Building ecological networks with local ecological knowledge in hyper‐diverse and logistically challenging ecosystems

Abstract

1. Collecting interaction data to build frugivory or seed dispersal networks is logistically challenging in ecosystems that have very high plant and animal diversity and/ or where fieldwork is difficult or dangerous. Consequently, the majority of available networks are from ecosystems with low species diversity or they represent a subset of the community.2. Here, we propose an approach applying local ecological knowledge (LEK) of indigenous communities to build quantitative interaction databases and networks that would otherwise be difficult to achieve with direct observations. Indigenous communities live in many hyper-diverse ecosystems and the people within these communities often have detailed knowledge of ecological processes. Working in a Sundaland biodiversity hotspot-Royal Belum State Park, PeninsularMalaysia-we used visually oriented interviews with indigenous people (Orang Asli, in the Jahai and Temiar ethnic subgroups), field data and published records to collate interactions, and their estimated frequency of occurrence, of animal fruit consumption and seed dispersal. 4. We documented 2,063 fruit consumption and 1,360 seed dispersal interactions among 164 plant species and 34 animal taxa, the latter representing groups of closely related species or individual species. The majority of the interactions (97%) were identified by the LEK interviews, with the additional methods (field data and published records) used to support and marginally expand the interview data. The metrics for the networks we built reflect those of networks structured by biological mechanisms, supporting the validity of our novel approach. 5. LEK is highly relevant for building detailed databases for ecological interactions in hyper-diverse and/or challenging ecosystems. Such ecosystems are among the most vulnerable on earth, harbouring ecological interactions that are often poorly documented at a community level. We show how LEK can broaden our knowledge of such sensitive ecosystems, but our approach is useful for any ecosystem in which people hold rich LEK. | 2043Methods in Ecology and Evoluঞon ONG et al.

The ability to disperse large seeds, rather than body mass alone, defines the importance of animals in a hyper‐diverse seed dispersal network

“…Our study identified the importance of the different seed dispersers in an almost intact community in a Sundaic rainforest using unconventional methods (Ong, Campos-Arceiz, Loke, et al, 2021), and is one of the first community-wide seed dispersal studies in this mega-diverse region (Kitamura et al, 2002). Nonetheless, there were several caveats.…”

“…Their livelihood generally involves the gathering of jungle roots, wild fruit and vegetables, harvesting of forest products such as rattans or resins, fishing, hunting arboreal and burrow-digging animals, small-scale farming of crops and rubber, and the rearing of livestock to sustain their needs (Lye, 2011;Or & Tang, 2011). They have a profound traditional ecological knowledge about the forest, with a discerning understanding of plant-animal interactions (Ong, Campos-Arceiz, Loke, et al, 2021).…”

“…These challenges can make even intensive long-term (multi-year) frugivory censuses and seed dispersal studies insufficient to generate a representative dataset (Howe, 2016). To overcome these challenges, we used an unconventional cross-disciplinary method to generate the interaction database (Ong, Campos-Arceiz, Loke, et al, 2021), collating frugivory and seed dispersal interactions primarily from local ecological knowledge (LEK). This was supplemented with evidence from field data, and published records.…”

“…Comparing answers from the seven interviews, we included an interaction in the network only if it was (a) identified in at least two LEK interviews, (b) identified in one interview and an additional data source containing consumption information or (c) unidentified by interviews, but supported with seed dispersal information in published literature, or field surveys. For details on the curation process, see Ong, Campos-Arceiz, Loke, et al (2021).…”

“…Correa et al, 2016;Donatti et al, 2011;Heleno et al, 2013), particularly those including large vertebrates (Vidal et al, 2013), hindering our understanding of the true importance of these animals across different ecosystems. This gap is caused primarily by the intrinsic challenges of studying interactions in hyper-diverse ecosystems, and the local or total extinction of large vertebrates from many modern ecosystems (Dugger et al, 2018;Ong, Campos-Arceiz, Loke, et al, 2021;Ripple et al, 2016).…”