Fragmented tropical forests lose mutualistic plant–animal interactions

Marjakangas, Emma‐Liina; Abrego, Nerea; Grøtan, Vidar; Lima, Renato A. F. de; Bello, Carolina; Bovendorp, Ricardo S.; Culot, Laurence; Hasui, Érica; Lima, Fernando; Muylaert, Renata L.; Niebuhr, Bernardo Brandão; Oliveira, Alexandre Adalardo de; Pereira, Lucas Augusto; Prado, Paulo Inácio; Stevens, Richard D.; Vancine, Maurício Humberto; Ribeiro, Milton Cézar; Galetti, Mauro; Ovaskainen, Otso

doi:10.1111/ddi.13010

Cited by 48 publications

(38 citation statements)

References 91 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Recruitment success can be influenced by compositional changes to dispersers and predators of seeds in fragments (Almeida‐Neto et al., 2008; Galetti & Dirzo, 2013; Markl et al., 2012; Menke et al., 2012; Paine & Beck, 2007), for example, loss of large‐bodied dispersers or increased abundance of rodents. Whether these processes create fitness differences or decrease stabilization remains uncertain (Marjakangas et al., 2020). Recent studies show that edge effects reduce diversity mediated by insect herbivores and fungal pathogens during early life stages (Krishnadas et al., 2018).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dispersal limitation and weaker stabilizing mechanisms mediate loss of diversity with edge effects in forest fragments

Krishnadas

Stump

2021

Journal of Ecology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Whether fragmented ecosystems can maintain diversity is a key ecological question. The ability of fragmented forests to support diversity is determined by both landscape‐scale metapopulation dynamics and within‐patch mechanisms that govern species coexistence. Within‐patch dynamics can be affected by proximity to forest edges. Edge effects on abiotic and biotic processes can alter species' performance and species interactions, but it is unclear how edge effects bear upon the long‐term ability of fragmented forests to maintain diversity. We apply modern coexistence theory as a framework to predict the impact of edge effects on species coexistence. Using field data for a tropical tree community, we parameterized a spatially explicit simulation model to quantify how habitat and density dependence during seedling establishment affect diversity of later life stages. We matched simulated future communities to observed patterns of diversity and community structure for established seedlings and adults, coupled with sensitivity analysis of simulated effects. We found that early recruitment dynamics contributed to community structure at older life stages, corroborating empirical work on the importance of early life‐stage dynamics for diversity. Edge effects reduced the diversity maintained in patches. The progressive loss of diversity was not due to changes in relative competitive ability (fitness differences), but due to weaker stabilization via density‐dependent seed mortality. Results were robust to wide changes in the absolute values of model parameters, suggesting that variation in the strength of individual processes did not change their relative importance for diversity. Synthesis. Weakening of stabilizing processes that promote species self‐limitation in ecological communities could compromise the ability of habitat fragments to maintain diversity. Quantifying the relative importance of intraspecific versus interspecific interactions—to assess stabilizing mechanisms and fitness differences—can help evaluate when habitat amount versus quality plays a larger role in maintaining diversity of fragments.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dispersal limitation and weaker stabilizing mechanisms mediate loss of diversity with edge effects in forest fragments

Krishnadas

Stump

2021

Journal of Ecology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Shifts in species interactions occur often during the forest fragmentation process and lead to cascade effects that often result in biodiversity reductions (e.g. Valiente-Benuet et al 2015;Marjakangas et al 2019). In general, the stability of ecological communities is caused by the integrity of species interactions (Okuyama & Holland, 2008).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…2015; Marjakangas et al . 2019). In general, the stability of ecological communities is caused by the integrity of species interactions (Okuyama & Holland, 2008).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Forests communities limited to small fragments usually present lower connectivity and suffer greater edge effects, increasing mortality and driving local extinctions (Laurance 2004;Lewis et al 2015). A progressive reduction in species richness due to a loss in quantity and quality of forest habitats can also disrupt species interactions, with gradual network simplification and biotic homogenisation (Lôbo et al 2011;Galiana et al 2018;Marjakangas et al 2019;Castaño et al 2019).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Reducing tree density affects interactions between trees and atmospheric Tillandsia species (Bromeliaceae)

Chaves

Rossatto

2020

Austral Ecology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Disruptions in species interactions derived from forest fragmentation are a major driver of biodiversity declines. Atmospheric bromeliads, a group of extreme epiphytes in the Tillandsia genus, often thrive in anthropogenic landscapes, spreading beyond their usual distribution. Here, we investigate how distinct tree densities affect the interactions between tree traits and patterns of atmospheric bromeliad host selection, abundance, functional composition, and canopy distribution. We measured a total of 3130 atmospheric bromeliads hosted on 140 of the 384 trees sampled and found a greater contribution of tree traits on their host selection and abundance at low tree density. We observed that distinct tree traits were significantly correlated to atmospheric bromeliad traits under low and high tree densities, with most correlations positive under low tree density and negative under high tree density. Additionally, the canopy distribution of individuals under high tree density was less scattered and slightly restricted to outer canopy layers. Shading levels seem to be a strong environmental filter on atmospheric bromeliad fitness, limiting their spread in forests with high tree densities; however, major reductions in tree density may allow atmospheric bromeliads to spread to other canopy layers and increase their abundance, mainly boosted by traits related to tree size. Our results suggest that reductions in tree densities of forests may alter ecological interactions among plants, which could lead to the spread of opportunistic species.

show abstract

“…However, while the regeneration of plant populations in fragmented forest depends on where seeds are deposited by birds (Spiegel and Nathan 2007;Lehouck et al 2009;Carlo et al 2013), sites must also be suitable for the early regeneration of plants (Puerta-Piñero et al 2012;Schupp et al 2017). Although many studies have highlighted the role of birds in seed removal and seed deposition in fragmented forests (Farwig et al 2017;Bomfim et al 2018;Marjakangas et al 2019), empirical evidence of the consequence of bird microhabitat use on seed germination in fragmented forests is lacking.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Importance of microhabitat selection by birds for the early recruitment of endangered trees in a fragmented forest

Wang

Cai

et al. 2020

Avian Res

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background Remnant microhabitats are important for bird habitat selection and plant regeneration in the fragmented habitat. However, empirical information on the consequences of how microhabitat use by birds affects the early recruitment of plants is lacking. Methods In this study, we evaluated whether microhabitat selection by the Black Bulbul (Hypsipetes leucocephalus) (J. F. Gmelin, 1789) impacts the early recruitment of the endangered tree species, the Chinese Yew (Taxus chinensis (Pilger) Rehd), in a fragmented forest over a 4-year period (2011–2012, 2018–2019). Results Our results showed the main factors affecting H. leucocephalus microhabitat selection were distance to the nearest T. chinensis mature tree, herb cover and density, leaf litter cover, and vegetation type. Moreover, the results of logistic regression also highlighted the importance of elevation, distance to light gap and roads, tree cover in bird microhabitat selection. Furthermore, the seed emergence rate in microhabitats used by birds did not differ from the natural forest, which was related to five factors of bird microhabitat. The Random Forest model showed that seedling emergence rate was increased with leaf litter cover and distance to fallen dead trees, but decreased in relation to herb cover, slope, and elevation. Conclusion Our results highlight the importance of remnant microhabitats in fragmented forests for sustaining forest ecology and optimal management. The contribution of microhabitats used by birds to plant recruitment provides insights into how frugivore species contribute to plant regeneration, which should be incorporated in future conservation and management practices of fragmented forests.

show abstract

Fragmented tropical forests lose mutualistic plant–animal interactions

Cited by 48 publications

References 91 publications

Dispersal limitation and weaker stabilizing mechanisms mediate loss of diversity with edge effects in forest fragments

Dispersal limitation and weaker stabilizing mechanisms mediate loss of diversity with edge effects in forest fragments

Reducing tree density affects interactions between trees and atmospheric Tillandsia species (Bromeliaceae)

Importance of microhabitat selection by birds for the early recruitment of endangered trees in a fragmented forest

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About