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Are ungulates in forests concerns or key species for conservation and biodiversity? Reply to Boulanger et al. ( DOI : 10.1111/gcb.13899)
Author(s) -
Fløjgaard Camilla,
Bruun Hans Henrik,
Hansen Morten D.D.,
HeilmannClausen Jacob,
Svenning JensChristian,
Ejrnæs Rasmus
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
global change biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 4.146
H-Index - 255
eISSN - 1365-2486
pISSN - 1354-1013
DOI - 10.1111/gcb.14029
Subject(s) - species richness , biodiversity , ecology , ungulate , threatened species , grazing , ecosystem , herbivore , geography , understory , agroforestry , biology , habitat , canopy
Increasing species richness of light demanding species in forests may not be a conservation concern if we accept a macroecological and evolutionary baseline for biodiversity. Most of the current biodiversity in Europe has evolved in the Pleistocene or earlier, and in ecosystems markedly influenced by dynamic natural processes, including grazing. Many threatened species are associated with high‐light forest environments such as forest glades and edges, as these have strongly declined at least partially due to the decline of large herbivores in European forests. Hence, moderate grazing in forests should be an ecological baseline and conservation target rather than a concern.