Institute of Geography, Federal University of Uberlandia (UFU), Av. João Naves de Avila, 2121, Uberlandia, 38400-902, MG, Brazil.
Centro de Investigaciones sobre Desertificación, Spanish National Research Council (CIDE-CSIC), Ctra. Naquera Km. 4.5 (IVIA), Montcada, 46113, Valencia, Spain.
Nat Commun. 2022 Jan 10;13(1):129. doi: 10.1038/s41467-021-27749-9.
Large mammal herbivores are important drivers of plant evolution and vegetation patterns, but the extent to which plant trait and ecosystem geography currently reflect the historical distribution of extinct megafauna is unknown. We address this question for South and Central America (Neotropical biogeographic realm) by compiling data on plant defence traits, climate, soil, and fire, as well as on the historical distribution of extinct megafauna and extant mammal herbivores. We show that historical mammal herbivory, especially by extinct megafauna, and soil fertility explain substantial variability in wood density, leaf size, spines and latex. We also identified three distinct regions (''antiherbiomes''), differing in plant defences, environmental conditions, and megafauna history. These patterns largely matched those observed in African ecosystems, where abundant megafauna still roams, and suggest that some ecoregions experienced savanna-to-forest shifts following megafauna extinctions. Here, we show that extinct megafauna left a significant imprint on current ecosystem biogeography.
大型食草哺乳动物是植物进化和植被模式的重要驱动因素，但目前植物特征和生态系统地理分布在多大程度上反映了已灭绝巨型动物的历史分布尚不清楚。我们通过编译植物防御特性、气候、土壤和火灾的数据，以及已灭绝巨型动物和现存哺乳动物食草动物的历史分布数据，来解决南、中美洲（新热带生物地理区域）的这一问题。我们表明，历史上的哺乳动物食草作用，特别是已灭绝的巨型动物，以及土壤肥力，解释了木材密度、叶片大小、刺和乳胶的大量可变性。我们还确定了三个不同的区域（“反 Herbivore”），它们在植物防御、环境条件和巨型动物历史方面存在差异。这些模式与非洲生态系统中观察到的模式非常相似，在那里仍然有大量的巨型动物漫游，这表明一些生态区在巨型动物灭绝后经历了从稀树草原到森林的转变。在这里，我们表明已灭绝的巨型动物对当前的生态系统生物地理留下了显著的印记。
