Display Settings:

Format

Send to:

Choose Destination
We are sorry, but NCBI web applications do not support your browser and may not function properly. More information
    Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 2010 Nov 27;365(1558):3709-18. doi: 10.1098/rstb.2010.0273.

    Anthropogenic impacts on tropical forest biodiversity: a network structure and ecosystem functioning perspective.

    Source

    Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PS, UK. rebecca.morris@zoo.ox.ac.uk

    Abstract

    Huge areas of diverse tropical forest are lost or degraded every year with dramatic consequences for biodiversity. Deforestation and fragmentation, over-exploitation, invasive species and climate change are the main drivers of tropical forest biodiversity loss. Most studies investigating these threats have focused on changes in species richness or species diversity. However, if we are to understand the absolute and long-term effects of anthropogenic impacts on tropical forests, we should also consider the interactions between species, how those species are organized in networks, and the function that those species perform. I discuss our current knowledge of network structure and ecosystem functioning, highlighting empirical examples of their response to anthropogenic impacts. I consider the future prospects for tropical forest biodiversity, focusing on biodiversity and ecosystem functioning in secondary forest. Finally, I propose directions for future research to help us better understand the effects of anthropogenic impacts on tropical forest biodiversity.

    PMID:
    20980318
    [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
    PMCID:
    PMC2982004
    Free PMC Article

    Images from this publication.See all images (2)Free text

    Figure 1.
    Figure 2.

      Supplemental Content

      Icon for HighWire Icon for PubMed Central

      Save items

      Recent activity

      Your browsing activity is empty.

      Activity recording is turned off.

      Turn recording back on

      See more...
      Write to the Help Desk