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Megafauna extinctions produce idiosyncratic Anthropocene assemblages.

Zachary Amir1, Jonathan H Moore2,3, Pablo Jose Negret4

  • 1School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD, Australia.

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|October 21, 2022
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Summary

Megafauna populations are declining globally, but Southeast Asian forests show surprising variation. Some large animals surprisingly thrive in degraded areas with human presence and poaching controls.

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Area of Science:

  • Ecology
  • Conservation Biology
  • Zoology

Background:

  • The "trophic downgrading of planet Earth" describes the decline of large vertebrates.
  • Understanding megafauna extinction risk drivers and site-specific factors is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate variability in terrestrial megafauna assemblages in Southeast Asian tropical forests.
  • To identify factors influencing megafauna persistence and extinction risk.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of megafauna assemblages across 10 Southeast Asian tropical forests.
  • Comparison of extirpation rates in disturbed versus less-disturbed landscapes.
  • Examination of size, guild, and environmental factors influencing species abundance.

Main Results:

  • All studied landscapes experienced megafauna extirpations.
  • Highly disturbed landscapes had 2.5 times more extirpations than less disturbed ones.
  • No consistent size or guild trends were observed; some species thrived in degraded areas.

Conclusions:

  • Megafauna assemblages result from complex interactions between historical factors and modern disturbances.
  • Some megafauna can persist in degraded tropical forests near human settlements if poaching is managed.