Land-use changes lead to functional loss of terrestrial mammals in a Neotropical rainforest

Author(s)

Magioli, Marcelo ^{[1, 2, 3]} ; Micchi de Barros Ferraz, Katia Maria Paschoaletto ^[2] ; Chiarello, Adriano Garcia ^[4] ; Galetti, Mauro ^{[5, 6]} ; Freire Setz, Eleonore Zulnara ^[7] ; Paglia, Adriano Pereira ^[8] ; Abrego, Nerea ^[9] ; Ribeiro, Milton Cezar ^[10] ; Ovaskainen, Otso ^{[11, 12]}

Affiliation:Show less -

^[1] Inst Procarnivoros, Atibaia, SP - Brazil

^[2] Univ Sao Paulo, Dept Ciencias Florestais, Lab Ecol Manejo & Conservacao Fauna Silvestre LEM, Escola Super Agr Luiz de Queiroz ESALQ, Piracicaba, SP - Brazil

^[3] Ctr Nacl Pesquisa & Conservacao Mamiferos Carnivo, Inst Chico Mendes Conservacao Biodiversidade ICMB, Atibaia, SP - Brazil

^[4] Univ Sao Paulo, Fac Filosofia Ciencias & Letras, Dept Biol, Ribeirao Preto, SP - Brazil

^[5] Univ Miami, Dept Biol, Coral Gables, FL 33124 - USA

^[6] Univ Estadual Paulista Julio de Mesquita Filho UN, Inst Biociencias, Dept Ecol, Rio Claro, SP - Brazil

^[7] Univ Estadual Campinas, Dept Biol Anim, UNICAMP, Campinas, SP - Brazil

^[8] Univ Fed Minas Gerais UFMG, Inst Ciencias Biol, Dept Biol Geral, Belo Horizonte, MG - Brazil

^[9] Univ Helsinki, Dept Agr Sci, Helsinki - Finland

^[10] Univ Estadual Paulista Julio de Mesquita Filho UN, Inst Biol, Lab Ecol Espacial & Conservacao LEEC, Rio Claro, SP - Brazil

^[11] Norwegian Univ Sci & Technol, Ctr Biodivers Dynam, Dept Biol, N-7491 Trondheim - Norway

^[12] Univ Helsinki, Organismal & Evolutionary Biol Res Programme, POB 65, Helsinki 00014 - Finland

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: PERSPECTIVES IN ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION; v. 19, n. 2, p. 161-170, APR-JUN 2021.
• Web of Science Citations: 1

Abstract

Land-use changes are a main driver of modifications in tropical ecosystems, leading to the loss of species and ecological traits and affecting key ecological functions. Although much attention has been given to predict the effects of species loss on ecological processes, information on the large-scale effects of land-use changes over ecological functions is scarce. Here, we detected erosion in the prevalence of ecological functions performed by mammals in response to land-use changes in the Atlantic Forest of Brazil. By analyzing the loss of different ecological functions (vertebrate and invertebrate predation, seed dispersal, seed depredation, herbivory) performed by mammal assemblages in a deforestation gradient, we observed that vulnerable functions (performed by sensitive species, such as browsing, seed depredation, medium and large vertebrate predation) were positively related to patch size and forest cover and negatively related to anthropogenic cover. These relationships were reversed for persistent functions (performed by resilient species, such as grazing, small seed dispersal, small vertebrate and invertebrate predation). Vulnerable functions were virtually restricted to large forest remnants, while persistent functions were prevalent in human-modified landscapes. Disturbed forests are not necessarily empty of mammal species, but there is a substantial loss of ecological functions across most of the Atlantic Forest. Five out of ten ecological functions lose prevalence in small forest remnants. Nonetheless, these small remnants serve as refuges for the remaining biodiversity and are on the verge of the functional extinction of important processes. The erosion of ecological functions provided by mammals compromise the persistence of Atlantic Forest's biodiversity. (C) 2021 Associacao Brasileira de Ciencia Ecologica e Conservacao. Published by Elsevier B.V. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 14/09300-0 - Trophic ecology, functional diversity and occurrence of terrestrial mammals in the Atlantic Forest
• Grantee: Katia Maria Paschoaletto Micchi de Barros Ferraz
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• FAPESP's process: 16/19106-1 - Mammal occurrence and biological invasion in Cerrado remnants of agricultural landscapes
• Grantee: Adriano Garcia Chiarello
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• FAPESP's process: 14/10192-7 - Trophic ecology of carnivorous mammals of the Atlantic Forest: use of stable isotope and functional diversity for conservation
• Grantee: Marcelo Magioli
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate