Restoring ecological functions with herbivore introduction

A study examines how inadvertent introductions of herbivores has restored lost ecological functions. Numerous large, herbivorous mammals have declined or become extinct over the last 100,000 years, leading to significant changes in ecosystems across the globe. However, the introduction of herbivore species could counteract losses experienced during the Late Pleistocene. To determine the extent to which introduced herbivore species restore lost ecological functions or contribute novel functions relative to the Late Pleistocene, Erick Lundgren and colleagues examined the body mass, diet, fermentation type, habitat type, and limb morphology of extant and extinct mammalian herbivores that are or were at least 10 kg in weight. Such traits influence herbivores’ interactions with other species and the environment. The analysis included 427 herbivores that lived between approximately 130,000 years ago and the present day. Compared with native-only species assemblages, non-native species evoked a world that is more similar to the pre-extinction Late Pleistocene. Many introduced herbivores exhibited trait combinations that can influence ecosystem processes, such as shrub expansion in drylands and wildfire severity. Overall, 42% of introduced herbivores restored key ecological functions that went extinct during the Late Pleistocene, and 5% of introduced herbivores contributed novel trait combinations. The results suggest that shifting focus from eradication to landscape and predator protection may have broad biodiversity benefits, according to the authors.

Article #19-15769: “Introduced herbivores restore Late Pleistocene ecological functions,” by Erick J. Lundgren et al.

MEDIA CONTACT: Erick J. Lundgren, University of Technology Sydney, AUSTRALIA; email:

[email protected]

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