition away from hunting towards alternative modes of predation with increasing prey size for predators spanning an order of magnitude in body size, closely matching observational data across a range of species. We then show that this behavioural boundary follows an allometric power-law scaling relationship where the predator size scales with an exponent nearing 3/4 with prey size, meaning that this behavioural switch occurs at relatively larger threshold prey body size for larger carnivores. We suggest that our approach may provide a holistic framework for guiding future observational efforts exploring the diverse array of predator foraging behaviours.
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Affiliation(s)
- V P S Ritwika
- Department of Physics, UC Merced, Merced, California, USA
- Department of Communication, UCLA, Los Angeles, California, USA
- Life and Environmental Sciences, UC Merced, Merced, California, USA
| | | | - Justin D Yeakel
- Life and Environmental Sciences, UC Merced, Merced, California, USA
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7
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Anest A, Bouchenak-Khelladi Y, Charles-Dominique T, Forest F, Caraglio Y, Hempson GP, Maurin O, Tomlinson KW. Blocking then stinging as a case of two-step evolution of defensive cage architectures in herbivore-driven ecosystems. NATURE PLANTS 2024; 10:587-597. [PMID: 38438539 DOI: 10.1038/s41477-024-01649-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2023] [Accepted: 01/23/2024] [Indexed: 03/06/2024]
Abstract
Dense branching and spines are common features of plant species in ecosystems with high mammalian herbivory pressure. While dense branching and spines can inhibit herbivory independently, when combined, they form a powerful defensive cage architecture. However, how cage architecture evolved under mammalian pressure has remained unexplored. Here we show how dense branching and spines emerged during the age of mammalian radiation in the Combretaceae family and diversified in herbivore-driven ecosystems in the tropics. Phylogenetic comparative methods revealed that modern plant architectural strategies defending against large mammals evolved via a stepwise process. First, dense branching emerged under intermediate herbivory pressure, followed by the acquisition of spines that supported higher speciation rates under high herbivory pressure. Our study highlights the adaptive value of dense branching as part of a herbivore defence strategy and identifies large mammal herbivory as a major selective force shaping the whole plant architecture of woody plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Artémis Anest
- Center for Integrative Conservation and Yunnan Key Laboratory for Conservation of Tropical Rainforests and Asian Elephants, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, Mengla, China.
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
- AMAP, Univ Montpellier, CIRAD, CNRS, INRAE, IRD, Montpellier, France.
| | - Yanis Bouchenak-Khelladi
- Agroécologie, Univ. Bourgogne, Univ. Bourgogne Franche-Comté, INRAE, Institut Agro, Dijon, France
| | - Tristan Charles-Dominique
- AMAP, Univ Montpellier, CIRAD, CNRS, INRAE, IRD, Montpellier, France
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Sorbonne University, Paris, France
| | | | - Yves Caraglio
- AMAP, Univ Montpellier, CIRAD, CNRS, INRAE, IRD, Montpellier, France
| | - Gareth P Hempson
- Ecology and Environmental Change, School of Biodiversity, One Health and Veterinary Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | | | - Kyle W Tomlinson
- Center for Integrative Conservation and Yunnan Key Laboratory for Conservation of Tropical Rainforests and Asian Elephants, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, Mengla, China.
- Center of Conservation Biology, Core Botanical Gardens, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, Mengla, China.
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8
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Vermeulen MM, Fritz H, Strauss WM, Hetem RS, Venter JA. Seasonal activity patterns of a Kalahari mammal community: Trade-offs between environmental heat load and predation pressure. Ecol Evol 2024; 14:e11304. [PMID: 38628919 PMCID: PMC11019135 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.11304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2023] [Revised: 03/24/2024] [Accepted: 04/04/2024] [Indexed: 04/19/2024] Open
Abstract
Mammals in arid zones have to trade off thermal stress, predation pressure, and time spent foraging in a complex thermal landscape. We quantified the relationship between the environmental heat load and activity of a mammal community in the hot, arid Kalahari Desert. We deployed miniature black globe thermometers within the existing Snapshot Safari camera trap grid on Tswalu Kalahari Reserve, South Africa. Using the camera traps to record species' activity throughout the 24-h cycle, we quantified changes in the activity patterns of mammal species in relation to heat loads in their local environment. We compared the heat load during which species were active between two sites with differing predator guilds, one where lion (Panthera leo) biomass dominated the carnivore guild and the other where lions were absent. In the presence of lion, prey species were generally active under significantly higher heat loads, especially during the hot and dry spring. We suggest that increased foraging under high heat loads highlights the need to meet nutritional requirements while avoiding nocturnal activity when predatory pressures are high. Such a trade-off may become increasingly costly under the hotter and drier conditions predicted to become more prevalent as a result of climate change within the arid and semi-arid regions of southern Africa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mika M. Vermeulen
- Department of Conservation ManagementNelson Mandela UniversityGeorgeWestern CapeSouth Africa
| | - Hervé Fritz
- Sustainability Research UnitNelson Mandela UniversityGeorgeWestern CapeSouth Africa
- International Research LaboratoryREHABS, CNRS – Université de Lyon 1 – Nelson Mandela UniversityGeorgeWestern CapeSouth Africa
| | - W. Maartin Strauss
- School of Biological SciencesUniversity of CanterburyChristchurchNew Zealand
| | - Robyn S. Hetem
- School of Biological SciencesUniversity of CanterburyChristchurchNew Zealand
- School of Animal, Plant and Environmental SciencesUniversity of the WitwatersrandJohannesburgGautengSouth Africa
| | - Jan A. Venter
- Department of Conservation ManagementNelson Mandela UniversityGeorgeWestern CapeSouth Africa
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9
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Anderson TM, Hepler SA, Holdo RM, Donaldson JE, Erhardt RJ, Hopcraft JGC, Hutchinson MC, Huebner SE, Morrison TA, Muday J, Munuo IN, Palmer MS, Pansu J, Pringle RM, Sketch R, Packer C. Interplay of competition and facilitation in grazing succession by migrant Serengeti herbivores. Science 2024; 383:782-788. [PMID: 38359113 DOI: 10.1126/science.adg0744] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2022] [Accepted: 01/10/2024] [Indexed: 02/17/2024]
Abstract
Competition, facilitation, and predation offer alternative explanations for successional patterns of migratory herbivores. However, these interactions are difficult to measure, leaving uncertainty about the mechanisms underlying body-size-dependent grazing-and even whether succession occurs at all. We used data from an 8-year camera-trap survey, GPS-collared herbivores, and fecal DNA metabarcoding to analyze the timing, arrival order, and interactions among migratory grazers in Serengeti National Park. Temporal grazing succession is characterized by a "push-pull" dynamic: Competitive grazing nudges zebra ahead of co-migrating wildebeest, whereas grass consumption by these large-bodied migrants attracts trailing, small-bodied gazelle that benefit from facilitation. "Natural experiments" involving intense wildfires and rainfall respectively disrupted and strengthened these effects. Our results highlight a balance between facilitative and competitive forces in co-regulating large-scale ungulate migrations.
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Affiliation(s)
- T Michael Anderson
- Department of Biology, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC 27109, USA
| | - Staci A Hepler
- Department of Statistical Sciences, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC 27109, USA
| | - Ricardo M Holdo
- Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
| | - Jason E Donaldson
- Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
| | - Robert J Erhardt
- Department of Statistical Sciences, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC 27109, USA
| | - J Grant C Hopcraft
- School of Biodiversity, One Health and Veterinary Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G61 1QH, UK
| | - Matthew C Hutchinson
- Department of Life & Environmental Sciences, University of California Merced, Merced, CA 95343, USA
| | - Sarah E Huebner
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN 55108, USA
| | - Thomas A Morrison
- School of Biodiversity, One Health and Veterinary Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G61 1QH, UK
| | - Jeffry Muday
- Department of Biology, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC 27109, USA
| | - Issack N Munuo
- Serengeti Wildlife Research Centre, 2113 Lemara, Arusha, TZ
| | - Meredith S Palmer
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - Johan Pansu
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - Robert M Pringle
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - Robert Sketch
- Department of Statistical Sciences, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC 27109, USA
| | - Craig Packer
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN 55108, USA
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10
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Abraham JO, Rowan J, O'Brien K, Sokolowski KG, Faith JT. Environmental context shapes the relationship between grass consumption and body size in African herbivore communities. Ecol Evol 2024; 14:e11050. [PMID: 38362169 PMCID: PMC10867881 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.11050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2023] [Revised: 01/24/2024] [Accepted: 02/05/2024] [Indexed: 02/17/2024] Open
Abstract
Though herbivore grass dependence has been shown to increase with body size across herbivore species, it is unclear whether this relationship holds at the community level. Here we evaluate whether grass consumption scales positively with body size within African large mammalian herbivore communities and how this relationship varies with environmental context. We used stable carbon isotope and community occurrence data to investigate how grass dependence scales with body size within 23 savanna herbivore communities throughout eastern and central Africa. We found that dietary grass fraction increased with body size for the majority of herbivore communities considered, especially when complete community data were available. However, the slope of this relationship varied, and rainfall seasonality and elephant presence were key drivers of the variation-grass dependence increased less strongly with body size where rainfall was more seasonal and where elephants were present. We found also that the dependence of the herbivore community as a whole on grass peaked at intermediate woody cover. Intraspecific diet variation contributed to these community-level patterns: common hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius) and giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis) ate less grass where rainfall was more seasonal, whereas Cape buffalo (Syncerus caffer) and savanna elephant (Loxodonta africana) grass consumption were parabolically related to woody cover. Our results indicate that general rules appear to govern herbivore community assembly, though some aspects of herbivore foraging behavior depend upon local environmental context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joel O. Abraham
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyPrinceton UniversityPrincetonNew JerseyUSA
| | - John Rowan
- Department of AnthropologyUniversity at AlbanyAlbanyNew YorkUSA
| | - Kaedan O'Brien
- Department of AnthropologyUniversity of UtahSalt Lake CityUtahUSA
- Natural History Museum of UtahUniversity of UtahSalt Lake CityUtahUSA
| | - Kathryn G. Sokolowski
- Department of AnthropologyUniversity of UtahSalt Lake CityUtahUSA
- Natural History Museum of UtahUniversity of UtahSalt Lake CityUtahUSA
| | - J. Tyler Faith
- Department of AnthropologyUniversity of UtahSalt Lake CityUtahUSA
- Natural History Museum of UtahUniversity of UtahSalt Lake CityUtahUSA
- Origins CentreUniversity of the WitwatersrandJohannesburgSouth Africa
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11
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McNicol IM, Keane A, Burgess ND, Bowers SJ, Mitchard ETA, Ryan CM. Protected areas reduce deforestation and degradation and enhance woody growth across African woodlands. COMMUNICATIONS EARTH & ENVIRONMENT 2023; 4:392. [PMID: 38665189 PMCID: PMC11041809 DOI: 10.1038/s43247-023-01053-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2023] [Accepted: 10/13/2023] [Indexed: 04/28/2024]
Abstract
Protected areas are increasingly promoted for their capacity to sequester carbon, alongside biodiversity benefits. However, we have limited understanding of whether they are effective at reducing deforestation and degradation, or promoting vegetation growth, and the impact that this has on changes to aboveground woody carbon stocks. Here we present a new satellite radar-based map of vegetation carbon change across southern Africa's woodlands and combine this with a matching approach to assess the effect of protected areas on carbon dynamics. We show that protection has a positive effect on aboveground carbon, with stocks increasing faster in protected areas (+0.53% per year) compared to comparable lands not under protection (+0.08% per year). The positive effect of protection reflects lower rates of deforestation (-39%) and degradation (-25%), as well as a greater prevalence of vegetation growth (+12%) inside protected lands. Areas under strict protection had similar outcomes to other types of protection after controlling for differences in location, with effect scores instead varying more by country, and the level of threat. These results highlight the potential for protected areas to sequester aboveground carbon, although we caution that in some areas this may have negative impacts on biodiversity, and human wellbeing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iain M. McNicol
- School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH9 3FF UK
| | - Aidan Keane
- School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH9 3FF UK
| | - Neil D. Burgess
- United Nations Environment Programme – World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC), Cambridge, CB3 0DL UK
- Centre for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate, Natural History Museum, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Samuel J. Bowers
- School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH9 3FF UK
| | | | - Casey M. Ryan
- School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH9 3FF UK
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12
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Mungi NA, Jhala YV, Qureshi Q, le Roux E, Svenning JC. Megaherbivores provide biotic resistance against alien plant dominance. Nat Ecol Evol 2023; 7:1645-1653. [PMID: 37652995 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-023-02181-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2022] [Accepted: 07/26/2023] [Indexed: 09/02/2023]
Abstract
While human-driven biological invasions are rapidly spreading, finding scalable and effective control methods poses an unresolved challenge. Here, we assess whether megaherbivores-herbivores reaching ≥1,000 kg of body mass-offer a nature-based solution to plant invasions. Invasive plants are generally adapted to maximize vegetative growth. Megaherbivores, with broad dietary tolerances, could remove large biomass of established plants, facilitating new plant growth. We used a massive dataset obtained from 26,838 camera stations and 158,979 vegetation plots to assess the relationships between megaherbivores, native plants and alien plants across India (~121,330 km2). We found a positive relationship between megaherbivore abundance and native plant richness and abundance, and a concomitant reduction in alien plant abundance. This relationship was strongest in protected areas with midproductive ecosystem and high megaherbivore density but it was lost in areas where thicket-forming alien plants predominated (>40% cover). By incorporating the role of ecosystem productivity, plants traits and densities of megaherbivores on megaherbivore-vegetation relationships, our study highlights a function of megaherbivores in controlling alien plant proliferation and facilitating diverse native plants in invaded ecosystems. The study shows great potential for megafauna-based trophic rewilding as a nature-based solution to counteract dominance of plant invasions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ninad Avinash Mungi
- Center for Ecological Dynamics in a Novel Biosphere (ECONOVO) & Center for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World (BIOCHANGE), Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.
- Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, India.
| | | | | | - Elizabeth le Roux
- Center for Ecological Dynamics in a Novel Biosphere (ECONOVO) & Center for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World (BIOCHANGE), Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Jens-Christian Svenning
- Center for Ecological Dynamics in a Novel Biosphere (ECONOVO) & Center for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World (BIOCHANGE), Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
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13
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Morgan D, Strindberg S, McElmurray P, Zambarda A, Singono I, Huskisson S, Musgrave S, Ayina CE, Funkhouser J, Hellmuth H, Joshi P, Cassidy R, Sanz C. Extending the conservation impact of great ape research: Flagship species sites facilitate biodiversity assessments and land preservation. Primates 2023:10.1007/s10329-023-01080-x. [PMID: 37682371 DOI: 10.1007/s10329-023-01080-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2023] [Accepted: 07/07/2023] [Indexed: 09/09/2023]
Abstract
To inform regional conservation planning, we assessed mammalian and avian biodiversity in the Djéké Triangle, which is an intact forest with long-term research and tourism focused on western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla). This critical region serves as a conservation conduit between the Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park (NNNP) in the Republic of Congo and the Dzanga-Ndoki National Park in Central African Republic. Wildlife inventories were conducted to determine if biodiversity in the Djéké Triangle (initially part of a logging concession) was equivalent to the NNNP. Camera traps (CTs) were deployed to estimate species richness, relative abundance, naïve occupancy, and activity patterns of medium-to-large species in mixed species and monodominant Gilbertiodendron forests that comprise the majority of regional terra firma. Species inventories were collected from CTs positioned on a grid and at termite nests throughout the Djéké Triangle and compared to CTs placed in the Goualougo Triangle located within the NNNP. From 10,534 camera days at 65 locations, we identified 34 mammal and 16 bird species. Allaying concerns of wildlife depletion, metrics of species richness in the Djéké Triangle surpassed those of the Goualougo Triangle. Many species were observed to occur across habitats, while others showed habitat specificity, with termite mounds indicated as an important microhabitat feature. Our comparisons of animal activity budgets in different habitat types provide important reference information for other populations and contexts. In conclusion, this study provided empirical evidence of the high conservation value of this region that contributed to increasing the protected status of the Djéké Triangle.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Morgan
- Fisher Center for the Study and Conservation of Apes, Lincoln Park Zoo, 2001 N. Clark Street, Chicago, IL, 60614, USA.
| | - Samantha Strindberg
- Wildlife Conservation Society, 2300 Southern Boulevard Bronx, New York, NY, 10460, USA
| | - Philip McElmurray
- Department of Anthropology, Washington University in Saint Louis, 1 Brookings Drive, Saint Louis, Missouri, 63130, USA
| | - Alice Zambarda
- Wildlife Conservation Society, Congo Program, B.P. 14537, Brazzaville, Republic of Congo
| | - Igor Singono
- Wildlife Conservation Society, Congo Program, B.P. 14537, Brazzaville, Republic of Congo
| | - Sarah Huskisson
- Fisher Center for the Study and Conservation of Apes, Lincoln Park Zoo, 2001 N. Clark Street, Chicago, IL, 60614, USA
| | - Stephanie Musgrave
- Department of Anthropology, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL, 33124, USA
| | - Crepin Eyana Ayina
- Wildlife Conservation Society, Congo Program, B.P. 14537, Brazzaville, Republic of Congo
| | - Jake Funkhouser
- Department of Anthropology, Washington University in Saint Louis, 1 Brookings Drive, Saint Louis, Missouri, 63130, USA
| | | | - Priyanka Joshi
- Fisher Center for the Study and Conservation of Apes, Lincoln Park Zoo, 2001 N. Clark Street, Chicago, IL, 60614, USA
| | - Rod Cassidy
- Sangha Lodge, Bayanga, Central African Republic
| | - Crickette Sanz
- Department of Anthropology, Washington University in Saint Louis, 1 Brookings Drive, Saint Louis, Missouri, 63130, USA
- Wildlife Conservation Society, Congo Program, B.P. 14537, Brazzaville, Republic of Congo
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14
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Losada M, Sobral M, Silvius KM, Varela S, Martínez Cortizas AM, Fragoso JMV. Mammal traits and soil biogeochemistry: Functional diversity relates to composition of soil organic matter. Ecol Evol 2023; 13:e10392. [PMID: 37600493 PMCID: PMC10433116 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.10392] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2023] [Revised: 07/02/2023] [Accepted: 07/19/2023] [Indexed: 08/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Mammal diversity affects carbon concentration in Amazonian soils. It is known that some species traits determine carbon accumulation in organisms (e.g., size and longevity), and are also related to feeding strategies, thus linking species traits to the type of organic remains that are incorporated into the soil. Trait diversity in mammal assemblages - that is, its functional diversity - may therefore constitute another mechanism linking biodiversity to soil organic matter (SOM) accumulation. To address this hypothesis, we analyzed across 83 mammal assemblages in the Amazon biome (Guyana), the elemental (by ED-XRF and CNH analysis) and molecular (FTIR-ATR) composition of SOM of topsoils (401 samples) and trait diversity (functional richness, evenness, and divergence) for each mammal assemblage. Lower mammal functional richness but higher functional divergence were related to higher content of carbonyl and aliphatic SOM, potentially affecting SOM recalcitrance. Our results might allow the design of biodiversity management plans that consider the effect of mammal traits on carbon sequestration and accumulation in soils.
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Affiliation(s)
- María Losada
- EcoPast (GI‐1553), Departmento de Edafoloxía e Química Agrícola, Facultade de BioloxíaUniversidade de Santiago de CompostelaSantiago de CompostelaSpain
| | - Mar Sobral
- EcoPast (GI‐1553), Departmento de Edafoloxía e Química Agrícola, Facultade de BioloxíaUniversidade de Santiago de CompostelaSantiago de CompostelaSpain
| | - Kirsten M. Silvius
- Department of Forest Resources and Environmental ConservationVirginia TechBlacksburgVirginiaUSA
| | - Sara Varela
- MAPAS Lab, Departamento de Ecoloxía e Bioloxía AnimalUniversidade de VigoVigoSpain
| | - Antonio M. Martínez Cortizas
- CRETUS – EcoPast (GI‐1553), Departmento de Edafoloxía e Química Agrícola, Facultade de BioloxíaUniversidade de Santiago de CompostelaSantiago de CompostelaSpain
| | - José M. V. Fragoso
- Departamento de ZoologiaUniversidade de BrasíliaBrasíliaBrazil
- Institute of Biodiversity Science and SustainabilityCalifornia Academy of SciencesSan FranciscoCaliforniaUSA
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15
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Pringle RM, Abraham JO, Anderson TM, Coverdale TC, Davies AB, Dutton CL, Gaylard A, Goheen JR, Holdo RM, Hutchinson MC, Kimuyu DM, Long RA, Subalusky AL, Veldhuis MP. Impacts of large herbivores on terrestrial ecosystems. Curr Biol 2023; 33:R584-R610. [PMID: 37279691 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.04.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Large herbivores play unique ecological roles and are disproportionately imperiled by human activity. As many wild populations dwindle towards extinction, and as interest grows in restoring lost biodiversity, research on large herbivores and their ecological impacts has intensified. Yet, results are often conflicting or contingent on local conditions, and new findings have challenged conventional wisdom, making it hard to discern general principles. Here, we review what is known about the ecosystem impacts of large herbivores globally, identify key uncertainties, and suggest priorities to guide research. Many findings are generalizable across ecosystems: large herbivores consistently exert top-down control of plant demography, species composition, and biomass, thereby suppressing fires and the abundance of smaller animals. Other general patterns do not have clearly defined impacts: large herbivores respond to predation risk but the strength of trophic cascades is variable; large herbivores move vast quantities of seeds and nutrients but with poorly understood effects on vegetation and biogeochemistry. Questions of the greatest relevance for conservation and management are among the least certain, including effects on carbon storage and other ecosystem functions and the ability to predict outcomes of extinctions and reintroductions. A unifying theme is the role of body size in regulating ecological impact. Small herbivores cannot fully substitute for large ones, and large-herbivore species are not functionally redundant - losing any, especially the largest, will alter net impact, helping to explain why livestock are poor surrogates for wild species. We advocate leveraging a broad spectrum of techniques to mechanistically explain how large-herbivore traits and environmental context interactively govern the ecological impacts of these animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert M Pringle
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA.
| | - Joel O Abraham
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - T Michael Anderson
- Department of Biology, Wake Forest University, Winston Salem, NC 27109, USA
| | - Tyler C Coverdale
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556, USA; Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Andrew B Davies
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | | | | | - Jacob R Goheen
- Department of Zoology & Physiology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY 82072, USA
| | - Ricardo M Holdo
- Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
| | - Matthew C Hutchinson
- Department of Life & Environmental Sciences, University of California Merced, Merced, CA 95343, USA
| | - Duncan M Kimuyu
- Department of Natural Resources, Karatina University, Karatina, Kenya
| | - Ryan A Long
- Department of Fish and Wildlife Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83844, USA
| | - Amanda L Subalusky
- Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
| | - Michiel P Veldhuis
- Institute of Environmental Sciences, Leiden University, 2333 CC Leiden, The Netherlands
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16
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Carr AS, Chase BM, Birkinshaw SJ, Holmes PJ, Rabumbulu M, Stewart BA. Paleolakes and socioecological implications of last glacial "greening" of the South African interior. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2221082120. [PMID: 37186818 PMCID: PMC10214169 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2221082120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2022] [Accepted: 04/03/2023] [Indexed: 05/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Determining the timing and drivers of Pleistocene hydrological change in the interior of South Africa is critical for testing hypotheses regarding the presence, dynamics, and resilience of human populations. Combining geological data and physically based distributed hydrological modeling, we demonstrate the presence of large paleolakes in South Africa's central interior during the last glacial period, and infer a regional-scale invigoration of hydrological networks, particularly during marine isotope stages 3 and 2, most notably 55 to 39 ka and 34 to 31 ka. The resulting hydrological reconstructions further permit investigation of regional floral and fauna responses using a modern analog approach. These suggest that the climate change required to sustain these water bodies would have replaced xeric shrubland with more productive, eutrophic grassland or higher grass-cover vegetation, capable of supporting a substantial increase in ungulate diversity and biomass. The existence of such resource-rich landscapes for protracted phases within the last glacial period likely exerted a recurrent draw on human societies, evidenced by extensive pan-side artifact assemblages. Thus, rather than representing a perennially uninhabited hinterland, the central interior's underrepresentation in late Pleistocene archeological narratives likely reflects taphonomic biases stemming from a dearth of rockshelters and regional geomorphic controls. These findings suggest that South Africa's central interior experienced greater climatic, ecological, and cultural dynamism than previously appreciated and potential to host human populations whose archaeological signatures deserve systematic investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew S. Carr
- School of Geography, Geology and the Environment, University of Leicester, LeicesterLE1 7RH, United Kingdom
| | - Brian M. Chase
- Institut des Sciences de L'Evolution-Montpellier, University of Montpellier, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, École Pratique des Hautes Études, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement,34095Montpellier, France
- Department of Environmental and Geographical Science, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch7701, South Africa
| | - Stephen J. Birkinshaw
- School of Engineering, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon TyneNE1 7RU, United Kingdom
| | - Peter J. Holmes
- Department of Geography, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein9300, South Africa
| | - Mulalo Rabumbulu
- Department of Geography Environmental Management and Energy Studies, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg2006, South Africa
| | - Brian A. Stewart
- Department of Anthropology and Museum of Anthropological Archaeology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI48109
- Rock Art Research Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, 2050Wits, South Africa
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17
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Leichliter JN, Lüdecke T, Foreman AD, Bourgon N, Duprey NN, Vonhof H, Souksavatdy V, Bacon AM, Sigman DM, Tütken T, Martínez-García A. Tooth enamel nitrogen isotope composition records trophic position: a tool for reconstructing food webs. Commun Biol 2023; 6:373. [PMID: 37029186 PMCID: PMC10082005 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-04744-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2022] [Accepted: 03/21/2023] [Indexed: 04/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Nitrogen isotopes are widely used to study the trophic position of animals in modern food webs; however, their application in the fossil record is severely limited by degradation of organic material during fossilization. In this study, we show that the nitrogen isotope composition of organic matter preserved in mammalian tooth enamel (δ15Nenamel) records diet and trophic position. The δ15Nenamel of modern African mammals shows a 3.7‰ increase between herbivores and carnivores as expected from trophic enrichment, and there is a strong positive correlation between δ15Nenamel and δ15Nbone-collagen values from the same individuals. Additionally, δ15Nenamel values of Late Pleistocene fossil teeth preserve diet and trophic level information, despite complete diagenetic loss of collagen in the same specimens. We demonstrate that δ15Nenamel represents a powerful geochemical proxy for diet that is applicable to fossils and can help delineate major dietary transitions in ancient vertebrate lineages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer N Leichliter
- Organic Isotope Geochemistry Group, Climate Geochemistry Department, Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, 55128, Mainz, Germany.
- Emmy Noether Group for Hominin Meat Consumption, Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, 55128, Mainz, Germany.
- Institute of Geosciences, Department of Applied and Analytical Paleontology, Johannes Gutenberg University, 55128, Mainz, Germany.
| | - Tina Lüdecke
- Organic Isotope Geochemistry Group, Climate Geochemistry Department, Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, 55128, Mainz, Germany.
- Emmy Noether Group for Hominin Meat Consumption, Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, 55128, Mainz, Germany.
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, 60325, Frankfurt, Germany.
| | - Alan D Foreman
- Organic Isotope Geochemistry Group, Climate Geochemistry Department, Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, 55128, Mainz, Germany
| | - Nicolas Bourgon
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Nicolas N Duprey
- Organic Isotope Geochemistry Group, Climate Geochemistry Department, Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, 55128, Mainz, Germany
| | - Hubert Vonhof
- Inorganic Gas Isotope Geochemistry Group, Climate Geochemistry Department, Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, 55128, Mainz, Germany
| | - Viengkeo Souksavatdy
- Department of Heritage, Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism, 0100 Setthathirath Road, Vientiane Capital, Lao People's Democratic Republic
| | | | - Daniel M Sigman
- Department of Geosciences, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, 08544, USA
| | - Thomas Tütken
- Institute of Geosciences, Department of Applied and Analytical Paleontology, Johannes Gutenberg University, 55128, Mainz, Germany
| | - Alfredo Martínez-García
- Organic Isotope Geochemistry Group, Climate Geochemistry Department, Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, 55128, Mainz, Germany
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18
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Fonteyn D, Vermeulen C, Gorel A, Silva de Miranda PL, Lhoest S, Fayolle A. Biogeography of central African forests: Determinants, ongoing threats and conservation priorities of mammal assemblages. DIVERS DISTRIB 2023. [DOI: 10.1111/ddi.13677] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/30/2023] Open
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19
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du Toit JT. Steps to operationalize a rewilding decision: Focus on functional types. Front Ecol Evol 2023. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2023.1114856] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/06/2023] Open
Abstract
If transparent and inclusive stakeholder discussion delivers a consensus for active rewilding, then five steps are recommended for operationalizing that decision, focused initially on the large herbivore assemblage. Consideration of large predators could follow, contingent upon the establishment of prey populations. First, determine the potential biomass density (kg/km2) of large mammalian herbivores in the target landscape. Regression models based on rainfall or primary productivity are helpful if applicable, otherwise comparative studies are needed. Second, use empirical data from reference ecosystems to apportion biomass density among functional types, crudely defined by body size and feeding type (grazer, browser, mixed feeder). Third, identify specific functional traits (coarse grazing, endozoochory, etc.) of particular local importance. Fourth, identify species within each functional type that are already present, estimate their potential biomass densities, and thus identify the shortfall within each cell of the body size x feeding type matrix. A candidate set of native and non-native (surrogate) species is then identified to make up the shortfalls. This is followed by an iterative process of estimating equilibrium population sizes, stakeholder acceptance, and viability of each potential population. Fifth, stakeholders must be inclusively re-engaged to visualize the potential assemblage, its expected functional interactions, the ecosystem services to be delivered, and the long-term costs (including opportunity costs) and benefits. When a plan is supported, local stakeholders should be integrated as active participants in the implementation, monitoring, and championing of their rewilding project.
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20
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Holdo RM, Nippert JB. Linking resource- and disturbance-based models to explain tree-grass coexistence in savannas. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2023; 237:1966-1979. [PMID: 36451534 DOI: 10.1111/nph.18648] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2022] [Accepted: 11/06/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Savannas cover a significant fraction of the Earth's land surface. In these ecosystems, C3 trees and C4 grasses coexist persistently, but the mechanisms explaining coexistence remain subject to debate. Different quantitative models have been proposed to explain coexistence, but these models make widely contrasting assumptions about which mechanisms are responsible for savanna persistence. Here, we show that no single existing model fully captures all key elements required to explain tree-grass coexistence across savanna rainfall gradients, but many models make important contributions. We show that recent empirical work allows us to combine many existing elements with new ideas to arrive at a synthesis that combines elements of two dominant frameworks: Walter's two-layer model and demographic bottlenecks. We propose that functional rooting separation is necessary for coexistence and is the crux of the coexistence problem. It is both well-supported empirically and necessary for tree persistence, given the comprehensive grass superiority for soil moisture acquisition. We argue that eventual tree dominance through shading is precluded by ecohydrological constraints in dry savannas and by fire and herbivores in wet savannas. Strong asymmetric grass-tree competition for soil moisture limits tree growth, exposing trees to persistent demographic bottlenecks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ricardo M Holdo
- Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA
| | - Jesse B Nippert
- Division of Biology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, 66506, USA
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21
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The metamicrobiome: key determinant of the homeostasis of nutrient recycling. Trends Ecol Evol 2023; 38:183-195. [PMID: 36328807 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2022.10.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2022] [Revised: 10/05/2022] [Accepted: 10/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
The metamicrobiome is an integrated concept to study carbon and nutrient recycling in ecosystems. Decomposition of plant-derived matter by free-living microbes and fire - two key recycling pathways - are highly sensitive to global change. Mutualistic associations of microbes with plants and animals strongly reduce this sensitivity. By solving a fundamental allometric trade-off between metabolic and homeostatic capacity, these mutualisms enable continued recycling of plant matter where and when conditions are unfavourable for the free-living microbiome. A diverse metamicrobiome - where multiple plant- and animal-associated microbiomes complement the free-living microbiome - thus enhances homeostasis of ecosystem recycling rates in variable environments. Research into metamicrobiome structure and functioning in ecosystems is therefore important for progress towards understanding environmental change.
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22
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Erdős L, Török P, Veldman JW, Bátori Z, Bede‐Fazekas Á, Magnes M, Kröel‐Dulay G, Tölgyesi C. How climate, topography, soils, herbivores, and fire control forest-grassland coexistence in the Eurasian forest-steppe. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2022; 97:2195-2208. [PMID: 35942892 PMCID: PMC9804691 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12889] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2022] [Revised: 07/04/2022] [Accepted: 07/05/2022] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Recent advances in ecology and biogeography demonstrate the importance of fire and large herbivores - and challenge the primacy of climate - to our understanding of the distribution, stability, and antiquity of forests and grasslands. Among grassland ecologists, particularly those working in savannas of the seasonally dry tropics, an emerging fire-herbivore paradigm is generally accepted to explain grass dominance in climates and on soils that would otherwise permit development of closed-canopy forests. By contrast, adherents of the climate-soil paradigm, particularly foresters working in the humid tropics or temperate latitudes, tend to view fire and herbivores as disturbances, often human-caused, which damage forests and reset succession. Towards integration of these two paradigms, we developed a series of conceptual models to explain the existence of an extensive temperate forest-grassland mosaic that occurs within a 4.7 million km2 belt spanning from central Europe through eastern Asia. The Eurasian forest-steppe is reminiscent of many regions globally where forests and grasslands occur side-by-side with stark boundaries. Our conceptual models illustrate that if mean climate was the only factor, forests should dominate in humid continental regions and grasslands should prevail in semi-arid regions, but that extensive mosaics would not occur. By contrast, conceptual models that also integrate climate variability, soils, topography, herbivores, and fire depict how these factors collectively expand suitable conditions for forests and grasslands, such that grasslands may occur in more humid regions and forests in more arid regions than predicted by mean climate alone. Furthermore, boundaries between forests and grasslands are reinforced by vegetation-fire, vegetation-herbivore, and vegetation-microclimate feedbacks, which limit tree establishment in grasslands and promote tree survival in forests. Such feedbacks suggest that forests and grasslands of the Eurasian forest-steppe are governed by ecological dynamics that are similar to those hypothesised to maintain boundaries between tropical forests and savannas. Unfortunately, the grasslands of the Eurasian forest-steppe are sometimes misinterpreted as deforested or otherwise degraded vegetation. In fact, the grasslands of this region provide valuable ecosystem services, support a high diversity of plants and animals, and offer critical habitat for endangered large herbivores. We suggest that a better understanding of the fundamental ecological controls that permit forest-grassland coexistence could help us prioritise conservation and restoration of the Eurasian forest-steppe for biodiversity, climate adaptation, and pastoral livelihoods. Currently, these goals are being undermined by tree-planting campaigns that view the open grasslands as opportunities for afforestation. Improved understanding of the interactive roles of climate variability, soils, topography, fire, and herbivores will help scientists and policymakers recognise the antiquity of the grasslands of the Eurasian forest-steppe.
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Affiliation(s)
- László Erdős
- Institute of Ecology and BotanyCentre for Ecological ResearchAlkotmány utca 2‐42163VácrátótHungary,MTA‐DE Lendület Functional and Restoration Ecology Research GroupEgyetem tér 14032DebrecenHungary
| | - Péter Török
- MTA‐DE Lendület Functional and Restoration Ecology Research GroupEgyetem tér 14032DebrecenHungary,Department of EcologyUniversity of DebrecenEgyetem tér 14032DebrecenHungary,Botanical Garden – Center for Biological Diversity Conservation in PowsinPolish Academy of SciencesPrawdziwka street 202‐973WarszawaPoland
| | - Joseph W. Veldman
- Department of Ecology and Conservation BiologyTexas A&M UniversityCollege StationTX77843‐2258USA
| | - Zoltán Bátori
- Department of EcologyUniversity of SzegedKözép fasor 526726SzegedHungary
| | - Ákos Bede‐Fazekas
- Institute of Ecology and BotanyCentre for Ecological ResearchAlkotmány utca 2‐42163VácrátótHungary,Department of Environmental and Landscape GeographyEötvös Loránd UniversityPázmány Péter sétány 1/C1117BudapestHungary
| | - Martin Magnes
- Institute of BiologyUniversity of GrazHolteigasse 68010GrazAustria
| | - György Kröel‐Dulay
- Institute of Ecology and BotanyCentre for Ecological ResearchAlkotmány utca 2‐42163VácrátótHungary
| | - Csaba Tölgyesi
- MTA‐SZTE ‘Momentum’ Applied Ecology Research GroupKözép fasor 526726SzegedHungary
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Patterson DB, Du A, Faith JT, Rowan J, Uno K, Behrensmeyer AK, Braun DR, Wood BA. Did vegetation change drive the extinction of Paranthropus boisei? J Hum Evol 2022; 173:103154. [PMID: 35314089 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2022.103154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2021] [Revised: 01/03/2022] [Accepted: 01/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- David B Patterson
- Department of Biology, University of North Georgia, Dahlonega, GA 30597, USA.
| | - Andrew Du
- Department of Anthropology and Geography, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
| | - J Tyler Faith
- Natural History Museum of Utah, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84108, USA; Department of Anthropology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
| | - John Rowan
- Department of Anthropology, University at Albany, Albany, NY 12222, USA
| | - Kevin Uno
- Division of Biology and Paleo Environment, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University, Palisades, NY 10964, USA
| | - Anna K Behrensmeyer
- Department of Paleobiology, National Museum of Natural History, Washington, DC 20013, USA
| | - David R Braun
- Technological Primate Research Group, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 604103, Leipzig, Germany; Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, The George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052, USA
| | - Bernard A Wood
- Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, The George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052, USA
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Pires MM, Galetti M. Beyond the “empty forest”: The defaunation syndromes of Neotropical forests in the Anthropocene. Glob Ecol Conserv 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gecco.2022.e02362] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
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25
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Lüdecke T, Leichliter JN, Aldeias V, Bamford MK, Biro D, Braun DR, Capelli C, Cybulski JD, Duprey NN, Ferreira da Silva MJ, Foreman AD, Habermann JM, Haug GH, Martínez FI, Mathe J, Mulch A, Sigman DM, Vonhof H, Bobe R, Carvalho S, Martínez-García A. Carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen stable isotopes in modern tooth enamel: A case study from Gorongosa National Park, central Mozambique. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.958032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
The analyses of the stable isotope ratios of carbon (δ13C), nitrogen (δ15N), and oxygen (δ18O) in animal tissues are powerful tools for reconstructing the feeding behavior of individual animals and characterizing trophic interactions in food webs. Of these biomaterials, tooth enamel is the hardest, most mineralized vertebrate tissue and therefore least likely to be affected by chemical alteration (i.e., its isotopic composition can be preserved over millions of years), making it an important and widely available archive for biologists and paleontologists. Here, we present the first combined measurements of δ13C, δ15N, and δ18O in enamel from the teeth of modern fauna (herbivores, carnivores, and omnivores) from the well-studied ecosystem of Gorongosa National Park (GNP) in central Mozambique. We use two novel methods to produce high-precision stable isotope enamel data: (i) the “oxidation-denitrification method,” which permits the measurement of mineral-bound organic nitrogen in tooth enamel (δ15Nenamel), which until now, has not been possible due to enamel’s low organic content, and (ii) the “cold trap method,” which greatly reduces the sample size required for traditional measurements of inorganic δ13Cenamel and δ18Oenamel (from ≥0.5 to ≤0.1 mg), permitting analysis of small or valuable teeth and high-resolution serial sampling of enamel. The stable isotope results for GNP fauna reveal important ecological information about the trophic level, dietary niche, and resource consumption. δ15Nenamel values clearly differentiate trophic level (i.e., carnivore δ15Nenamel values are 4.0‰ higher, on average, than herbivores), δ13Cenamel values distinguish C3 and/or C4 biomass consumption, and δ18Oenamel values reflect local meteoric water (δ18Owater) in the park. Analysis of combined carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen stable isotope data permits geochemical separation of grazers, browsers, omnivores, and carnivores according to their isotopic niche, while mixed-feeding herbivores cannot be clearly distinguished from other dietary groups. These results confirm that combined C, N, and O isotope analyses of a single aliquot of tooth enamel can be used to reconstruct diet and trophic niches. Given its resistance to chemical alteration, the analysis of these three isotopes in tooth enamel has a high potential to open new avenues of research in (paleo)ecology and paleontology.
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Hering R, Hauptfleisch M, Kramer-Schadt S, Stiegler J, Blaum N. Effects of fences and fence gaps on the movement behavior of three southern African antelope species. FRONTIERS IN CONSERVATION SCIENCE 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fcosc.2022.959423] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
Globally, migratory ungulates are affected by fences. While field observational studies reveal the amount of animal–fence interactions across taxa, GPS tracking-based studies uncover fence effects on movement patterns and habitat selection. However, studies on the direct effects of fences and fence gaps on movement behavior, especially based on high-frequency tracking data, are scarce. We used GPS tracking on three common African antelopes (Tragelaphus strepsiceros, Antidorcas marsupialis, and T. oryx) with movement strategies ranging from range residency to nomadism in a semi-arid, Namibian savanna traversed by wildlife-proof fences that elephants have regularly breached. We classified major forms of ungulate–fence interaction types on a seasonal and a daily scale. Furthermore, we recorded the distances and times spent at fences regarding the total individual space use. Based on this, we analyzed the direct effects of fences and fence gaps on the animals’ movement behavior for the previously defined types of animal–fence interactions. Antelope-fence interactions peaked during the early hours of the day and during seasonal transitions when the limiting resource changed between water and forage. Major types of ungulate–fence interactions were quick, trace-like, or marked by halts. We found that the amount of time spent at fences was highest for nomadic eland. Migratory springbok adjusted their space use concerning fence gap positions. If the small home ranges of sedentary kudu included a fence, they frequently interacted with this fence. For springbok and eland, distance traveled along a fence declined with increasing utilization of a fence gap. All species reduced their speed in the proximity of a fence but often increased their speed when encountering the fence. Crossing a fence led to increased speeds for all species. We demonstrate that fence effects mainly occur during crucial foraging times (seasonal scale) and during times of directed movements (daily scale). Importantly, we provide evidence that fences directly alter antelope movement behaviors with negative implications for energy budgets and that persistent fence gaps can reduce the intensity of such alterations. Our findings help to guide future animal–fence studies and provide insights for wildlife fencing and fence gap planning.
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27
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Turner WC, Périquet S, Goelst CE, Vera KB, Cameron EZ, Alexander KA, Belant JL, Cloete CC, du Preez P, Getz WM, Hetem RS, Kamath PL, Kasaona MK, Mackenzie M, Mendelsohn J, Mfune JK, Muntifering JR, Portas R, Scott HA, Strauss WM, Versfeld W, Wachter B, Wittemyer G, Kilian JW. Africa’s drylands in a changing world: Challenges for wildlife conservation under climate and land-use changes in the Greater Etosha Landscape. Glob Ecol Conserv 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gecco.2022.e02221] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
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28
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Flores BM, Staal A. Feedback in tropical forests of the Anthropocene. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2022; 28:5041-5061. [PMID: 35770837 PMCID: PMC9542052 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.16293] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2021] [Revised: 04/06/2022] [Accepted: 05/31/2022] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Tropical forests are complex systems containing myriad interactions and feedbacks with their biotic and abiotic environments, but as the world changes fast, the future of these ecosystems becomes increasingly uncertain. In particular, global stressors may unbalance the feedbacks that stabilize tropical forests, allowing other feedbacks to propel undesired changes in the whole ecosystem. Here, we review the scientific literature across various fields, compiling known interactions of tropical forests with their environment, including the global climate, rainfall, aerosols, fire, soils, fauna, and human activities. We identify 170 individual interactions among 32 elements that we present as a global tropical forest network, including countless feedback loops that may emerge from different combinations of interactions. We illustrate our findings with three cases involving urgent sustainability issues: (1) wildfires in wetlands of South America; (2) forest encroachment in African savanna landscapes; and (3) synergistic threats to the peatland forests of Borneo. Our findings reveal an unexplored world of feedbacks that shape the dynamics of tropical forests. The interactions and feedbacks identified here can guide future qualitative and quantitative research on the complexities of tropical forests, allowing societies to manage the nonlinear responses of these ecosystems in the Anthropocene.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bernardo M. Flores
- Graduate Program in EcologyFederal University of Santa CatarinaFlorianopolisBrazil
| | - Arie Staal
- Copernicus Institute of Sustainable DevelopmentUtrecht UniversityUtrechtThe Netherlands
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MacGregor KA, Johnson LE. Seascapes and foraging success: Movement and resource discovery by a benthic marine herbivore. Ecol Evol 2022; 12:e9243. [PMID: 36110878 PMCID: PMC9465196 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.9243] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2021] [Revised: 05/20/2022] [Accepted: 07/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Spatially concentrated resources result in patch-based foraging, wherein the detection and choice of patches as well as the process of locating and exploiting resource patches involve moving through an explicit landscape composed of both resources and barriers to movement. An understanding of behavioral responses to resources and barriers is key to interpreting observed ecological patterns. We examined the process of resource discovery in the context of a heterogeneous seascape using sea urchins and drift kelp in urchin barrens as a model system. Under field conditions, we manipulated both the presence of a highly valuable resource (drift kelp) and a barrier to movement (sandy substratum) to test the interacting influence of these two factors on the process of resource discovery in barren grounds by urchins. We removed all foraging urchins (Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis) from replicate areas and monitored urchin recolonization and kelp consumption. We tested two hypotheses: (1) unstable substratum is a barrier to urchin movement and (2) the movement behavior of sea urchins is modified by the presence of drift kelp. Very few urchins were found on sand, sand was a permeable barrier to urchin movement, and the permeability of this barrier varied between sites. In general, partial recolonization occurred strikingly rapidly, but sand slowed the consumption of drift kelp by limiting the number of urchins. Differences in the permeability of sand barriers between sites could be driven by differences in the size structure of urchin populations, indicating size-specific environmental effects on foraging behavior. We demonstrate the influence of patchy seascapes in modulating grazing intensity in barren grounds through modifications of foraging behavior. Behavioral processes modified by environmental barriers play an important role in determining grazing pressure, the existence of refuges for new algal recruits, and ultimately the dynamics of urchin-algal interactions in barren grounds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathleen A. MacGregor
- Département de BiologieUniversité LavalQuébecQuébecCanada
- Institut Maurice‐LamontagnePêches et Océans CanadaMont‐JoliQuébecCanada
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30
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Schmitt MH, Stears K, Donovan MK, Burkepile DE, Thompson DI. Integrating herbivore assemblages and woody plant cover in an African savanna to reveal how herbivores respond to ecosystem management. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0273917. [PMID: 36044453 PMCID: PMC9432757 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0273917] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2022] [Accepted: 08/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
African savannas are experiencing anthropogenically-induced stressors that are accelerating the increase of woody vegetation cover. To combat this, land managers frequently implement large-scale clearing of trees, which can have a cascading influence on mammalian herbivores. Studies rarely focus on how differences in woody cover influence the herbivore assemblage, making it difficult to assess how aggressive measures, or the lack of management, to counteract increasing woody cover affect the local composition and biodiversity of herbivores. We address this knowledge gap by applying a model-based clustering approach to field observations from MalaMala Game Reserve, South Africa to identify multiple herbivore-vegetation 'configurations,' defined as unique sets of herbivore assemblages (i.e., groups of herbivores) associated with differing woody plant covers. Our approach delineated how tree-clearing influences the distribution and abundance of the herbivore community in relation to surrounding savanna areas, which represent a natural mosaic of varying woody cover. Regardless of season, both intensively managed areas cleared of trees and unmanaged areas with high tree cover contained configurations that had depauperate assemblages of herbivores (low species richness, low abundance). By contrast, habitats with intermediate cover of woody vegetation had much higher richness and abundance. These results have substantial implications for managing African savannas in a rapidly changing climate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melissa H. Schmitt
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California, United States of America
- South African Environmental Observation Network, Ndlovu Node, Scientific Services, Kruger National Park, Phalaborwa, South Africa
| | - Keenan Stears
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California, United States of America
- South African Environmental Observation Network, Ndlovu Node, Scientific Services, Kruger National Park, Phalaborwa, South Africa
| | - Mary K. Donovan
- School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning and Center for Global Discovery and Conservation Science, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, United States of America
| | - Deron E. Burkepile
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California, United States of America
- South African Environmental Observation Network, Ndlovu Node, Scientific Services, Kruger National Park, Phalaborwa, South Africa
- Marine Science Institute, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California, United States of America
| | - Dave I. Thompson
- South African Environmental Observation Network, Ndlovu Node, Scientific Services, Kruger National Park, Phalaborwa, South Africa
- School of Geography, Archaeology and Environmental Studies, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
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31
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The generality of cryptic dietary niche differences in diverse large-herbivore assemblages. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2204400119. [PMID: 35994662 PMCID: PMC9436339 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2204400119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Ecological niche differences are necessary for stable species coexistence but are often difficult to discern. Models of dietary niche differentiation in large mammalian herbivores invoke the quality, quantity, and spatiotemporal distribution of plant tissues and growth forms but are agnostic toward food plant species identity. Empirical support for these models is variable, suggesting that additional mechanisms of resource partitioning may be important in sustaining large-herbivore diversity in African savannas. We used DNA metabarcoding to conduct a taxonomically explicit analysis of large-herbivore diets across southeastern Africa, analyzing ∼4,000 fecal samples of 30 species from 10 sites in seven countries over 6 y. We detected 893 food plant taxa from 124 families, but just two families-grasses and legumes-accounted for the majority of herbivore diets. Nonetheless, herbivore species almost invariably partitioned food plant taxa; diet composition differed significantly in 97% of pairwise comparisons between sympatric species, and dissimilarity was pronounced even between the strictest grazers (grass eaters), strictest browsers (nongrass eaters), and closest relatives at each site. Niche differentiation was weakest in an ecosystem recovering from catastrophic defaunation, indicating that food plant partitioning is driven by species interactions, and was stronger at low rainfall, as expected if interspecific competition is a predominant driver. Diets differed more between browsers than grazers, which predictably shaped community organization: Grazer-dominated trophic networks had higher nestedness and lower modularity. That dietary differentiation is structured along taxonomic lines complements prior work on how herbivores partition plant parts and patches and suggests that common mechanisms govern herbivore coexistence and community assembly in savannas.
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32
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Hering R, Hauptfleisch M, Jago M, Smith T, Kramer-Schadt S, Stiegler J, Blaum N. Don't stop me now: Managed fence gaps could allow migratory ungulates to track dynamic resources and reduce fence related energy loss. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.907079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
In semi-arid environments characterized by erratic rainfall and scattered primary production, migratory movements are a key survival strategy of large herbivores to track resources over vast areas. Veterinary Cordon Fences (VCFs), intended to reduce wildlife-livestock disease transmission, fragment large parts of southern Africa and have limited the movements of large wild mammals for over 60 years. Consequently, wildlife-fence interactions are frequent and often result in perforations of the fence, mainly caused by elephants. Yet, we lack knowledge about at which times fences act as barriers, how fences directly alter the energy expenditure of native herbivores, and what the consequences of impermeability are. We studied 2-year ungulate movements in three common antelopes (springbok, kudu, eland) across a perforated part of Namibia's VCF separating a wildlife reserve and Etosha National Park using GPS telemetry, accelerometer measurements, and satellite imagery. We identified 2905 fence interaction events which we used to evaluate critical times of encounters and direct fence effects on energy expenditure. Using vegetation type-specific greenness dynamics, we quantified what animals gained in terms of high quality food resources from crossing the VCF. Our results show that the perforation of the VCF sustains herbivore-vegetation interactions in the savanna with its scattered resources. Fence permeability led to peaks in crossing numbers during the first flush of woody plants before the rain started. Kudu and eland often showed increased energy expenditure when crossing the fence. Energy expenditure was lowered during the frequent interactions of ungulates standing at the fence. We found no alteration of energy expenditure when springbok immediately found and crossed fence breaches. Our results indicate that constantly open gaps did not affect energy expenditure, while gaps with obstacles increased motion. Closing gaps may have confused ungulates and modified their intended movements. While browsing, sedentary kudu's use of space was less affected by the VCF; migratory, mixed-feeding springbok, and eland benefited from gaps by gaining forage quality and quantity after crossing. This highlights the importance of access to vast areas to allow ungulates to track vital vegetation patches.
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Rapid Eocene diversification of spiny plants in subtropical woodlands of central Tibet. Nat Commun 2022; 13:3787. [PMID: 35778378 PMCID: PMC9249787 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-31512-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2021] [Accepted: 06/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Spinescence is an important functional trait possessed by many plant species for physical defence against mammalian herbivores. The development of spinescence must have been closely associated with both biotic and abiotic factors in the geological past, but knowledge of spinescence evolution suffers from a dearth of fossil records, with most studies focusing on spatial patterns and spinescence-herbivore interactions in modern ecosystems. Numerous well-preserved Eocene (~39 Ma) plant fossils exhibiting seven different spine morphologies discovered recently in the central Tibetan Plateau, combined with molecular phylogenetic character reconstruction, point not only to the presence of a diversity of spiny plants in Eocene central Tibet but a rapid diversification of spiny plants in Eurasia around that time. These spiny plants occupied an open woodland landscape, indicated by numerous megafossils and grass phytoliths found in the same deposits, as well as numerical climate and vegetation modelling. Our study shows that regional aridification and expansion of herbivorous mammals may have driven the diversification of functional spinescence in central Tibetan woodlands, ~24 million years earlier than similar transformations in Africa. Spines are an important physical defense for many plant species. Here, the authors describe seven different spine morphologies from the Eocene of central Tibet associated with regional aridification and expansion of herbivorous mammals.
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Gosling WD, Miller CS, Shanahan TM, Holden PB, Overpeck JT, van Langevelde F. A stronger role for long-term moisture change than for CO 2 in determining tropical woody vegetation change. Science 2022; 376:653-656. [PMID: 35511966 DOI: 10.1126/science.abg4618] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Anthropogenically elevated CO2 (eCO2) concentrations have been suggested to increase woody cover within tropical ecosystems through fertilization. The effect of eCO2 is built into Earth system models, although testing the relationship over long periods remains challenging. Here, we explore the relative importance of six drivers of vegetation change in western Africa over the past ~500,000 years (moisture availability, fire activity, mammalian herbivore density, temperature, temperature seasonality, CO2) by coupling past environmental change data from Lake Bosumtwi (Ghana) with global data. We found that moisture availability and fire activity were the most important factors in determining woody cover, whereas the effect of CO2 was small. Our findings suggest that the role of eCO2 effects on tropical vegetation in predictive models must be reconsidered.
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Affiliation(s)
- William D Gosling
- Institute for Biodiversity & Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | | | - Timothy M Shanahan
- Department of Geological Sciences, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Philip B Holden
- School of Environment, Earth & Ecosystem Sciences, The Open University, Milton Keynes, UK
| | - Jonathan T Overpeck
- School for Environment & Sustainability, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Frank van Langevelde
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, Netherlands.,School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
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35
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Kerby JT, Krivak-Tetley FE, Shikesho SD, Bolger DT. Livestock impacts on an iconic Namib Desert plant are mediated by abiotic conditions. Oecologia 2022; 199:229-242. [PMID: 35524862 PMCID: PMC9120118 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-022-05177-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2021] [Accepted: 03/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Resolving the relative contributions of top-down versus bottom-up drivers of vegetation dynamics is a major challenge in drylands. In the coming decades, growing livestock populations and shifts in water availability will simultaneously impact many arid systems, but a lack of empirical data on plant responses to these pressures limits understanding of how plants will respond. Here, we combine ground and drone observations from an herbivore exclosure experiment to identify ungulate visitation patterns and their impacts on the cover and melon production of !nara (Acanthosicyos horridus), a large, long-lived desert plant in the hyper-arid Namib Desert. !Nara are of key ecological, social, and economic importance to Namib ecosystems and to the local Topnaar people. At our study site, we find that among native and domestic herbivores, free-ranging donkeys have the largest impact on !nara cover and melon production. !Nara cover was negatively affected by herbivores close to the desert-ephemeral river ecotone during a dry period, whereas !nara cover increased on all plants across the landscape during a wetter period, regardless of herbivore access. !Nara near the river channel and those protected from herbivores had more mature melons, particularly during the wetter period. At this site, the potential for conflict between Topnaar !nara melon harvesting and pastoral practices varies with a plant's distance from the river and prevailing abiotic conditions. This work advances monitoring approaches and adds empirical support to the understanding that top-down and bottom-up regulation of plant dynamics varies with spatiotemporal context, even within landscapes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey T Kerby
- Aarhus Institute of Advanced Studies, Aarhus University, Høegh-Guldbergs Gade 6B, 8000, Aarhus C, Denmark.
- Department of Environmental Studies, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, 03755, USA.
| | - Flora E Krivak-Tetley
- Department of Environmental Studies, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, 03755, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, 03755, USA
| | - Saima D Shikesho
- Gobabeb-Namib Research Institute, Namib Naukluft Park, Namibia
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Douglas T Bolger
- Department of Environmental Studies, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, 03755, USA
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Donaldson JE, Holdo R, Sarakikya J, Anderson TM. Fire, grazers, and browsers interact with grass competition to determine tree establishment in an African savanna. Ecology 2022; 103:e3715. [PMID: 35388482 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3715] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2021] [Accepted: 02/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
In savanna ecosystems, fire and herbivory alter the competitive relationship between trees and grasses. Mechanistically, grazing herbivores favor trees by removing grass, which reduces tree-grass competition and limits fire. Conversely, browsing herbivores consume trees and limit their recovery from fire. Herbivore feeding decisions are in turn shaped by risk-resource trade-offs that potentially determine the spatial patterns of herbivory. Identifying the dominant mechanistic pathways by which fire and herbivores control tree cover remains challenging, but is essential for understanding savanna dynamics. We used an experiment in the Serengeti ecosystem and a simple simulation driven by experimental results to address two main aims: (1) determine the importance of direct and indirect effects of grass, fire and herbivory on seedling establishment; and (2) establish whether predators determine the spatial pattern of successful seedling establishment via effects on mesoherbivore distribution. We transplanted tree seedlings into plots with a factorial combination of grass and herbivores (present/absent) across a lion kill-risk gradient in the Serengeti, burning half of the plots near the end of the experiment. Ungrazed grass limited tree seedling survival directly via competition, indirectly via fire, and by slowing seedling growth, which drove higher seedling mortality during fires. These effects restricted seedling establishment to below 18% and, in conjunction with browsing, resulted in seedling establishment dropping below 5%. In the absence of browsing and fire, grazing drove a 7.5-fold increase in seedling establishment. Lion predation risk had no observable impact on herbivore effects on seedling establishment. The severe negative effects of grass on seedling mortality suggests that regional patterns of tree cover and fire may overestimate the role of fire in limiting tree cover, with regular fires representing a proxy for the competitive effects of grass.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ricardo Holdo
- Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
| | | | - T Michael Anderson
- Department of Biology, Wake Forest University, Winston Salem, North Carolina, USA
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A nonanalog Pliocene ungulate community at Laetoli with implications for the paleoecology of Australopithecus afarensis. J Hum Evol 2022; 167:103182. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2022.103182] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2021] [Revised: 02/28/2022] [Accepted: 03/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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Dantas VL, Pausas JG. The legacy of the extinct Neotropical megafauna on plants and biomes. Nat Commun 2022; 13:129. [PMID: 35013233 PMCID: PMC8748933 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-27749-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2020] [Accepted: 12/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Large mammal herbivores are important drivers of plant evolution and vegetation patterns, but the extent to which plant trait and ecosystem geography currently reflect the historical distribution of extinct megafauna is unknown. We address this question for South and Central America (Neotropical biogeographic realm) by compiling data on plant defence traits, climate, soil, and fire, as well as on the historical distribution of extinct megafauna and extant mammal herbivores. We show that historical mammal herbivory, especially by extinct megafauna, and soil fertility explain substantial variability in wood density, leaf size, spines and latex. We also identified three distinct regions (''antiherbiomes''), differing in plant defences, environmental conditions, and megafauna history. These patterns largely matched those observed in African ecosystems, where abundant megafauna still roams, and suggest that some ecoregions experienced savanna-to-forest shifts following megafauna extinctions. Here, we show that extinct megafauna left a significant imprint on current ecosystem biogeography.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vinicius L Dantas
- Institute of Geography, Federal University of Uberlandia (UFU), Av. João Naves de Avila, 2121, Uberlandia, 38400-902, MG, Brazil.
| | - Juli G Pausas
- Centro de Investigaciones sobre Desertificación, Spanish National Research Council (CIDE-CSIC), Ctra. Naquera Km. 4.5 (IVIA), Montcada, 46113, Valencia, Spain
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39
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Abraham JO, Hempson GP, Faith JT, Staver AC. Seasonal strategies differ between tropical and extratropical herbivores. J Anim Ecol 2021; 91:681-692. [PMID: 34921402 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13651] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2021] [Accepted: 12/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Seasonal diet shifts and migration are key components of large herbivore population dynamics, but we lack a systematic understanding of how these behaviors are distributed on a macroecological scale. The prevalence of seasonal strategies is likely related to herbivore body size and feeding guild, and may also be influenced by properties of the environment, such as soil nutrient availability and climate seasonality. We evaluated the distribution of seasonal dietary shifts and migration across large-bodied mammalian herbivores and determined how these behaviors related to diet, body size, and environment. We found that herbivore strategies were consistently correlated with their traits: seasonal diet shifts were most prevalent among mixed feeding herbivores and migration among grazers and larger herbivores. Seasonality also played a role, particularly for migration, which was more common at higher latitudes. Both dietary shifts and migration were more widespread among extratropical herbivores, which also exhibited more intermediate diets and body sizes. Our findings suggest that strong seasonality in extratropical systems imposes pressure on herbivores, necessitating widespread behavioral responses to navigate seasonal resource bottlenecks. It follows that tropical and extratropical herbivores may have divergent responses to global change, with intensifying herbivore pressure in extratropical systems contrasting with diminishing herbivore pressure in tropical systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joel O Abraham
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Gareth P Hempson
- Centre for African Ecology, School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Wits, 2050, South Africa
| | - J Tyler Faith
- Natural History Museum of Utah, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.,Department of Anthropology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.,Origins Centre, University of the Witwatersrand, Braamfontein, 2000, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - A Carla Staver
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
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40
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Cheng L, Lu N, Wang M, Fu B, Xu Z. Alternative biome states of African terrestrial vegetation and the potential drivers: A continental-scale study. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 800:149489. [PMID: 34426302 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.149489] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2021] [Revised: 08/01/2021] [Accepted: 08/02/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The alternative stable state (ASS) theory provides a plausible framework to explain the spatial distribution of biomes and their dynamics. Existing studies to test the alternative biome states (ABSs) mainly focused on tree-dominated biomes. It is still uncertain whether ABSs are present in a wide range of terrestrial biomes. This study was to examine the ABSs in the terrestrial vegetated areas of Africa and the maintaining factors. The potential landscapes were reconstructed separately for forest, grassland and shrubland using the MODIS Vegetation Continuous Field data along the gradients of temperature, precipitation and aridity index (AI, the ratio of precipitation to potential evapotranspiration). The differences of soil organic carbon density (SOCD), fire count and grazing intensity were compared to test the feedback hypothesis to maintain the ABSs. The results showed that AI performed well in detecting the ABSs at the continental scale of Africa. Forest (at the wetter end) and shrubland (at the drier end) were well separated along the AI axis. Forest had three stable states (i.e. closed forest, woody savanna, and savanna) and shrubland had two stable states (i.e. closed shrubland and open shrubland). Grassland had two stable states (i.e. dense grassland and sparse grassland) distributing in a large AI range. The stable states that shared a specific AI range were regarded as the ABSs. Climate aridity greatly determined the distribution of the ABSs but the positive feedbacks between vegetation and SOCD, fire count, and livestock density played potential roles in driving the shifts between the ABSs. Our study indicated that the ABSs commonly existed in varied biomes (both tree-dominated and non-tree-dominated) in the African continent, which provided an enlarged picture of the ABSs of the terrestrial biomes. The findings contribute to a deeper understanding of large scale vegetation patterns and their dynamics and facilitate to macro management of the terrestrial ecosystems in facing the possible regime shifts of the biomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linhai Cheng
- State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China; Environmental Futures Research Institute, School of Environment and Science, Griffith University, Nathan, QLD 4111, Australia
| | - Nan Lu
- State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
| | - Mengyu Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Bojie Fu
- State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Zhihong Xu
- Environmental Futures Research Institute, School of Environment and Science, Griffith University, Nathan, QLD 4111, Australia
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41
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Karp AT, Faith JT, Marlon JR, Staver AC. Global response of fire activity to late Quaternary grazer extinctions. Science 2021; 374:1145-1148. [PMID: 34822271 DOI: 10.1126/science.abj1580] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
[Figure: see text].
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Affiliation(s)
- Allison T Karp
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - J Tyler Faith
- Natural History Museum of Utah, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.,Department of Anthropology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.,Origins Centre, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | | | - A Carla Staver
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.,Yale Institute for Biospheric Studies, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
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42
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Siewert MB, Olofsson J. UAV reveals substantial but heterogeneous effects of herbivores on Arctic vegetation. Sci Rep 2021; 11:19468. [PMID: 34593844 PMCID: PMC8484448 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-98497-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2021] [Accepted: 09/06/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Understanding how herbivores shape plant biomass and distribution is a core challenge in ecology. Yet, the lack of suitable remote sensing technology limits our knowledge of temporal and spatial impacts of mammal herbivores in the Earth system. The regular interannual density fluctuations of voles and lemmings are exceptional with their large reduction of plant biomass in Arctic landscapes during peak years (12-24%) as previously shown at large spatial scales using satellites. This provides evidence that herbivores are important drivers of observed global changes in vegetation productivity. Here, we use a novel approach with repeated unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) flights, to map vegetation impact by rodents, indicating that many important aspects of vegetation dynamics otherwise hidden by the coarse resolution of satellite images, including plant-herbivore interactions, can be revealed using UAVs. We quantify areas impacted by rodents at four complex Arctic landscapes with very high spatial resolution UAV imagery to get a new perspective on how herbivores shape Arctic ecosystems. The area impacted by voles and lemmings is indeed substantial, larger at higher altitude tundra environments, varies between habitats depending on local snow cover and plant community composition, and is heterogeneous even within habitats at submeter scales. Coupling this with spectral reflectance of vegetation (NDVI), we can show that the impact on central ecosystem properties like GPP and biomass is stronger than currently accounted for in Arctic ecosystems. As an emerging technology, UAVs will allow us to better disentangle important information on how herbivores maintain spatial heterogeneity, function and diversity in natural ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthias B. Siewert
- grid.12650.300000 0001 1034 3451Department of Ecology and Environmental Science, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Johan Olofsson
- grid.12650.300000 0001 1034 3451Department of Ecology and Environmental Science, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
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43
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Hasselerharm CD, Yanco E, McManus JS, Smuts BH, Ramp D. Wildlife-friendly farming recouples grazing regimes to stimulate recovery in semi-arid rangelands. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 788:147602. [PMID: 34029808 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.147602] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2021] [Revised: 05/04/2021] [Accepted: 05/04/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
While rangeland ecosystems are globally important for livestock production, they also support diverse wildlife assemblages and are crucial for biodiversity conservation. As rangelands around the world have become increasingly degraded and fragmented, rethinking farming practice in these landscapes is vital for achieving conservation goals, rangeland recovery, and food security. An example is reinstating livestock shepherding, which aims to recouple grazing regimes to vegetation conditioned to semi-arid climates and improve productivity by reducing overgrazing and rewiring past ecological functions. Tracking the large-scale ecosystem responses to shifts in land management in such sparsely vegetated environments have so far proven elusive. Therefore, our goal was to develop a remote tracking method capable of detecting vegetation changes and environmental responses on rangeland farms engaging in contrasting farming practices in South Africa: wildlife friendly farming (WFF) implementing livestock shepherding with wildlife protection, or rotational grazing livestock farming with wildlife removal. To do so, we ground-truthed Sentinel-2 satellite imagery using drone imagery and machine learning methods to trace historical vegetation change on four farms over a four-year period. First, we successfully classified land cover maps cover using drone footage and modelled vegetation cover using satellite vegetation indices, achieving 93.4% accuracy (к = 0.901) and an r-squared of 0.862 (RMSE = 0.058) respectively. We then used this model to compare the WFF farm to three neighbouring rotational grazing farms, finding that satellite-derived vegetation productivity was greater and responded more strongly to rainfall events on the WFF farm. Furthermore, vegetation cover and grass cover, patch size, and aggregation were greater on the WFF farm when classified using drone data. Overall, we found that remotely assessing regional environmental benefits from contrasting farming practices in rangeland ecosystems could aid further adoption of wildlife-friendly practices and help to assess the generality of this case study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chris D Hasselerharm
- Centre for Compassionate Conservation, School of Life Sciences, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo 2007, NSW, Australia.
| | - Esty Yanco
- Centre for Compassionate Conservation, School of Life Sciences, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo 2007, NSW, Australia.
| | - Jeannine S McManus
- Research Department, Landmark Foundation, Riversdale, South Africa; Department of Biodiversity and Conservation Biology, University of the Western Cape, Robert Sobukwe Road, Cape Town 7535, South Africa.
| | - Bool H Smuts
- Research Department, Landmark Foundation, Riversdale, South Africa; Department of Biodiversity and Conservation Biology, University of the Western Cape, Robert Sobukwe Road, Cape Town 7535, South Africa.
| | - Daniel Ramp
- Centre for Compassionate Conservation, School of Life Sciences, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo 2007, NSW, Australia.
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44
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Iteba JO, Hein T, Singer GA, Masese FO. Livestock as vectors of organic matter and nutrient loading in aquatic ecosystems in African savannas. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0257076. [PMID: 34495982 PMCID: PMC8425544 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0257076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2020] [Accepted: 08/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Populations of large wildlife have declined in many landscapes around the world, and have been replaced or displaced by livestock. The consequences of these changes on the transfer of organic matter (OM) and nutrients from terrestrial to aquatic ecosystems are not well understood. We used behavioural data, excretion and egestion rates and C: N: P stoichiometry of dung and urine of zebu cattle, to develop a metabolism-based estimate of loading rates of OM (dung), C, N and P into the Mara River, Kenya. We also directly measured the deposition of OM and urine by cattle into the river during watering. Per head, zebu cattle excrete and/or egest 25.6 g dry matter (DM, 99.6 g wet mass; metabolism) - 27.7 g DM (direct input) of OM, 16.0-21.8 g C, 5.9-9.6 g N, and 0.3-0.5 g P per day into the river. To replace loading rates OM of an individual hippopotamus by cattle, around 100 individuals will be needed, but much less for different elements. In parts of the investigated sub-catchments loading rates by cattle were equivalent to or higher than that of the hippopotamus. The patterns of increased suspended materials and nutrients as a result of livestock activity fit into historical findings on nutrients concentrations, dissolved organic carbon and other variables in agricultural and livestock areas in the Mara River basin. Changing these patterns of carbon and nutrient transport and cycling are having significant effects on the structure and functioning of both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacob O. Iteba
- Department of Hydrobiology and Aquatic Ecosystem Management, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
- Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, University of Eldoret, Eldoret, Kenya
| | - Thomas Hein
- Department of Hydrobiology and Aquatic Ecosystem Management, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
- WasserCluster Lunz, Lunz am See, Austria
| | - Gabriel A. Singer
- Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB), Berlin, Germany
- Department of Ecology, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Frank O. Masese
- Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, University of Eldoret, Eldoret, Kenya
- Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB), Berlin, Germany
- Aquatic Science and Ecosystems Group, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Scottsville, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa
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45
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The rise and fall of proboscidean ecological diversity. Nat Ecol Evol 2021; 5:1266-1272. [PMID: 34211141 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-021-01498-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2021] [Accepted: 05/28/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Proboscideans were keystone Cenozoic megaherbivores and present a highly relevant case study to frame the timing and magnitude of recent megafauna extinctions against long-term macroevolutionary patterns. By surveying the entire proboscidean fossil history using model-based approaches, we show that the dramatic Miocene explosion of proboscidean functional diversity was triggered by their biogeographical expansion beyond Africa. Ecomorphological innovations drove niche differentiation; communities that accommodated several disparate proboscidean species in sympatry became commonplace. The first burst of extinctions took place in the late Miocene, approximately 7 million years ago (Ma). Importantly, this and subsequent extinction trends showed high ecomorphological selectivity and went hand in hand with palaeoclimate dynamics. The global extirpation of proboscideans began escalating from 3 Ma with further extinctions in Eurasia and then a dramatic increase in African extinctions at 2.4 Ma. Overhunting by humans may have served as a final double jeopardy in the late Pleistocene after climate-triggered extinction trends that began long before hominins evolved suitable hunting capabilities.
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46
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Lehmann CER, Solofondranohatra CL, Vorontsova MS. Beyond ancient versus anthropogenic for Madagascar's grassy ecosystems. A Reply to: Crowley et al. (2021). Proc Biol Sci 2021; 288:20210388. [PMID: 33978522 PMCID: PMC8115201 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2021.0388] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2021] [Accepted: 04/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Caroline E. R. Lehmann
- Tropical Diversity, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, UK
- School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, UK
| | - Cédrique L. Solofondranohatra
- Laboratoire de Botanique, Département de Biologie et Ecologie Végétales, Faculté des Sciences, Université d'Antananarivo, Madagascar
- Kew Madagascar Conservation Centre, Ambodivoanjo, Antananarivo, Madagascar
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47
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Barreto JR, Berenguer E, Ferreira J, Joly CA, Malhi Y, de Seixas MMM, Barlow J. Assessing invertebrate herbivory in human-modified tropical forest canopies. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:4012-4022. [PMID: 33976790 PMCID: PMC8093672 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.7295] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2020] [Revised: 01/14/2021] [Accepted: 01/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Studies on the effects of human-driven forest disturbance usually focus on either biodiversity or carbon dynamics but much less is known about ecosystem processes that span different trophic levels. Herbivory is a fundamental ecological process for ecosystem functioning, but it remains poorly quantified in human-modified tropical rainforests.Here, we present the results of the largest study to date on the impacts of human disturbances on herbivory. We quantified the incidence (percentage of leaves affected) and severity (the percentage of leaf area lost) of canopy insect herbivory caused by chewers, miners, and gall makers in leaves from 1,076 trees distributed across 20 undisturbed and human-modified forest plots in the Amazon.We found that chewers dominated herbivory incidence, yet were not a good predictor of the other forms of herbivory at either the stem or plot level. Chewing severity was higher in both logged and logged-and-burned primary forests when compared to undisturbed forests. We found no difference in herbivory severity between undisturbed primary forests and secondary forests. Despite evidence at the stem level, neither plot-level incidence nor severity of the three forms of herbivory responded to disturbance. Synthesis. Our large-scale study of canopy herbivory confirms that chewers dominate the herbivory signal in tropical forests, but that their influence on leaf area lost cannot predict the incidence or severity of other forms. We found only limited evidence suggesting that human disturbance affects the severity of leaf herbivory, with higher values in logged and logged-and-burned forests than undisturbed and secondary forests. Additionally, we found no effect of human disturbance on the incidence of leaf herbivory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Rodrigues Barreto
- Setor de Ecologia e ConservaçãoUniversidade Federal de LavrasLavrasBrazil
- Programa de Pós‐Graduação em Ecologia do Instituto de Biociências da USPUniversidade de São PauloSão PauloBrazil
| | - Erika Berenguer
- School of Geography and the EnvironmentEnvironmental Change InstituteUniversity of OxfordOxfordUK
- Lancaster Environment CentreLancaster UniversityLancasterUK
| | | | - Carlos A. Joly
- Departamento de Biologia VegetalInstituto de BiologiaUniversidade Estadual de CampinasCampinasBrazil
| | - Yadvinder Malhi
- School of Geography and the EnvironmentEnvironmental Change InstituteUniversity of OxfordOxfordUK
| | | | - Jos Barlow
- Setor de Ecologia e ConservaçãoUniversidade Federal de LavrasLavrasBrazil
- Lancaster Environment CentreLancaster UniversityLancasterUK
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48
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Abraham JO, Goldberg ER, Botha J, Staver AC. Heterogeneity in African savanna elephant distributions and their impacts on trees in Kruger National Park, South Africa. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:5624-5634. [PMID: 34026034 PMCID: PMC8131780 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.7465] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2021] [Revised: 03/01/2021] [Accepted: 03/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Though elephants are a major cause of savanna tree mortality and threaten vulnerable tree species, managing their impact remains difficult, in part because relatively little is known about how elephant impacts are distributed throughout space.This is exacerbated by uncertainty about what determines the distribution of elephants themselves, as well as whether the distribution of elephants is even informative for understanding the distribution of their impacts.To better understand the factors that underlie elephant impacts, we modeled elephant distributions and their damage to trees with respect to soil properties, water availability, and vegetation in Kruger National Park, South Africa, using structural equation modeling.We found that bull elephants and mixed herds differed markedly in their distributions, with bull elephants concentrating in sparsely treed basaltic sites close to artificial waterholes and mixed herds aggregating around permanent rivers, particularly in areas with little grass.Surprisingly, we also found that the distribution of elephant impacts, while highly heterogeneous, was largely unrelated to the distribution of elephants themselves, with damage concentrated instead in densely treed areas and particularly on basaltic soils.Results underscore the importance of surface water for elephants but suggest that elephant water dependence operates together with other landscape factors, particularly vegetation community composition and historical management interventions, to influence elephant distributions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joel O. Abraham
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyYale UniversityNew HavenCTUSA
- Present address:
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyPrinceton UniversityPrincetonNJUSA
| | - Emily R. Goldberg
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyYale UniversityNew HavenCTUSA
- Present address:
Department of Mechanical EngineeringUniversity of MinnesotaMinneapolisMNUSA
| | - Judith Botha
- Scientific ServicesKruger National ParkSkukuzaSouth Africa
| | - A. Carla Staver
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyYale UniversityNew HavenCTUSA
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49
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Bradshaw CJA, Norman K, Ulm S, Williams AN, Clarkson C, Chadœuf J, Lin SC, Jacobs Z, Roberts RG, Bird MI, Weyrich LS, Haberle SG, O'Connor S, Llamas B, Cohen TJ, Friedrich T, Veth P, Leavesley M, Saltré F. Stochastic models support rapid peopling of Late Pleistocene Sahul. Nat Commun 2021; 12:2440. [PMID: 33927195 PMCID: PMC8085232 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-21551-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2020] [Accepted: 02/02/2021] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
The peopling of Sahul (the combined continent of Australia and New Guinea) represents the earliest continental migration and settlement event of solely anatomically modern humans, but its patterns and ecological drivers remain largely conceptual in the current literature. We present an advanced stochastic-ecological model to test the relative support for scenarios describing where and when the first humans entered Sahul, and their most probable routes of early settlement. The model supports a dominant entry via the northwest Sahul Shelf first, potentially followed by a second entry through New Guinea, with initial entry most consistent with 50,000 or 75,000 years ago based on comparison with bias-corrected archaeological map layers. The model's emergent properties predict that peopling of the entire continent occurred rapidly across all ecological environments within 156-208 human generations (4368-5599 years) and at a plausible rate of 0.71-0.92 km year-1. More broadly, our methods and approaches can readily inform other global migration debates, with results supporting an exit of anatomically modern humans from Africa 63,000-90,000 years ago, and the peopling of Eurasia in as little as 12,000-15,000 years via inland routes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Corey J A Bradshaw
- Global Ecology, College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Adelaide, SA, Australia.
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, Wollongong, NSW, Australia.
| | - Kasih Norman
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, Wollongong, NSW, Australia
- Centre for Archaeological Science, School of Earth, Atmospheric and Life Sciences, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia
| | - Sean Ulm
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, Wollongong, NSW, Australia
- College of Arts, Society and Education, James Cook University, Cairns, QLD, Australia
| | - Alan N Williams
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, Wollongong, NSW, Australia
- Climate Change Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- EMM Consulting, St Leonards, NSW, Australia
| | - Chris Clarkson
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, Wollongong, NSW, Australia
- School of Social Science, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
- Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Jena, Germany
- Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia
| | - Joël Chadœuf
- UR 1052, French National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA), Montfavet, France
| | - Sam C Lin
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, Wollongong, NSW, Australia
- Centre for Archaeological Science, School of Earth, Atmospheric and Life Sciences, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia
| | - Zenobia Jacobs
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, Wollongong, NSW, Australia
- Centre for Archaeological Science, School of Earth, Atmospheric and Life Sciences, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia
| | - Richard G Roberts
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, Wollongong, NSW, Australia
- Centre for Archaeological Science, School of Earth, Atmospheric and Life Sciences, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia
| | - Michael I Bird
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, Wollongong, NSW, Australia
- College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Cairns, QLD, Australia
| | - Laura S Weyrich
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, Wollongong, NSW, Australia
- Department of Anthropology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Simon G Haberle
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, Wollongong, NSW, Australia
- Department of Archaeology and Natural History, School of Culture, History and Language, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
| | - Sue O'Connor
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, Wollongong, NSW, Australia
- Department of Archaeology and Natural History, School of Culture, History and Language, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
| | - Bastien Llamas
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, Wollongong, NSW, Australia
- School of Biological Sciences, Environment Institute, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, Australia
- National Centre for Indigenous Genomics, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
| | - Tim J Cohen
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, Wollongong, NSW, Australia
- Centre for Archaeological Science, School of Earth, Atmospheric and Life Sciences, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia
| | - Tobias Friedrich
- Department of Oceanography, School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology, University of Hawai'i at Manoa, Honolulu, Hawai'i, USA
| | - Peter Veth
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, Wollongong, NSW, Australia
- Archaeology and the Centre for Rock Art Research and Management M257, School of Social Sciences, University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, Australia
| | - Matthew Leavesley
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, Wollongong, NSW, Australia
- College of Arts, Society and Education, James Cook University, Cairns, QLD, Australia
- Department of Anthropology and Sociology, University of Papua New Guinea, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea
| | - Frédérik Saltré
- Global Ecology, College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Adelaide, SA, Australia
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, Wollongong, NSW, Australia
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Abraham AJ, Webster AB, Prys‐Jones TO, Roux E, Smith D, McFayden D, Jager PC, Clauss M, Doughty CE. Large predators can mitigate nutrient losses associated with off‐site removal of animals from a wildlife reserve. J Appl Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.13878] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Andrew J. Abraham
- School of Informatics Computing and Cyber Systems Northern Arizona University Flagstaff AZ USA
- School of Geography and the Environment Environmental Change InstituteUniversity of Oxford Oxford UK
| | - Andrea B. Webster
- Mammal Research Institute University of Pretoria Pretoria South Africa
| | - Tomos O. Prys‐Jones
- School of Informatics Computing and Cyber Systems Northern Arizona University Flagstaff AZ USA
| | - Elizabeth Roux
- School of Geography and the Environment Environmental Change InstituteUniversity of Oxford Oxford UK
- Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World (BIOCHANGE) Section of Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity Department of Biology Aarhus University Aarhus C Denmark
| | - Dylan Smith
- Tswalu Kalahari Reserve Tswalu Northern Cape South Africa
| | | | - Pieter C. Jager
- Department of Plant and Soil Sciences Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences University of Pretoria Pretoria South Africa
| | - Marcus Clauss
- Clinic for Zoo Animals Exotic Pets and Wildlife Vetsuisse Faculty University of Zurich Zurich Switzerland
| | - Christopher E. Doughty
- School of Informatics Computing and Cyber Systems Northern Arizona University Flagstaff AZ USA
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