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

Charlie J. Gardner; Jake E. Bicknell; William Baldwin-Cantello; Matthew J. Struebig; Zoe G. Davies

doi:10.1038/s41467-019-12539-1

Nature Communications (Oct 2019)

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

Charlie J. Gardner,
Jake E. Bicknell,
William Baldwin-Cantello,
Matthew J. Struebig,
Zoe G. Davies

Affiliations

Charlie J. Gardner: Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology (DICE), School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent
Jake E. Bicknell: Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology (DICE), School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent
William Baldwin-Cantello: WWF UK, The Living Planet Centre
Matthew J. Struebig: Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology (DICE), School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent
Zoe G. Davies: Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology (DICE), School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-12539-1
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 10, no. 1
pp. 1 – 7

Abstract

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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.

Published in Nature Communications

ISSN: 2041-1723 (Online)
Publisher: Nature Portfolio
Country of publisher: United Kingdom
LCC subjects: Science
Website: https://www.nature.com/ncomms/

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