Logging cuts the functional importance of invertebrates in tropical rainforest
Logging cuts the functional importance of invertebrates in tropical rainforest
Invertebrates are dominant species in primary tropical rainforests, where their abundance and diversity contributes to the functioning and resilience of these globally important ecosystems. However, more than one-third of tropical forests have been logged, with dramatic impacts on rainforest biodiversity that may disrupt key ecosystem processes. We find that the contribution of invertebrates to three ecosystem processes operating at three trophic levels (litter decomposition, seed predation and removal, and invertebrate predation) is reduced by up to one-half following logging. These changes are associated with decreased abundance of key functional groups of termites, ants, beetles and earthworms, and an increase in the abundance of small mammals, amphibians and insectivorous birds in logged relative to primary forest. Our results suggest that ecosystem processes themselves have considerable resilience to logging, but the consistent decline of invertebrate functional importance is indicative of a human-induced shift in how these ecological processes operate in tropical rainforests.
Ewers, Robert M.
81c1aaed-41d7-4ab6-9271-b5a4f7311430
Boyle, Michael J.W.
723c3b8e-264a-479d-bc90-4a4f570910a4
Gleave, Rosalind A.
886c1498-8641-4978-9001-8a7caadbbb61
Plowman, Nichola S.
e548136f-9c52-4eea-8e8d-a2e8368ce49e
Benedick, Suzan
adaf2dd7-f796-4685-bb96-f106e1bfbd6d
Bernard, Henry
228e1b8f-faeb-438e-810a-0a0536b28c9c
Bishop, Tom R.
ccb17133-279a-40cd-96d5-9d946495f208
Bakhtiar, Effendi Y.
4f0c7f6b-7d67-4e4a-8576-08956a0540cb
Chey, Vun Khen
6b5351be-f7f6-49cf-85a6-24559f78a48d
Chung, Arthur Y.C.
c54d30b9-c728-43c7-b642-6f91c7ce37a6
Davies, Richard G.
eaa3e8a2-2534-4e7a-9ce7-a5f23aa1e128
Edwards, David P.
18d6f362-160b-4dcd-8c0b-bedf7a02bf75
Eggleton, Paul
165575cf-831e-4553-9728-e61790896466
Fayle, Tom M.
a4b1b9e4-5023-4460-9b22-167ab3b042dd
Hardwick, Stephen R.
30e084fb-01df-48b0-adbf-933b83bae0ed
Homathevi, Rahman
5e33bf1a-73ff-4793-a1ec-cb03ed4f819c
Kitching, Roger L.
636fa6c6-310d-4f86-b60f-e47ac46fa7cc
Khoo, Min Sheng
b0d28313-7804-4d53-9312-0b8e7f78fe6a
Luke, Sarah H.
b75a0bb5-b3d8-400a-8ec6-fbdff0c70e50
March, Joshua J.
36c4b5e5-4bbe-46ba-bd9e-1e00558772e3
Nilus, Reuben
eb0d17a9-6383-45ce-a2c7-8e43c8ec4c6e
Pfeifer, Marion
56735a68-1c0c-4bcf-9f63-a17be906d9a9
Rao, Sri V.
6aa20162-af18-4857-a3dd-eaefc3be4c3f
Sharp, Adam C.
4374b6a0-ac49-424b-b010-aa5e736ea620
Snaddon, Jake L.
31a601f7-c9b0-45e2-b59b-fda9a0c5a54b
Stork, Nigel E
0c17ddb4-5f61-40b1-be8d-4862a7e15e4b
Struebig, Matthew J.
b3b90c40-cac3-4930-90b8-915fd2cda9a3
Wearn, Oliver R.
28f3633f-9c63-4e00-8742-c7688d5e3d3d
Yusah, Kalsum M.
d964dd89-2ae1-4676-b285-66f9df4a9589
Turner, Edgar C.
86ffbf07-8cab-414f-9cbf-b95e8d860296
13 April 2015
Ewers, Robert M.
81c1aaed-41d7-4ab6-9271-b5a4f7311430
Boyle, Michael J.W.
723c3b8e-264a-479d-bc90-4a4f570910a4
Gleave, Rosalind A.
886c1498-8641-4978-9001-8a7caadbbb61
Plowman, Nichola S.
e548136f-9c52-4eea-8e8d-a2e8368ce49e
Benedick, Suzan
adaf2dd7-f796-4685-bb96-f106e1bfbd6d
Bernard, Henry
228e1b8f-faeb-438e-810a-0a0536b28c9c
Bishop, Tom R.
ccb17133-279a-40cd-96d5-9d946495f208
Bakhtiar, Effendi Y.
4f0c7f6b-7d67-4e4a-8576-08956a0540cb
Chey, Vun Khen
6b5351be-f7f6-49cf-85a6-24559f78a48d
Chung, Arthur Y.C.
c54d30b9-c728-43c7-b642-6f91c7ce37a6
Davies, Richard G.
eaa3e8a2-2534-4e7a-9ce7-a5f23aa1e128
Edwards, David P.
18d6f362-160b-4dcd-8c0b-bedf7a02bf75
Eggleton, Paul
165575cf-831e-4553-9728-e61790896466
Fayle, Tom M.
a4b1b9e4-5023-4460-9b22-167ab3b042dd
Hardwick, Stephen R.
30e084fb-01df-48b0-adbf-933b83bae0ed
Homathevi, Rahman
5e33bf1a-73ff-4793-a1ec-cb03ed4f819c
Kitching, Roger L.
636fa6c6-310d-4f86-b60f-e47ac46fa7cc
Khoo, Min Sheng
b0d28313-7804-4d53-9312-0b8e7f78fe6a
Luke, Sarah H.
b75a0bb5-b3d8-400a-8ec6-fbdff0c70e50
March, Joshua J.
36c4b5e5-4bbe-46ba-bd9e-1e00558772e3
Nilus, Reuben
eb0d17a9-6383-45ce-a2c7-8e43c8ec4c6e
Pfeifer, Marion
56735a68-1c0c-4bcf-9f63-a17be906d9a9
Rao, Sri V.
6aa20162-af18-4857-a3dd-eaefc3be4c3f
Sharp, Adam C.
4374b6a0-ac49-424b-b010-aa5e736ea620
Snaddon, Jake L.
31a601f7-c9b0-45e2-b59b-fda9a0c5a54b
Stork, Nigel E
0c17ddb4-5f61-40b1-be8d-4862a7e15e4b
Struebig, Matthew J.
b3b90c40-cac3-4930-90b8-915fd2cda9a3
Wearn, Oliver R.
28f3633f-9c63-4e00-8742-c7688d5e3d3d
Yusah, Kalsum M.
d964dd89-2ae1-4676-b285-66f9df4a9589
Turner, Edgar C.
86ffbf07-8cab-414f-9cbf-b95e8d860296