Quantification of population sizes of large herbivores and their long‐term functional role in ecosystems using dung fungal spores

Baker, Ambroise; Cornelissen, Perry; Bhagwat, Shonil A.; Vera, Fransciscus W. M.; Willis, Katherine J.

doi:10.1111/2041-210x.12580

Cited by 70 publications

(64 citation statements)

References 64 publications

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“…4,200–3,450 was mostly controlled by climate as discussed above, the increase in herbs together with a slight increase in coprophilous Sporormiella at 3,450 cal year bp suggests pastoral activities during this period that may have affected the range, structure, and composition of forests. Other coprophilous fungi as Sordaria , do not show marked changes (Figure ) though, indicating that some fungal spores might also have been contributed by wild ungulates (Baker, Cornelissen, Bhagwat, Vera, & Willis, ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Specifically, the opening of the forest and therefore of the canopy may have permitted long-distance pollen to become relatively more abundant (less pollen produced locally by trees) or alternatively to be deposited at the study site (lost pollen-filtering function of forests show marked changes ( Figure 5) though, indicating that some fungal spores might also have been contributed by wild ungulates (Baker, Cornelissen, Bhagwat, Vera, & Willis, 2016).…”

Section: Vegetation Responses To the Ngcmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Ice cave reveals environmental forcing of long‐term Pyrenean tree line dynamics

et al. 2018

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Tree lines are supposed to react sensitively to the current global change. However, the lack of a long‐term (millennial) perspective on tree line shifts in the Pyrenees prevents understanding the underlying ecosystem dynamics and processes. We combine multiproxy palaeoecological analyses (fossil pollen, spores, conifer stomata, plant macrofossils, and ordination) from an outstanding ice cave deposit located in the alpine belt c. 200 m above current tree line (Armeña‐A294 Ice Cave, 2,238 m a.s.l.), to assess for the first time in the Pyrenees, tree line dynamics, and ecosystem resilience to climate changes 5,700–2,200 (cal.) years ago. The tree line ecotone was located at the cave altitude from 5,700 to 4,650 cal year bp, when vegetation consisted of open Pinus uncinata Ramond ex DC and Betula spp. Woodlands and timberline were very close to the site. Subsequently, tree line slightly raised and timberline reached the ice cave altitude, exceeding its today's uppermost limit by c. 300–400 m during more than four centuries (4,650 and 4,200 cal year bp) at the end of the Holocene Thermal Maximum. After 4,200 cal year bp, alpine tundra communities dominated by Dryas octopetala L. expanded while tree line descended, most likely as a consequence of the Neoglacial cooling. Prehistoric livestock raising likely reinforced climate cooling impacts at 3,450–3,250 cal year bp. Finally, a tree line ecotone developed around the cave that was on its turn replaced by alpine communities during the past 2,000 years. Synthesis. The long‐term Pyrenean tree line ecotone sensitivity suggests that rising temperatures will trigger future P. uncinata and Betula expansions to higher elevations, replacing arctic–alpine plant species. Climate change is causing the rapid melting of the cave ice; rescue investigations would be urgently needed to exploit its unique ecological information.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Section: Vegetation Responses To the Ngcmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ice cave reveals environmental forcing of long‐term Pyrenean tree line dynamics

et al. 2018

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“…We collated published empirical data on large herbivore biomass from several published sources (Baker, Cornelissen, Bhagwat, Vera, & Willis, 2016; Coe et al, 1976; Hatton et al, 2015; Rodriguez et al, 2014) (please see original references therein) and from personal communication (see S1). We included biomass of migrating species and megaherbivores (i.e., herbivores >1000 kg, e.g., elephants, rhinos, and hippos) and areas denoted as wolf-exploited, thereby making some modifications to the sum of large herbivore biomass in Hatton et al (2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploring a natural baseline for large herbivore biomass

Fløjgaard

et al. 2020

Preprint

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The massive global losses of large mammals in the Pleistocene have triggered severe ecosystem changes including changed nutrient cycles, fire regimes and climate, shifts in biomes and loss of biodiversity. Large herbivores create and diversify resources and living space for other organisms and thereby play an important role in ecosystem functioning and biodiversity conservation. However, even today large herbivores are regulated, hunted and driven to extinction to a degree where intact large-herbivore communities are largely non-existent. Consequently, natural density and biomass of large-herbivores for restoration of ecosystems are poorly known. To address this knowledge gap, we apply the scaling pattern for consumer-producer relationships and show that the biomass of large herbivores in ecosystems across the world is considerably lower than expected from primary productivity. African ecosystems have the strongest consumer-producer relationship and assuming that African ecosystems approach a natural baseline, we use this relationship to predict large herbivore biomass in Europe as an example. Our findings indicate that restoring large herbivore biomass would entail increasing large herbivore biomass by orders of magnitude in most ecosystems, which potentially changes the perspective on large herbivores in conservation and restoration projects.

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“…Modern studies on the abundance of dung fungal spores (e.g. Gill et al 2013;Baker et al 2017) show the robustness of the dung fungal spore records. Much remains to be done in NPP research.…”

Section: Other Methodological and Conceptual Developmentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

One hundred years of Quaternary pollen analysis 1916–2016

Birks

Berglund

2017

Veget Hist Archaeobot

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We review the history of Quaternary pollen analysis from 1916 to the present-day, with particular emphasis on methodological and conceptual developments and on the early pioneers of the subject. The history is divided into three phases-the pioneer phase 1916-1950, the building phase 1951-1973, and the mature phase 1974-present-day. We also explore relevant studies prior to Lennart von Post's seminal lecture in 1916 in Kristiania (Oslo) in an attempt to trace how the idea of Quaternary pollen analysis with quantitative pollen counting and stratigraphical pollen diagrams developed. Keywords Concepts  Gunnar Erdtman  History  Human impact  Johs Iversen  Knut Faegri  Lennart von Post  Methods  Palaeoclimatology  Pioneer, building, and mature phases  Pioneers  Pollen-representation studies  Relative and radiocarbon dating  Quaternary geology  Quaternary pollen analysis  Taphonomy This paper is based in part on the lectures we gave at the Centenary (1916-2016) of Pollen Analysis and the Legacy of Lennart von Post held at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Stockholm on 24-25 November 2016. This meeting was generously supported by the Linnaeus University, the Swedish Research Council, the Swedish Research Council for Environment, Agricultural Sciences and Spatial Planning, the Wenner-Gren Foundation, and the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. We are very grateful to Marie-José Gaillard and Kevin J Edwards for the invitation to present our lectures; to Hilary Birks for many helpful discussions and invaluable practical assistance, to the late Svend Th.

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Quantification of population sizes of large herbivores and their long‐term functional role in ecosystems using dung fungal spores

Cited by 70 publications

References 64 publications

Ice cave reveals environmental forcing of long‐term Pyrenean tree line dynamics

Ice cave reveals environmental forcing of long‐term Pyrenean tree line dynamics

Exploring a natural baseline for large herbivore biomass

One hundred years of Quaternary pollen analysis 1916–2016

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