Sandom et al Main text_Accepted.pdf (838.96 kB)
Trophic rewilding presents regionally specific opportunities for mitigating climate change
journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-09, 18:09 authored by Christopher SandomChristopher Sandom, Owen Middleton, Erick Lundgren, John Rowan, Simon D Schowanek, Jens-Christian Svenning, Søren FaurbyLarge-bodied mammalian herbivores can influence processes that exacerbate or mitigate climate change. Herbivore impacts are, in turn, influenced by predators that place top-down forcing on prey species within a given body size range. Here, we explore how the functional composition of terrestrial large herbivore and carnivore guilds vary between three mammal distribution scenarios: Present-Natural, Current-Day, and Extant-Native Trophic (ENT) Rewilding. Considering the effects of herbivore species weakly influenced by top-down forcing, we quantify the relative influence keystone large herbivore guilds have on methane emissions, woody vegetation expansion, fire dynamics, large-seed dispersal, and nitrogen and phosphorous transport potential. We find strong regional differences in the number of herbivores under weak top-down regulation between our three scenarios with important implications for how they will influence climate change relevant processes. Under the Present-Natural non-ruminant, megaherbivore, browsers were a particularly important guild across much of the world. Megaherbivore extinction and range contraction and the arrival of livestock means large, ruminant, grazers have become more dominant. ENT Rewilding can restore the Afrotropics and Indo-Malay to the Present-Natural benchmark, but causes top-down forcing of the largest herbivores to become common place elsewhere. ENT Rewilding will reduce methane emissions, but does not maximise Natural Climate Solution potential.
History
Publication status
- Published
File Version
- Accepted version
Journal
Philosophical Transactions B: Biological ScienceISSN
0962-8436Publisher
Royal Society, TheExternal DOI
Issue
1794Volume
375Page range
1-8Department affiliated with
- Evolution, Behaviour and Environment Publications
Research groups affiliated with
- Sussex Sustainability Research Programme Publications
Full text available
- Yes
Peer reviewed?
- Yes
Legacy Posted Date
2019-06-24First Open Access (FOA) Date
2019-06-24First Compliant Deposit (FCD) Date
2019-06-21Usage metrics
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