Creation of forest edges has a global impact on forest vertebrates

Pfeifer, Marion; Lefebvre, Véronique; Peres, Carlos A.; Banks-Leite, Cristina; Wearn, Oliver R.; Marsh, Charles J.; Butchart, Stuart H. M.; Arroyo‐Rodríguez, Víctor; Barlow, Jos; Cerezo, Alexis; Cisneros, Laura M.; D’Cruze, Neil; Faria, Deborah; Hadley, Adam S.; Harris, Stephanie M.; Klingbeil, Brian T.; Kormann, Urs G.; Lens, Luc; Medina-Rangel, Guido Fabián; Morante‐Filho, José Carlos; Olivier, Pieter I.; Peters, Sandra L.; Pidgeon, Anna M.; Ribeiro, Danilo Bandini; Scherber, Christoph; Schneider‐Maunoury, Laure; Struebig, Matthew J.; Urbina‐Cardona, J. Nicolás; Watling, James I.; Willig, Michael R.; Wood, Eric M.; Ewers, Robert M.

doi:10.1038/nature24457

Cited by 378 publications

(349 citation statements)

References 111 publications

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“…, Pfeifer et al. ). Mammalian carnivore species (order Carnivora) vary widely in their sensitivity to habitat loss, degradation, and fragmentation (Crooks ), but most wild carnivores have experienced marked population declines worldwide (Ripple et al.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Use of agroecosystem matrix habitats by mammalian carnivores (Carnivora): a global‐scale analysis

et al. 2018

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Less than a quarter of Earth's terrestrial ecosystems remain intact. Protected areas (PAs) are far exceeded in area by natural habitats that have been transformed for agriculture, and PAs are too small to safeguard viable wildlife populations. It is therefore imperative to understand the use of agricultural matrix habitats by native wildlife. In this study we seek to understand how the world's mammalian carnivore species (order Carnivora) use agricultural land. We assessed relationships between agroecosystem type, carnivore species traits and conservation status, and carnivore occurrence at agricultural sites, investigated the prevalent human–carnivore conflicts in anthropogenic landscapes, and identified knowledge gaps. We reviewed 129 studies reporting agroecosystem use by native carnivores to understand which agroecosystem types are used by different species, and which factors may affect their occurrence in these habitats. We uncovered records of 97 wild and two domesticated carnivore species within 41 types of crop in temperate and tropical regions that we classified into four agroecosystem types (agroforestry, tree plantations, perennial cropland, and annual cropland). Non‐threatened carnivore species were more likely to use agricultural ecosystems than threatened species. Adult body mass, energetic trophic level, and locomotion mode were significant predictors of carnivore occupancy in agricultural lands. Our results depict a globally consistent pattern, in which the use of agroecosystem landscapes by mammalian carnivores is related to both species traits and habitat quality. We emphasise the rarity of threatened carnivore and apex predator species in agroecosystems, which strengthens the paramount importance of retaining native habitat within agricultural landscapes. Understanding the role of agricultural habitat matrices, the influence of management intensification, and the threshold areas of native habitats within anthropogenic landscapes are essential for prescribing ways to prevent further erosion of the world's carnivores in human‐modified landscapes.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Use of agroecosystem matrix habitats by mammalian carnivores (Carnivora): a global‐scale analysis

et al. 2018

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“…In this case, understanding species‐level responses was critical, as edge‐sensitive species tended to be the most threatened (Pfeifer et al. ), meaning forest fragmentation remains a conservation concern (Haddad et al. ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Species‐specific responses to habitat conversion across scales synergistically restructure Neotropical bird communities

Frishkoff

Karp

2019

Ecological Applications

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Ecologists are increasingly exploring methods for preserving biodiversity in agricultural landscapes. Yet because species vary in how they respond to habitat conversion, ecological communities in agriculture and more natural habitats are often distinct. Unpacking the heterogeneity in species responses to habitat conversion will be essential for predicting and mitigating community shifts. Here, we analyze two years of bird censuses at 150 sites across gradients of local land cover, landscape forest amount and configuration, and regional precipitation in Costa Rica to holistically characterize species responses to habitat conversion. Specifically, we used Poisson‐binomial mixture models to (1) delineate groups of species that respond similarly to environmental gradients, (2) explore the relative importance of local vs. landscape‐level habitat conversion, and (3) determine how landscape context influences species’ local habitat preferences. We found that species fell into six groups: habitat generalists, abundant and rare forest specialists, and three groups of agricultural specialists that differed in their responses to landscape forest cover, fragmentation, and regional precipitation. Birds were most sensitive to local forest cover, but responses were contingent on landscape context. Specifically, forest specialists benefitted most when local forest cover increased in forested landscapes, while habitat generalists exhibited compensatory dynamics, peaking at sites with either local or landscape‐level forest, but not both. Our study demonstrates that species responses to habitat conversion are complex but predictable. Characterizing species‐level responses to environmental gradients represents a viable approach for forecasting the winners and losers of global change and designing interventions to minimize the ongoing restructuring of Earth's biota.

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“…For example, large and thick‐skinned species such as the Cane Toad ( Rhinella horribilis ), southern Gulf Coast Toad ( Incilius valliceps ), and the Veined Tree Frog ( Trachycephalus typhonius ; FG6; Supporting Information Table ) are associated with open and disturbed areas. While small, thin‐skinned and direct‐developing species such as craugastorids (FG9) and plethodontids (FG3; Supporting Information Table ) are associated with closed canopies and humid sites (Campbell, ; Lee, ), as their desiccation and overheating tolerance increase with higher surface area‐to‐volume ratios (Pfeifer et al, ). Also, both families (FG) are strongly affiliated with old‐growth forests (Nowakowski et al, ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Species sorting and mass effect along forest succession: Evidence from taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic diversity of amphibian communities

Hernández‐Ordóñez

Santos

Pyron

et al. 2019

Ecology and Evolution

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Species recovery after forest disturbance is a highly studied topic in the tropics, but considerable debate remains on the role of secondary forests as biodiversity repositories, especially regarding the functional and phylogenetic dimensions of biodiversity. Also, studies generally overlook how alpha and beta diversities interact to produce gamma diversity along successional gradients. We used a metacommunity approach to assess how species sorting (i.e., environmental filtering) and mass effect (i.e., source‐sink dynamics) affect 14 complementary metrics of amphibian taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic diversity along a successional gradient in southern Mexico. As amphibians have narrow environmental tolerances and low dispersal capabilities, we expected that species sorting may be relatively more important than mass effect in structuring amphibian communities. Between 2010 and 2012, we sampled frogs, salamanders, and caecilians in 23 communities distributed in four successional stages: young (2–5 years old) and intermediate (13–28 years old) secondary forests, old‐growth forest fragments, and old‐growth continuous forest. We assessed 15 ecologically relevant functional traits per species and used a time‐calibrated molecular phylogeny. We recorded 1,672 individuals belonging to 30 species and 11 families. Supporting our expectations from the species sorting perspective, from the poorest (younger forests) to the best quality (continuous forest) scenarios, we observed (a) an increase in alpha diversity regardless of species abundances; (b) a clear taxonomic segregation across successional stages; (c) an increase in functional richness and dispersion; (d) an increase in mean phylogenetic distance and nearest taxon index; and (e) a reduction in mean nearest taxon distance. However, 10 species occurred in all successional stages, resulting in relatively low beta diversity. This supports a mass effect, where interpatch migrations contribute to prevent local extinctions and increase compositional similarity at the regional scale. Our findings indicate that amphibian metacommunities along forest successional gradients are mainly structured by species sorting, but mass effects may also play a role if high levels of forest cover are conserved in the region. In fact, secondary forests and forest fragments can potentially safeguard different aspects of amphibian diversity, but their long‐term conservation value requires preventing additional deforestation.

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Creation of forest edges has a global impact on forest vertebrates

Cited by 378 publications

References 111 publications

Use of agroecosystem matrix habitats by mammalian carnivores (Carnivora): a global‐scale analysis

Use of agroecosystem matrix habitats by mammalian carnivores (Carnivora): a global‐scale analysis

Species‐specific responses to habitat conversion across scales synergistically restructure Neotropical bird communities

Species sorting and mass effect along forest succession: Evidence from taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic diversity of amphibian communities

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