Quantifying the impacts of defaunation on natural forest regeneration in a global meta-analysis

The defaunation of vertebrates may disrupt forest functioning through the loss of plant-animal interactions, but impacts on forests remain unquantified. Here the authors show that seed dispersal is a key interaction and defaunation of primates and birds negatively impacts forest regeneration.

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Charlie J. Gardner, Jake E. Bicknell, William Baldwin-Cantello, Matthew J. Struebig, Zoe G. Davies
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Publishing Group 2019-10-01
Series:Nature Communications
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-12539-1
Description
Summary:The defaunation of vertebrates may disrupt forest functioning through the loss of plant-animal interactions, but impacts on forests remain unquantified. Here the authors show that seed dispersal is a key interaction and defaunation of primates and birds negatively impacts forest regeneration.
ISSN:2041-1723