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Global Tiger Density Linked With Forest Carbon Stock, Top-Down and Bottom-Up
Nathan James Roberts1,2, Abishek Harihar3,4, Xuhui Zhou5
1Feline Research Center of National Forestry and Grassland Administration, College of Wildlife and Protected Area, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China.
Global Change Biology
|May 7, 2025
Summary
Apex predators like tigers are linked to forest carbon stocks. Their presence and density indicate and drive forest carbon, crucial for climate change mitigation.
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Climate Science
- Conservation Biology
Background:
- Tiger (Panthera tigris) survival depends on prey and healthy forests.
- Large herbivores influence plant biomass, suggesting a link between tigers and forest carbon (C) stocks.
- The role of tigers in forest carbon dynamics (top-down control vs. indicator) is unclear, especially in trophic rewilding.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between tiger distribution/density and forest carbon stocks globally.
- To test the hypothesis that tigers influence forest carbon through top-down ecological control.
- To explore tiger-carbon relationships across a gradient from tiger absence to varying tiger abundances.
Main Methods:
- Compiled global data on tiger presence and density.
- Analyzed forest carbon stocks (vegetation and soil) in relation to tiger presence and abundance.
- Examined the influence of ungulate biomass as a mediator of tiger effects.
Main Results:
- Tiger presence correlated with increased forest vegetation carbon stocks, reduced carbon emissions, and higher carbon inputs.
- Top-down effects of tigers on carbon were more pronounced in less established forests.
- Forest carbon stocks increased with tiger density, peaking at certain abundances in key tiger habitats.
Conclusions:
- Tigers act as both indicators and drivers of forest carbon stocks.
- Tiger conservation can contribute to safeguarding forests against carbon emissions.
- Understanding tiger-carbon dynamics is vital for climate change mitigation and feedback loop research.
Keywords:
animating the carbon cyclebiodiversityclimate change mitigationempty forestforest ecologytiger densityMore Related Videos
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