Defaunation is known to have pervasive, negative effects on tropical forests, but this is not the whole story

Tropical forests, particularly those with less partitioned ecological niches, may exhibit resilience to defaunation pressures contrary to common assumptions. A study in the Dja Faunal Reserve, Cameroon, revealed that stem density remained unchanged across defaunation gradients, while woody plant diversity was highest in the most defaunated site. Surprisingly, the abundance of animal-dispersed species and other dispersal modes showed negligible differences, suggesting functional compensation by extant taxa, such as small animals and humans, who may play a role in fruit dispersal. The research used rectangular plots along transects and wedge-shaped plots under focal trees to compare sites representing varying levels of defaunation. These findings challenge traditional conceptual models that exclude human impacts and highlight the potential for less iconic species to sustain ecological services in defaunated forests.

Boiten, G., Dekegel, S., Tagg, N., & Willie, J. (2023). Defaunation is known to have pervasive, negative effects on tropical forests, but this is not the whole story. Plos One, 18(8), e0290717. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0290717