Linking abundances of the dung fungus <i><scp>S</scp>porormiella</i> to the density of bison: implications for assessing grazing by megaherbivores in palaeorecords

Gill, Jacquelyn L.; McLauchlan, Kendra K.; Skibbe, Adam M.; Goring, Simon; Zirbel, Chad R.; Williams, John W.

doi:10.1111/1365-2745.12130

Cited by 103 publications

(114 citation statements)

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“…Previous work links megafaunal population crashes with vegetation response and increased fire at Appleman Lake, IN (17,29); Silver Lake, OH (25); and in southeastern New York (Otisville, Binnewater Pond, Pawelski Farm) (36), using percentage decline of the dung-spore fungus Sporormiella (17,25,29,53,54) in palynological records as a proxy for local decline of megafauna, with recognition that the taphonomy of Sporormiella is not yet fully understood (24,53,55). Vegetation and fire response is consistent with climate change interacting with defaunation (17,29), but less so with climate change on its own (17,25,29).…”

Section: Significancementioning

confidence: 99%

“…With a few important exceptions (6,17,(24)(25)(26)(27)(28)(29), the major changes in vegetation and mammalian community structure that accompanied Quaternary extinctions have been interpreted as responses to changing climate (17-19, 21, 23, 25-27, 29-35). Here, we build on recent work of paleoecologists (17,25,28,29,32,36) and ecologists (1, 3-7, 9, 10, 15, 16, 37) who have been asking instead: Are the observed biotic responses consistent with megafauna loss, and if so, what does this loss imply for the future of ecosystems at risk for losing their megafauna today?…”

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confidence: 99%

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Variable impact of late-Quaternary megafaunal extinction in causing ecological state shifts in North and South America

Barnosky

Lindsey

Villavicencio

et al. 2015

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

115

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Loss of megafauna, an aspect of defaunation, can precipitate many ecological changes over short time scales. We examine whether megafauna loss can also explain features of lasting ecological state shifts that occurred as the Pleistocene gave way to the Holocene. We compare ecological impacts of late-Quaternary megafauna extinction in five American regions: southwestern Patagonia, the Pampas, northeastern United States, northwestern United States, and Beringia. We find that major ecological state shifts were consistent with expectations of defaunation in North American sites but not in South American ones. The differential responses highlight two factors necessary for defaunation to trigger lasting ecological state shifts discernable in the fossil record: (i) lost megafauna need to have been effective ecosystem engineers, like proboscideans; and (ii) historical contingencies must have provided the ecosystem with plant species likely to respond to megafaunal loss. These findings help in identifying modern ecosystems that are most at risk for disappearing should current pressures on the ecosystems' large animals continue and highlight the critical role of both individual species ecologies and ecosystem context in predicting the lasting impacts of defaunation currently underway. megafauna | extinction | Quaternary | North America | South America D efaunation is occurring at a rapid pace presently (1-3).Losses are particularly severe for megafauna (1) (considered here as animals with an average body size ≥44 kg), whose removal can trigger the following: changes in vegetation structure and species composition; reductions in environmental heterogeneity, species richness, evenness, seed dispersal, nutrient cycling and distribution, and ecosystem services; coextinction of dependent species; and increases in disease-transmitting organisms (1, 4-14) and fire frequency and/or intensity (15-17).Most work on defaunation has been in contemporary ecosystems. Much less is known about how it manifests over millennial time scales. A natural experiment to assess lasting effects of megafauna loss is provided by the extinctions of late-Quaternary megafauna in the Americas, part of global-scale ecological state shift (18), during which about half of the world's large-bodied mammal species (19,20) disappeared. In North America, ∼60 megafaunal species died out, with the youngest occurrences of dated species typically falling between ∼13,000 and 11,000 y ago (19). In South America, ∼66 species were lost over a longer time span (21-23).With a few important exceptions (6, 17, 24-29), the major changes in vegetation and mammalian community structure that accompanied Quaternary extinctions have been interpreted as responses to changing climate (17-19, 21, 23, 25-27, 29-35). Here, we build on recent work of paleoecologists (17,25,28,29,32,36) and ecologists (1, 3-7, 9, 10, 15, 16, 37) ApproachThe late-Quaternary impact of losing 70-80% of the megafauna genera in the Americas (19) would be expected to trigger biotic transitions that would b...

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Section: Significancementioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Variable impact of late-Quaternary megafaunal extinction in causing ecological state shifts in North and South America

Barnosky

Lindsey

Villavicencio

et al. 2015

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

115

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“…Despite the growing scientific literature regarding the role of Sporormiella in Quaternary sediments, very few studies have been conducted in modern settings to assess the reliability of the spores as a proxy for megafauna (Etienne et al 2012, Gill et al 2013, Raper & Bush 2009. Modern megafauna, such as cows, are analogs of Pleistocene megafauna that can be used to calibrate Sporormiella signatures in paleoecological studies.…”

Section: Spores Of Sporormiellamentioning

confidence: 99%

Sporormiella as a tool for detecting the presence of large herbivores in the Neotropics

et al. 2016

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The reliability of using the abundance of Sporormiella spores as a proxy for the presence and abundance of megaherbivores was tested in southern Brazil. Mud-water interface samples from nine lakes, in which cattle-use was categorized as high, medium, or low, were assayed for Sporormiella representation. The sampling design allowed an analysis of both the influence of the number of animals using the shoreline and the distance of the sampling site from the nearest shoreline. Sporormiella was found to be a reliable proxy for the presence of large livestock. The concentration and abundance of spores declined from the edge of the lake toward the center, with the strongest response being in sites with high livestock use. Consistent with prior studies in temperate regions, we find that Sporormiella spores are a useful proxy to study the extinction of Pleistocene megafauna or the arrival of European livestock in Neotropical landscapes. Keywords: Extinction, fossil pollen, lake sediment, livestock, Pleistocene Megafauna, Sporormiella spores. Resumo: A confiabilidade dos valores de Sporormiella como um proxy para estimar a presenc¸a e abundância de megaherbívoros foi testada na região sudeste do Brasil. Amostras superficiais de nove lagos, categorizados quanto a presenc¸a de gados em alto, médio e baixo uso do seu entorno foram coletadas para a análise de abundância de Sporormiella. O modelo amostral aplicado permitiu a interpretac¸ão tanto da influência do número de animais que usam a margem do lago quanto a distância da margem do lago sobre a quantidade de esporos encontrados. As análises indicam que esporos de Sporormiella é um excelente proxy para detectar a presenc¸a de grandes herbívoros. A concentrac¸ão e abundância de esporos reduz em direc¸ão ao centro do lago, o que fica mais evidente em locais com alto uso do entorno do lago por esses animais. Consistente com estudos realizados em regiões temperadas, nós concluímos que o uso de Sporormiella se mostra de grande valia para entender a extinc¸ão da megafauna do Pleistoceno como também a introduc¸ão de animais nas paisagens neotropicais.

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“…Intense herbivory, disturbance and competition could have increased the abundance of dung (and hence CFS) while reducing the flowering or abundance of grazing-resistant herbs (cf. Gill et al 2013;Hjelle 1998). This inference would benefit from further testing, including the potential influence of increased extralocal tree pollen on local pollen representation.…”

Section: Late Holocene Moorland Dynamicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Late Holocene regime shifts in moorland ecosystems: high resolution data from the Pennines, UK

Davies

2015

Veget Hist Archaeobot

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Abstract:Identifying critical shifts in ecosystems caused by human impacts has become a priority for understanding resilience to change and setting realistic management goals. Previous work suggests that many British blanket peats have suffered a loss of functional integrity over recent centuries, but it is unclear whether all moorland habitats are equally vulnerable. This study examines the relative sensitivity of four contrasting moorland communities to historic land-use changes and assesses whether these management pressures are pushing some moorlands beyond their Holocene range of variability. Late Holocene dynamics in the Peak District, northern England, were investigated using high-resolution pollen, fungal spore and charcoal data, and multivariate analyses. All sites show high Calluna values during the nineteenth century and converge on local Poaceae-dominance during the twentieth century. This involved a shift from gradual or cyclical variability and moderate changes in pollen abundance during preceding centuries, to rapid transitions between mono-dominant pollen assemblages and a functional shift to taxa with competitive traits; these are interpreted as a regime shift. Evidence for the recent recovery of dwarf-shrubs and Sphagnum is strong at one site, with slight evidence from two others, but disturbance could push the system back to grass-dominance. The deep blanket peat site may have crossed a threshold, leading to a persistent grass-dominated state. Studying regime shifts on decadal to centennial scales can help bridge the gap between ecology and palaeoecology by providing a robust basis for assessing vulnerability, setting restoration priorities and managing novel peatland states.Response to Reviewers: Revisions made to this submission:Updated Bennett reference -with current School name (the pollen catalogue gives the older Archaeology and Palaeoecology departmental name)Attached all figures in EPS format.Checked image resolution in Online resource 1: sufficient for viewing at >100% size. I have uploaded an amended file without 'track changes' which were inadvertently left in revision r2. Powered by Editorial Manager® and ProduXion Manager® from Aries Systems CorporationAccepted minor text amendments Powered by Editorial Manager® and ProduXion Manager® from Aries Systems Corporation ABSTRACTIdentifying critical shifts in ecosystems caused by human impacts has become a priority for understanding resilience to change and setting realistic management goals. Previous work suggests that many British blanket peats have suffered a loss of functional integrity over recent centuries, but it is unclear whether all moorland habitats are equally vulnerable. This study examines the relative sensitivity of four contrasting moorland communities to historic land-use changes and assesses whether these management pressures are pushing some moorlands beyond their Holocene range of variability. Late Holocene dynamics in the Peak District, northern England, were investigated using high-resolution pollen, fungal spore ...

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Linking abundances of the dung fungus Sporormiella to the density of bison: implications for assessing grazing by megaherbivores in palaeorecords

Cited by 103 publications

References 53 publications

Variable impact of late-Quaternary megafaunal extinction in causing ecological state shifts in North and South America

Variable impact of late-Quaternary megafaunal extinction in causing ecological state shifts in North and South America

Sporormiella as a tool for detecting the presence of large herbivores in the Neotropics

Late Holocene regime shifts in moorland ecosystems: high resolution data from the Pennines, UK

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