Human-induced ecological cascades: Extinction, restoration, and rewilding in the Galapagos highlands.

ABSTRACT: Oceanic islands support unique biotas but often lack ecological redundancy, so that the removal of a species can have a large effect on the ecosystem. The larger islands of the Galápagos Archipelago once had one or two species of giant tortoise that were the dominant herbivore. Using paleoecological techniques, we investigate the ecological cascade on highland ecosystems that resulted from whalers removing many thousands of tortoises from the lowlands. We hypothesize that the seasonal migration of a now-extinct tortoise species to the highlands was curtailed by decreased intraspecific competition. We find the trajectory of plant community dynamics changed within a decade of the first whaling vessels visiting the islands. Novel communities established, with a previously uncommon shrub, Mico

SUBMITTER: Bush MB 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9214511 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature