Functional traits-not nativeness-shape the effects of large mammalian herbivores on plant communities

Large mammalian herbivores (megafauna) have experienced extinctions and declines since prehistory. Introduced megafauna have partly counteracted these losses yet are thought to have unusually negative effects on plants compared with native megafauna. Using a meta-analysis of 3995 plot-scale plant ab...

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Published in:Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) 2024-02, Vol.383 (6682), p.531-537
Main Authors: Lundgren, Erick J, Bergman, Juraj, Trepel, Jonas, le Roux, Elizabeth, Monsarrat, Sophie, Kristensen, Jeppe Aagaard, Pedersen, Rasmus Østergaard, Pereyra, Patricio, Tietje, Melanie, Svenning, Jens-Christian
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Ecosystems
Herbivores
Introduced species
Mammals
Plant communities
Plant species
Plants (botany)
Seeds
Shape effects
Vegetation
Vegetation effects
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Summary:Large mammalian herbivores (megafauna) have experienced extinctions and declines since prehistory. Introduced megafauna have partly counteracted these losses yet are thought to have unusually negative effects on plants compared with native megafauna. Using a meta-analysis of 3995 plot-scale plant abundance and diversity responses from 221 studies, we found no evidence that megafauna impacts were shaped by nativeness, "invasiveness," "feralness," coevolutionary history, or functional and phylogenetic novelty. Nor was there evidence that introduced megafauna facilitate introduced plants more than native megafauna. Instead, we found strong evidence that functional traits shaped megafauna impacts, with larger-bodied and bulk-feeding megafauna promoting plant diversity. Our work suggests that trait-based ecology provides better insight into interactions between megafauna and plants than do concepts of nativeness.
ISSN:0036-8075
1095-9203
DOI:10.1126/science.adh2616