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Restoring vegetation in degraded ecosystems is an increasingly common practice for promoting biodiversity and ecological function, but successful implementation is hampered by an incomplete understanding of the processes that limit restoration success. By synthesizing terrestrial and aquatic studies globally (2594 experimental tests from 610 articles), we reveal substantial herbivore control of vegetation under restoration. Herbivores at restoration sites reduced vegetation abundance more strongly (by 89%, on average) than those at relatively undegraded sites and suppressed, rather than fostered, plant diversity. These effects were particularly pronounced in regions with higher temperatures and lower precipitation. Excluding targeted herbivores temporarily or introducing their predators improved restoration by magnitudes similar to or greater than those achieved by managing plant competition or facilitation. Thus, managing herbivory is a promising strategy for enhancing vegetation restoration efforts.
Restoring vegetation in degraded ecosystems is an increasingly common practice for promoting biodiversity and ecological function, but successful implementation is hampered by an incomplete understanding of the processes that limit restoration success. By synthesizing terrestrial and aquatic studies globally (2594 experimental tests from 610 articles), we reveal substantial herbivore control of vegetation under restoration. Herbivores at restoration sites reduced vegetation abundance more strongly (by 89%, on average) than those at relatively undegraded sites and suppressed, rather than fostered, plant diversity. These effects were particularly pronounced in regions with higher temperatures and lower precipitation. Excluding targeted herbivores temporarily or introducing their predators improved restoration by magnitudes similar to or greater than those achieved by managing plant competition or facilitation. Thus, managing herbivory is a promising strategy for enhancing vegetation restoration efforts.
Although chronic disturbance is widely recognized as a main driver in the loss of diversity of tropical forests, their consequences in other attributes of the diversity such as functional dimensions still need to be clarified, especially in those traits associated with the dispersal process of plants. Here, we evaluated the effects of chronic disturbance on the community functional traits of a seasonally dry tropical forest, and their potential effects on the frugivores community. We characterized eight traits related to seed dispersal and calculated the community weight mean and functional diversity indices for trees and the whole woody community. We used generalized linear models to evaluate the effects of the disturbance on the community weight mean, functional diversity, and the abundance and diversity of fruits as resources for wildlife. Our results revealed that, the dominance of plants with costly fruiting species was reduced with disturbance. The functional richness and divergence were reduced with the disturbance, mainly in the qualitative traits. Finally, the availability of resources was slightly different between groups of dispersers, observing a general pattern of reduction in the availability and richness of fruits with the disturbance. Our results suggest that the changes in vegetation richness and abundance are not random but the result of filtering on traits related to dispersal costs and their subsequent ability to withstand environmental stress. The observed changes in vegetation have a direct effect on the availability of resources for frugivorous species, which in the medium term can generate a cascading effect on the ecosystem.
Although chronic disturbance is widely recognized as a main driver of biodiversity loss in tropical dry forests, their consequences beyond the taxonomic loss perspective (i.e the functional dimension of diversity) still need to be clarified, especially in those plant traits associated with dispersal. Here, we evaluated the effects of chronic disturbance on the functional diversity of a seasonally dry tropical forest, and their potential effects on the frugivores guild. We characterized eight plant traits related to seed dispersal and calculated the community weighted means and functional diversities for trees and the whole woody community. We used generalized linear models to evaluate the effects of the disturbance on these functional estimates in relation with the abundance and diversity of fruits as resources for wildlife. Our results revealed that, the dominance of plants with costly fruiting species was reduced with disturbance. Functional richness and divergence were reduced with the disturbance, mainly in the qualitative traits. Finally, the availability of resources was slightly different between groups of dispersers, observing a general pattern of reduction in the availability and richness of fruits with disturbance. Our results suggest that the changes in species richness and abundance are not random but the result of filtering on traits related to dispersal costs and their subsequent ability to withstand environmental stress. The observed changes in vegetation have a direct effect on the availability of resources for frugivorous species, which in the medium term can affect the woody species persistence and catalyze the woody species loss.
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