Cross-boundary subsidy cascades from oil palm degrade distant tropical forests
Luskin, MS; Brashares, JS; Ickes, K; Sun, IF; Fletcher, C; Wright, SJ; Potts, MD
| HERO ID | 10288899 |
|---|---|
| In Press | No |
| Year | 2017 |
| Title | Cross-boundary subsidy cascades from oil palm degrade distant tropical forests |
| Authors | Luskin, MS; Brashares, JS; Ickes, K; Sun, IF; Fletcher, C; Wright, SJ; Potts, MD |
| Journal | Nature Communications |
| Volume | 8 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Page Numbers | 2231 |
| Abstract | Native species that forage in farmland may increase their local abundances thereby affecting adjacent ecosystems within their landscape. We used two decades of ecological data from a protected primary rainforest in Malaysia to illutrate how subsidies from neighboring oil palm plantations triggered powerful secondary 'cascading' effects on natural habitats located >1.3 km away. We found (i) oil palm fruit drove 100-fold increases in crop-raiding native wild boar (Sus scrofa), (ii) wild boar used thousands of understory plants to construct birthing nests in the pristine forest interior, and (iii) nest building caused a 62% decline in forest tree sapling density over the 24-year study period. The long-term, landscape-scale indirect effects from agriculture suggest its full ecological footprint may be larger in extent than is currently recognized. Cross-boundary subsidy cascades may be widespread in both terrestrial and marine ecosystems and present significant conservation challenges. |
| Doi | 10.1038/s41467-017-01920-7 |
| Pmid | 29263381 |
| Wosid | WOS:000418566800027 |
| Url | http://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-017-01920-7 |
| Is Certified Translation | No |
| Dupe Override | No |
| Is Public | Yes |
| Language Text | English |