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Are primary forests irreplaceable for sustaining Neotropical landscapes' biodiversity and functioning? Contributions for restoration using ecological indicators
Author(s) -
Cajaiba Reinaldo Lucas,
Périco Eduardo,
Silva Wully Barreto,
Caron Edilson,
Buss Bruna Caroline,
Dalzochio Marina,
Santos Mário
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
land degradation and development
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.403
H-Index - 81
eISSN - 1099-145X
pISSN - 1085-3278
DOI - 10.1002/ldr.3467
Subject(s) - biodiversity , disturbance (geology) , ecology , ecosystem , ecological indicator , geography , functional diversity , forest restoration , ecosystem services , environmental resource management , forest ecology , biology , environmental science , paleontology
Changes in biodiversity and ecosystem services are usually evaluated using taxonomic indicators or, to a lesser extent, functional indicators. The present work adds new insights on the links between taxonomic indicators and functional indicators within a disturbance gradient in the Brazilian Amazon. Ground dwelling beetles' functional groups were used to complement taxonomic diversity in indicating disturbance and/or ecosystem restoration. Significant correlations were found between taxonomic and functional indicators. Our results show that increasingly disturbed ecosystems are related with reductions in functional redundancy with probable detrimental effects on the future landscape resilience. Moreover, results highlight that even species‐rich Neotropical forest landscapes may be highly vulnerable to the removal of keystone diversity. Remarkably, secondary forests support equivalent functional diversity and, partially, taxonomic diversity to primary forests. Overall, disturbance indicators supported on complementary measures such as composition, species diversity and functionality were sensitive to the ecosystems' gradient and could be used for assessing the extent of landscape change but also to guide restoration and management practices in Neotropical forest landscapes.