1. Logging cuts the functional importance of invertebrates in tropical rainforest
- Author
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Edgar C. Turner, Roger L. Kitching, Effendi Y. Bakhtiar, Matthew J. Struebig, Richard G. Davies, Suzan Benedick, Nigel E. Stork, Sri V. Rao, Tom R. Bishop, Tom M. Fayle, Paul Eggleton, Kalsum M. Yusah, V. K. Chey, Joshua J. March, Adam C. Sharp, Arthur Y. C. Chung, Sarah H. Luke, Robert M. Ewers, Nichola S. Plowman, Jake L. Snaddon, Michael Boyle, Stephen R. Hardwick, Rahman Homathevi, Min Sheng Khoo, Marion Pfeifer, David Edwards, Rosalind A. Gleave, Henry Bernard, Reuben Nilus, Oliver R. Wearn, and Commission of the European Communities
- Subjects
0106 biological sciences ,010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences ,IMPACT ,Population Dynamics ,DIVERSITY ,Biodiversity ,General Physics and Astronomy ,01 natural sciences ,Trees ,Abundance (ecology) ,Tropical climate ,Trophic level ,Mammals ,Multidisciplinary ,Ecology ,Agroforestry ,Forestry ,Multidisciplinary Sciences ,Science & Technology - Other Topics ,DECOMPOSITION ,Conservation of Natural Resources ,Food Chain ,Rainforest ,CONSERVATION ,Biology ,010603 evolutionary biology ,General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology ,Article ,Amphibians ,Birds ,Species Specificity ,QH541 ,Animals ,Humans ,Ecosystem ,0105 earth and related environmental sciences ,Tropical Climate ,Science & Technology ,LAND-USE ,Plant Dispersal ,LEAF-AREA INDEX ,Malaysia ,General Chemistry ,RESILIENCE ,15. Life on land ,OIL PALM PLANTATION ,Invertebrates ,CONVERSION ,Seed predation ,Tropical rainforest - Abstract
Invertebrates are dominant species in primary tropical rainforests, where their abundance and diversity contributes to the functioning and resilience of these globally important ecosystems. However, more than one-third of tropical forests have been logged, with dramatic impacts on rainforest biodiversity that may disrupt key ecosystem processes. We find that the contribution of invertebrates to three ecosystem processes operating at three trophic levels (litter decomposition, seed predation and removal, and invertebrate predation) is reduced by up to one-half following logging. These changes are associated with decreased abundance of key functional groups of termites, ants, beetles and earthworms, and an increase in the abundance of small mammals, amphibians and insectivorous birds in logged relative to primary forest. Our results suggest that ecosystem processes themselves have considerable resilience to logging, but the consistent decline of invertebrate functional importance is indicative of a human-induced shift in how these ecological processes operate in tropical rainforests., Invertebrates are key components in the ecological functioning of tropical forests. Here, Ewers et al. show that, compared to primary forest, logging halves the contribution of invertebrate species to several key ecosystem processes, including litter decomposition.
- Published
- 2015