TY  - JOUR
A1  - Donoso, Isabel
A1  - Sorensen, Marjorie C.
A1  - Blendinger, Pedro G.
A1  - Kissling, W. Daniel
A1  - Neuschulz, Eike Lena
A1  - Mueller, Thomas
A1  - Schleuning, Matthias
T1  - Downsizing of animal communities triggers stronger functional than structural decay in seed-dispersal networks
T2  - Nature Communications
N2  - Downsizing of animal communities due to defaunation is prevalent in many ecosystems. Yet, we know little about its consequences for ecosystem functions such as seed dispersal. Here, we use eight seed-dispersal networks sampled across the Andes and simulate how downsizing of avian frugivores impacts structural network robustness and seed dispersal. We use a trait-based modeling framework to quantify the consequences of downsizing-relative to random extinctions-for the number of interactions and secondary plant extinctions (as measures of structural robustness) and for long-distance seed dispersal (as a measure of ecosystem function). We find that downsizing leads to stronger functional than structural losses. For instance, 10% size-structured loss of bird species results in almost 40% decline of long-distance seed dispersal, but in less than 10% of structural loss. Our simulations reveal that measures of the structural robustness of ecological networks underestimate the consequences of animal extinction and downsizing for ecosystem functioning.
Y1  - 2020
UR  - http://publikationen.ub.uni-frankfurt.de/frontdoor/index/index/docId/52931
UR  - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:hebis:30:3-529314
VL  - 11
IS  - Article number: 1582
ER  -