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The ecological consequences of megafaunal loss: giant tortoises and wetland biodiversity
Author(s) -
Froyd Cynthia A.,
Coffey Emily E. D.,
Knaap Willem O.,
Leeuwen Jacqueline F. N.,
Tye Alan,
Willis Katherine J.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
ecology letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 6.852
H-Index - 265
eISSN - 1461-0248
pISSN - 1461-023X
DOI - 10.1111/ele.12203
Subject(s) - tortoise , ecology , wetland , biodiversity , threatened species , herbivore , habitat , keystone species , geography , range (aeronautics) , ecosystem , habitat destruction , megafauna , biology , pleistocene , archaeology , materials science , composite material
The giant tortoises of the Galápagos have become greatly depleted since European discovery of the islands in the 16th Century, with populations declining from an estimated 250 000 to between 8000 and 14 000 in the 1970s. Successful tortoise conservation efforts have focused on species recovery, but ecosystem conservation and restoration requires a better understanding of the wider ecological consequences of this drastic reduction in the archipelago's only large native herbivore. We report the first evidence from palaeoecological records of coprophilous fungal spores of the formerly more extensive geographical range of giant tortoises in the highlands of Santa Cruz Island. Upland tortoise populations on Santa Cruz declined 500–700 years ago, likely the result of human impact or possible climatic change. Former freshwater wetlands, a now limited habitat‐type, were found to have converted to Sphagnum bogs concomitant with tortoise loss, subsequently leading to the decline of several now‐rare or extinct plant species.