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Zhang P, Huang M, Chen C, Hu K, Ke J, Liu M, Xiao Y, Liu X. Contrasting roles of fungal and oomycete pathogens in mediating nitrogen addition and winter grazing effects on biomass. Ecology 2024; 105:e4254. [PMID: 38272568 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.4254] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2023] [Revised: 10/26/2023] [Accepted: 12/21/2023] [Indexed: 01/27/2024]
Abstract
Both bottom-up and top-down processes modulate plant communities. Fungal and oomycete pathogens are most common in global grasslands, and due to differences in their physiology, function, host range, and life cycles, they may differentially affect plants (in both intensity and direction). However, how fungal and oomycete pathogens regulate bottom-up and top-down effects on plant community biomass remains unclear. To this end, we conducted a 3-year field experiment in an alpine meadow incorporating mammalian herbivore exclosure, fungicide/oomyceticide application, and nitrogen addition treatments. We arranged 12 blocks with half randomly assigned to be mammalian herbivore exclosures (fenced to exclude grazing sheep), and the other half were fenced most of the year but not in winter (winter grazing control). Six 2.5 × 2.5 m square plots were established in each block, with each of the six plots assigned as control, nitrogen addition, fungicide application, oomyceticide application, nitrogen addition + fungicide application, and nitrogen addition + oomyceticide application. We found that fungicide application significantly increased plant community biomass (mainly Poaceae species) under nitrogen addition and promoted the bottom-up effect of nitrogen addition on plant community biomass by altering the community-weighted mean of plant height (via species turnover). Meanwhile, oomyceticide application significantly increased plant community biomass (mainly Poaceae species) when mammalian herbivores were excluded and weakened the top-down effect of winter grazing on plant community biomass by driving intraspecific variation in plant height. Our results highlight that fungal and oomycete pathogens play important (but differing) roles in mediating the effects of nutrient availability and higher trophic levels on plant community biomass. Mechanistically, we demonstrated that plant pathogen-related modulation of plant community biomass is achieved by alterations to plant height. Overall, this study combines both community and disease ecology to reveal complex interactions among higher trophic levels and their potential impacts on terrestrial ecosystem functioning under human disturbance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peng Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-Ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, P. R. China
| | - Mengjiao Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-Ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, P. R. China
| | - Chaorui Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-Ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, P. R. China
| | - Kui Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-Ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, P. R. China
| | - Junsheng Ke
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-Ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, P. R. China
| | - Mu Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-Ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, P. R. China
| | - Yao Xiao
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-Ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, P. R. China
| | - Xiang Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-Ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, P. R. China
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Bombaci SP, Innes J, Kelly D, Flaherty V, Pejchar L. Excluding mammalian predators increases bird densities and seed dispersal in fenced ecosanctuaries. Ecology 2021; 102:e03340. [PMID: 33709447 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3340] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2020] [Accepted: 01/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Islands are epicenters of animal extinctions and population declines. These losses exacerbate biodiversity loss and disrupt ecological services in areas of high endemism. Island defaunation is primarily driven by invasive mammalian predators, and mammal eradications are reversing population declines for some island species. Invasive mammal eradications may also have the capacity to restore ecological interactions, along with the recovery of island fauna. Here we show that invasive mammal eradication in fenced ecosanctuaries results in higher rates of bird foraging on fruit, and higher bird-mediated seed dispersal, than in similar forests without mammal eradication. We further show that higher foraging and seed dispersal is related to higher densities of native bird species, after accounting for natural variation in fruit availability. For the many other systems globally that are under threat from invasive mammals, New Zealand's fenced ecosanctuary model offers a promising tool for restoring biodiversity and ecosystem services.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara P Bombaci
- Department of Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, 80523, USA
| | - John Innes
- Manaaki Whenua, Landcare Research, Hamilton, New Zealand
| | - Dave Kelly
- Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, 8140, New Zealand
| | - Victoria Flaherty
- College of Veterinary Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, 43210, USA
| | - Liba Pejchar
- Department of Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, 80523, USA
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Morii Y, Kitazawa M, Squires TE, Watanabe M, Watanabe Y, Saito T, Yamazaki D, Uchida A, Machida Y. A complete dietary review of Japanese birds with special focus on molluscs. Sci Data 2021; 8:19. [PMID: 33473131 PMCID: PMC7817678 DOI: 10.1038/s41597-021-00800-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2020] [Accepted: 12/04/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Birds often hold important positions in the food webs of ecosystems. As a result, interactions between birds and their prey have attracted attention not only in ecology, but also in fields like agriculture and conservation. Avian food resources are well researched in Japan, however there is no database critically reviewing molluscs as a food resource for birds. Here, we present a new database reviewing dietary information for all Japanese bird species. In addition to addressing general diet categories and specific food habits for each bird, we include detailed data on the molluscan prey observed for all species that consume them. The information within this database was collected through intense literary review to provide a complete look at bird species historically present around the country. We also include new information on snail species found in the upper digestive tract of harvested wild birds. This database is publicly available in the Zenodo repository. The information should aid research around the Japanese archipelago, especially projects involving birds or molluscs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuta Morii
- The Hakubi Project, Kyoto University, Oiwakecho, Kitashirakawa, Sakyo-ward, Kyoto, 6068501, Japan.
- Laboratory of Animal Ecology, Department of Zoology, Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Oiwakecho, Kitashirakawa, Sakyo-ward, Kyoto, 6068502, Japan.
| | - Munehiro Kitazawa
- Graduate School of Agriculture, Hokkaido University, Nishi 9, Kita 9, Kita-ward, Sapporo, Hokkaido, 0608589, Japan
| | - Theodore E Squires
- Kenkyu Services, 12511 84th Ave NE, Kirkland, WA, 98034, United States of America
| | | | | | - Takumi Saito
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Toho University, Miyama 2-2-1, Funabashi, Chiba, 2748510, Japan
| | - Daishi Yamazaki
- Center for Northeast Asian Studies, Tohoku University, 41 Kawauchi, Aoba-ward, Sendai, Miyagi, 9808576, Japan
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Berger J, Wangchuk T, Briceño C, Vila A, Lambert JE. Disassembled Food Webs and Messy Projections: Modern Ungulate Communities in the Face of Unabating Human Population Growth. Front Ecol Evol 2020. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2020.00128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
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5
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Wang R, Zhang X, Shi YS, Li YY, Wu J, He F, Chen XY. Habitat fragmentation changes top-down and bottom-up controls of food webs. Ecology 2020; 101:e03062. [PMID: 32239497 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2019] [Accepted: 02/25/2020] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Top-down and bottom-up controls regulate the structure and stability of ecosystems, but their relative roles in terrestrial systems have been debated. Here we studied a hydro-inundated land-bridge system in subtropical China and tested the relative importance of these two controls in determining the rodent-mediated regeneration of a locally dominant tree species. Our results showed that both controls operated in terrestrial habitats and that their relative importance switched as habitat size changed. Habitat loss initially removed predators of rodents that released rodent populations and triggered massive seed predation (top-down control), leading to reduced seedling establishment. A further reduction in habitat size led to decrease in rodent population that was supposed to increase seedling survival of the tree species, but the decline in habitat size deteriorated the abiotic environments (bottom-up control) that severely prevented seedling recruitment. As the ongoing global land use change is creating increasing number of small-sized forest fragments, our findings provide novel insights into the restoration of seriously fragmented forests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rong Wang
- Zhejiang Tiantong Forest Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, School of Ecological and Environmental Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200241, China.,Shanghai Institute of Pollution Control and Ecological Security, Shanghai, 200092, China
| | - Xin Zhang
- Zhejiang Tiantong Forest Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, School of Ecological and Environmental Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200241, China
| | - Yi-Su Shi
- Zhejiang Tiantong Forest Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, School of Ecological and Environmental Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200241, China
| | - Yuan-Yuan Li
- Zhejiang Tiantong Forest Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, School of Ecological and Environmental Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200241, China
| | - Jianguo Wu
- School of Life Sciences & Global Institute of Sustainability, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, 85287-4501, USA
| | - Fangliang He
- Zhejiang Tiantong Forest Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, School of Ecological and Environmental Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200241, China.,Department of Renewable Resources, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2H1, Canada
| | - Xiao-Yong Chen
- Zhejiang Tiantong Forest Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, School of Ecological and Environmental Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200241, China.,Shanghai Institute of Pollution Control and Ecological Security, Shanghai, 200092, China
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Pejchar L. Introduced birds incompletely replace seed dispersal by a native frugivore. AOB PLANTS 2015; 7:plv072. [PMID: 26139183 PMCID: PMC4526755 DOI: 10.1093/aobpla/plv072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2015] [Accepted: 06/01/2015] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
The widespread loss of native species and the introduction of non-native species has important consequences for island ecosystems. Non-native species may or may not functionally replace the role of native species in ecological processes such as seed dispersal. Although the majority of Hawaii's native plants require bird-mediated seed dispersal, only one native frugivore, Omao (Myadestes obscurus), persists in sufficient numbers to fill this functional role. Omao are restricted to less than half their original range, but two introduced frugivores are abundant throughout Hawaii. Given large-scale extinctions on islands, it is important to understand whether introduced birds serve as functional replacements or whether the absence of native frugivores alters plant communities. To assess seed dispersal by native and introduced birds, seed rain, vegetation characteristics, bird diet, density and habitat use were measured at three sites with Omao and three sites without Omao on Hawaii Island. The diet of native and introduced birds overlapped substantially, but Omao dispersed a variety of native species (n = 6) relatively evenly. In contrast, introduced birds dispersed an invasive species and fewer native species (n = 4), and >90 % of seeds dispersed by introduced birds were from two ubiquitous small-seeded species. Seed rain was significantly greater and more species rich at sites with Omao. These findings suggest that patterns of seed dispersal are altered following the local extinction of a native island frugivore. To more directly evaluate the relative roles of native and introduced frugivores in ecological processes, future studies could include reintroducing Omao to a suitable habitat within its historic range, or novel introductions to nearby islands where closely related species are now extinct. In an era of widespread extinction and invasion of island ecosystems, understanding the consequences of novel animal assemblages for processes like seed dispersal will be critical for maintaining diverse and self-regenerating plant communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liba Pejchar
- Department of Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
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Caves EM, Jennings SB, HilleRisLambers J, Tewksbury JJ, Rogers HS. Natural experiment demonstrates that bird loss leads to cessation of dispersal of native seeds from intact to degraded forests. PLoS One 2013; 8:e65618. [PMID: 23741503 PMCID: PMC3669269 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0065618] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2013] [Accepted: 04/26/2013] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
In healthy forests, vertebrate frugivores move seeds from intact to degraded forests, aiding in the passive regeneration of degraded forests. Yet vertebrate frugivores are declining around the world, and little is known about the impact of this loss on regeneration of degraded areas. Here, we use a unique natural experiment to assess how complete vertebrate frugivore loss affects native seed rain in degraded forest. All native vertebrate frugivores (which were primarily avian frugivores) have been functionally extirpated from the island of Guam by the invasive brown tree snake (Boiga irregularis), whereas the nearby island of Saipan has a relatively intact vertebrate frugivore community. We captured seed rain along transects extending from intact into degraded forest and compared the species richness, density and condition of the seed rain from native bird-dispersed tree species between the two islands. Considering seeds from native bird-dispersed species, approximately 1.66 seeds landed per 26 days in each square meter of degraded forest on Saipan, whereas zero seeds landed per 26 days per square meter in degraded forest on Guam. Additionally, on Saipan, 69% of native bird-dispersed seeds in intact forest and 77% of seeds in degraded forest lacked fleshy fruit pulp, suggesting ingestion by birds, compared to 0% of all seeds on Guam. Our results show an absence of seed rain in degraded forests on Guam, correlated with the absence of birds, whereas on Saipan, frugivorous birds regularly disperse seeds into degraded forests, providing a mechanism for re-colonization by native plants. These results suggest that loss of frugivores will slow regeneration of degraded forests on Guam.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eleanor M. Caves
- Biology Department, Pomona College, Claremont, California, United States of America
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Summer B. Jennings
- Biology Department, Butte Community College, Oroville, California, United States of America
- Department of Biology, Southern Oregon University, Ashland, Oregon, United States of America
| | - Janneke HilleRisLambers
- Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Joshua J. Tewksbury
- Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Haldre S. Rogers
- Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Rice University, Houston, Texas, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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8
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Estes JA, Brashares JS, Power ME. Predicting and Detecting Reciprocity between Indirect Ecological Interactions and Evolution. Am Nat 2013; 181 Suppl 1:S76-99. [DOI: 10.1086/668120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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Martins DJ. Effect of parasitoids, seed-predators and ant-mutualists on fruiting success and germination ofAcacia drepanolobiumin Kenya. Afr J Ecol 2013. [DOI: 10.1111/aje.12067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Dino J. Martins
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology; Harvard University; 26 Oxford St. Cambridge MA 02138 U.S.A
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Rodríguez-Pérez J, Traveset A. Demographic consequences for a threatened plant after the loss of its only disperser. Habitat suitability buffers limited seed dispersal. OIKOS 2011. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0706.2011.19946.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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Maclean JE, Goheen JR, Doak DF, Palmer TM, Young TP. Cryptic herbivores mediate the strength and form of ungulate impacts on a long-lived savanna tree. Ecology 2011; 92:1626-36. [PMID: 21905429 DOI: 10.1890/10-2097.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Plant populations are regulated by a diverse array of herbivores that impose demographic filters throughout their life cycle. Few studies, however, simultaneously quantify the impacts of multiple herbivore guilds on the lifetime performance or population growth rate of plants. In African savannas, large ungulates (such as elephants) are widely regarded as important drivers of woody plant population dynamics, while the potential impacts of smaller, more cryptic herbivores (such as rodents) have largely been ignored. We combined a large-scale ungulate exclusion experiment with a five-year manipulation of rodent densities to quantify the impacts of three herbivore guilds (wild ungulates, domestic cattle, and rodents) on all life stages of a widespread savanna tree. We utilized demographic modeling to reveal the overall role of each guild in regulating tree population dynamics, and to elucidate the importance of different demographic hurdles in driving population growth under contrasting consumer communities. We found that wild ungulates dramatically reduced population growth, shifting the population trajectory from increase to decline, but that the mechanisms driving these effects were strongly mediated by rodents. The impact of wild ungulates on population growth was predominantly driven by their negative effect on tree reproduction when rodents were excluded, and on adult tree survival when rodents were present. By limiting seedling survival, rodents also reduced population growth; however, this effect was strongly dampened where wild ungulates were present. We suggest that these complex interactions between disparate consumer guilds can have important consequences for the population demography of long-lived species, and that the effects of a single consumer group are often likely to vary dramatically depending on the larger community in which interactions are embedded.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janet E Maclean
- Department of Zoology and Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z4, Canada.
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Abstract
Although global declines in frugivores may disrupt seed dispersal mutualisms and inhibit plant recruitment, quantifying the likely reduction in plant regeneration has been difficult and rarely attempted. We use a manipulative factorial experiment to quantify dependence of recruitment on dispersal (i.e. fruit pulp removal and movement of seed away from parental area) in two large-seeded New Zealand tree species. Complete dispersal failure would cause a 66 to 81 per cent reduction in recruitment to the 2-year-old seedling stage, and synergistic interactions with introduced mammalian seed and seedling predators increase the reduction to 92 to 94 per cent. Dispersal failure reduced regeneration through effects on seed predation, germination and (especially) seedling survival, including distance- and density-dependent (Janzen-Connell) effects. Dispersal of both species is currently largely dependent on a single frugivore, and many fruits today remain uneaten. Present-day levels of frugivore loss and mammal seed and seedling predators result in 57 to 84 per cent fewer seedlings after 2 years. Our study demonstrates the importance of seed dispersal for local plant population persistence, and validates concerns about the community consequences of frugivore declines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Debra M Wotton
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch 8140, New Zealand.
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Anderson SH, Kelly D, Ladley JJ, Molloy S, Terry J. Cascading effects of bird functional extinction reduce pollination and plant density. Science 2011; 331:1068-71. [PMID: 21292938 DOI: 10.1126/science.1199092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 130] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
Reductions in bird numbers could hamper ecosystem services such as pollination, but experimental proof is lacking. We show that functional extinction of bird pollinators has reduced pollination, seed production, and plant density in the shrub Rhabdothamnus solandri (Gesneriaceae) on the North Island ("mainland") of New Zealand but not on three nearby island bird sanctuaries where birds remain abundant. Pollen limitation of fruit set is strong [pollen limitation index (PLI) = 0.69] and significant on the mainland but small (PLI = 0.15) and nonsignificant on islands. Seed production per flower on the mainland is reduced 84%. Mainland sites have similar adult densities, but 55% fewer juvenile plants per adult, than island sites. Seed addition experiments near adult R. solandri plants on the mainland found strong seed limitation 5 years after sowing for R. solandri but not for two other co-occurring woody species. This demonstrates a terrestrial trophic cascade.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra H Anderson
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland 1010, New Zealand
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McNeely JA. What more can plant scientists do to help save the green stuff? BOTANICAL JOURNAL OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY. LINNEAN SOCIETY OF LONDON 2011; 166:233-239. [PMID: 22059247 DOI: 10.1111/j.1095-8339.2011.01151.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
The Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC) was the first such effort under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), and had gone through a 3-year process to reach the level of maturity that enabled it to be approved by consensus by all Governments present at the key session in The Hague in April 2002. It provided a model for subsequent CBD workplans, with targets, and undoubtedly contributed to the 2010 target of reducing the rate of biodiversity loss. In the event, few of the targets were achieved, because of numerous constraints at both policy and implementation levels. Even so, the GSPC stands as an important milestone in the global effort to conserve biodiversity. However, few plant scientists can be satisfied that the essential steps are being taken to ensure the conservation of plants, although, of course, plant scientists are only one part of the complex effort that will be required. This paper offers some suggestions that might be worth consideration, building on the basic principle in politics that a strong constituency is necessary to victory. In other words, although plant scientists play a crucial role, plant conservation is too important to leave in their hands alone; far broader support is required, including from the private sector, agriculture, forestry, trade, economics, tourism and even the military. Although botanical science provides a solid foundation, other branches of science are also important, ranging from anthropology to zoology. The legal profession also has important contributions to make (as well as the ability to hamper progress – for example through using issues such as access and benefit sharing to limit the exchange of genetic materials for even noncommercial use). 2010 was the United Nations Year of Biodiversity, and the GSPC targets reached their due date. It therefore seems timely to add some additional perspectives to the effort to update the GSPC. This paper suggests ways to reach a far broader constituency, provides tools to those who are expected to achieve the targets, and suggests ways to build a strong international constituency to conserve the world's botanical wealth.
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Raina SK, Kioko E, Zethner O, Wren S. Forest habitat conservation in Africa using commercially important insects. ANNUAL REVIEW OF ENTOMOLOGY 2011; 56:465-485. [PMID: 20822451 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-ento-120709-144805] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
African forests, which host some of the world's richest biodiversity, are rapidly diminishing. The loss of flora and fauna includes economically and socially important insects. Honey bees and silk moths, grouped under commercial insects, are the source for insect-based enterprises that provide income to forest-edge communities to manage the ecosystem. However, to date, research output does not adequately quantify the impact of such enterprises on buffering forest ecosystems and communities from climate change effects. Although diseases/pests of honey bees and silk moths in Africa have risen to epidemic levels, there is a dearth of practical research that can be utilized in developing effective control mechanisms that support the proliferation of these commercial insects as pollinators of agricultural and forest ecosystems. This review highlights the critical role of commercial insects within the environmental complexity of African forest ecosystems, in modern agroindustry, and with respect to its potential contribution to poverty alleviation and pollination services. It identifies significant research gaps that exist in understanding how insects can be utilized as ecosystem health indicators and nurtured as integral tools for important socioeconomic and industrial gains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suresh Kumar Raina
- Commercial Insects Programme, International Center of Insect Physiology and Ecology, 00100 Nairobi, Kenya.
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