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8 results on '"SILMAN, MILES R."'

1. The biogeography of the Amazonian tree flora.

Author

Luize BG, Tuomisto H, Ekelschot R, Dexter KG, Amaral ILD, Coelho LS, Matos FDA, Lima Filho DA, Salomão RP, Wittmann F, Castilho CV, Carim MJV, Guevara JE, Phillips OL, Magnusson WE, Sabatier D, Cardenas Revilla JD, Molino JF, Irume MV, Martins MP, Guimarães JRDS, Ramos JF, Bánki OS, Piedade MTF, Cárdenas López D, Pitman NCA, Demarchi LO, Schöngart J, de Leão Novo EMM, Núñez Vargas P, Silva TSF, Venticinque EM, Manzatto AG, Reis NFC, Terborgh J, Casula KR, Honorio Coronado EN, Mendoza AM, Montero JC, Costa FRC, Feldpausch TR, Quaresma AC, Castaño Arboleda N, Zartman CE, Killeen TJ, Marimon BS, Marimon BH, Vasquez R, Mostacedo B, Assis RL, Baraloto C, do Amaral DD, Engel J, Petronelli P, Castellanos H, de Medeiros MB, Simon MF, Andrade A, Camargo JL, Laurance WF, Laurance SGW, Rincón LM, Schietti J, Sousa TR, Mori GB, Farias ES, Lopes MA, Magalhães JLL, Nascimento HEM, de Queiroz HL, Vasconcelos CC, Aymard C GA, Brienen R, Stevenson PR, Araujo-Murakami A, Cintra BBL, Baker TR, Feitosa YO, Mogollón HF, Duivenvoorden JF, Peres CA, Silman MR, Ferreira LV, Lozada JR, Comiskey JA, de Toledo JJ, Damasco G, Dávila N, Draper FC, García-Villacorta R, Lopes A, Vicentini A, Valverde FC, Alonso A, Arroyo L, Dallmeier F, Gomes VHF, Jimenez EM, Neill D, Peñuela Mora MC, Noronha JC, de Aguiar DPP, Barbosa FR, Bredin YK, Carpanedo RS, Carvalho FA, Souza FC, Feeley KJ, Gribel R, Haugaasen T, Hawes JE, Pansonato MP, Pipoly JJ 3rd, Paredes MR, Rodrigues DJ, Barlow J, Berenguer E, da Silva IB, Ferreira MJ, Ferreira J, Fine PVA, Guedes MC, Levis C, Licona JC, Villa Zegarra BE, Vos VA, Cerón C, Durgante FM, Fonty É, Henkel TW, Householder JE, Huamantupa-Chuquimaco I, Silveira M, Stropp J, Thomas R, Daly D, Milliken W, Molina GP, Pennington T, Vieira ICG, Albuquerque BW, Campelo W, Fuentes A, Klitgaard B, Pena JLM, Tello JS, Vriesendorp C, Chave J, Di Fiore A, Hilário RR, Pereira LO, Phillips JF, Rivas-Torres G, van Andel TR, von Hildebrand P, Balee W, Barbosa EM, Bonates LCM, Dávila Doza HP, Zárate Gómez R, Gonzales T, Gallardo Gonzales GP, Hoffman B, Junqueira AB, Malhi Y, Miranda IPA, Pinto LFM, Prieto A, Rudas A, Ruschel AR, Silva N, Vela CIA, Zent S, Zent EL, Endara MJ, Cano A, Carrero Márquez YA, Correa DF, Costa JBP, Monteiro Flores B, Galbraith D, Holmgren M, Kalamandeen M, Lobo G, Torres Montenegro L, Nascimento MT, Oliveira AA, Pombo MM, Ramirez-Angulo H, Rocha M, Scudeller VV, Umaña MN, van der Heijden G, Vilanova Torre E, Vargas TM, Ahuite Reategui MA, Baider C, Balslev H, Cárdenas S, Casas LF, Farfan-Rios W, Ferreira C, Linares-Palomino R, Mendoza C, Mesones I, Parada GA, Torres-Lezama A, Urrego Giraldo LE, Villarroel D, Zagt R, Alexiades MN, de Oliveira EA, Fortier RP, Garcia-Cabrera K, Hernandez L, Palacios Cuenca W, Pansini S, Pauletto D, Ramirez Arevalo F, Sampaio AF, Valderrama Sandoval EH, Valenzuela Gamarra L, Hirota M, Palma-Silva C, and Ter Steege H

Subjects
Brazil, Biodiversity, Forests, Soil chemistry, Geography, Phylogeography, Trees
Abstract

We describe the geographical variation in tree species composition across Amazonian forests and show how environmental conditions are associated with species turnover. Our analyses are based on 2023 forest inventory plots (1 ha) that provide abundance data for a total of 5188 tree species. Within-plot species composition reflected both local environmental conditions (especially soil nutrients and hydrology) and geographical regions. A broader-scale view of species turnover was obtained by interpolating the relative tree species abundances over Amazonia into 47,441 0.1-degree grid cells. Two main dimensions of spatial change in tree species composition were identified. The first was a gradient between western Amazonia at the Andean forelands (with young geology and relatively nutrient-rich soils) and central-eastern Amazonia associated with the Guiana and Brazilian Shields (with more ancient geology and poor soils). The second gradient was between the wet forests of the northwest and the drier forests in southern Amazonia. Isolines linking cells of similar composition crossed major Amazonian rivers, suggesting that tree species distributions are not limited by rivers. Even though some areas of relatively sharp species turnover were identified, mostly the tree species composition changed gradually over large extents, which does not support delimiting clear discrete biogeographic regions within Amazonia., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Published
2024
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2. One sixth of Amazonian tree diversity is dependent on river floodplains.

Author

Householder JE, Wittmann F, Schöngart J, Piedade MTF, Junk WJ, Latrubesse EM, Quaresma AC, Demarchi LO, de S Lobo G, Aguiar DPP, Assis RL, Lopes A, Parolin P, Leão do Amaral I, Coelho LS, de Almeida Matos FD, Lima Filho DA, Salomão RP, Castilho CV, Guevara-Andino JE, Carim MJV, Phillips OL, Cárdenas López D, Magnusson WE, Sabatier D, Revilla JDC, Molino JF, Irume MV, Martins MP, Guimarães JRDS, Ramos JF, Rodrigues DJ, Bánki OS, Peres CA, Pitman NCA, Hawes JE, Almeida EJ, Barbosa LF, Cavalheiro L, Dos Santos MCV, Luize BG, Novo EMML, Núñez Vargas P, Silva TSF, Venticinque EM, Manzatto AG, Reis NFC, Terborgh J, Casula KR, Costa FRC, Honorio Coronado EN, Monteagudo Mendoza A, Montero JC, Feldpausch TR, Aymard C GA, Baraloto C, Castaño Arboleda N, Engel J, Petronelli P, Zartman CE, Killeen TJ, Rincón LM, Marimon BS, Marimon-Junior BH, Schietti J, Sousa TR, Vasquez R, Mostacedo B, Dantas do Amaral D, Castellanos H, Medeiros MB, Simon MF, Andrade A, Camargo JL, Laurance WF, Laurance SGW, Farias ES, Lopes MA, Magalhães JLL, Mendonça Nascimento HE, Queiroz HL, Brienen R, Stevenson PR, Araujo-Murakami A, Baker TR, Cintra BBL, Feitosa YO, Mogollón HF, Noronha JC, Barbosa FR, de Sá Carpanedo R, Duivenvoorden JF, Silman MR, Ferreira LV, Levis C, Lozada JR, Comiskey JA, Draper FC, Toledo JJ, Damasco G, Dávila N, García-Villacorta R, Vicentini A, Cornejo Valverde F, Alonso A, Arroyo L, Dallmeier F, Gomes VHF, Jimenez EM, Neill D, Peñuela Mora MC, Carvalho FA, Coelho de Souza F, Feeley KJ, Gribel R, Pansonato MP, Ríos Paredes M, Barlow J, Berenguer E, Dexter KG, Ferreira J, Fine PVA, Guedes MC, Huamantupa-Chuquimaco I, Licona JC, Pennington T, Villa Zegarra BE, Vos VA, Cerón C, Fonty É, Henkel TW, Maas P, Pos E, Silveira M, Stropp J, Thomas R, Daly D, Milliken W, Pardo Molina G, Vieira ICG, Albuquerque BW, Campelo W, Emilio T, Fuentes A, Klitgaard B, Marcelo Pena JL, Souza PF, Tello JS, Vriesendorp C, Chave J, Di Fiore A, Hilário RR, Pereira LO, Phillips JF, Rivas-Torres G, van Andel TR, von Hildebrand P, Balee W, Barbosa EM, Bonates LCM, Doza HPD, Gómez RZ, Gonzales T, Gonzales GPG, Hoffman B, Junqueira AB, Malhi Y, Miranda IPA, Mozombite-Pinto LF, Prieto A, Rudas A, Ruschel AR, Silva N, Vela CIA, Zent S, Zent EL, Cano A, Carrero Márquez YA, Correa DF, Costa JBP, Flores BM, Galbraith D, Holmgren M, Kalamandeen M, Nascimento MT, Oliveira AA, Ramirez-Angulo H, Rocha M, Scudeller VV, Sierra R, Tirado M, Umaña MN, van der Heijden G, Vilanova Torre E, Ahuite Reategui MA, Baider C, Balslev H, Cárdenas S, Casas LF, Farfan-Rios W, Ferreira C, Linares-Palomino R, Mendoza C, Mesones I, Parada GA, Torres-Lezama A, Urrego Giraldo LE, Villarroel D, Zagt R, Alexiades MN, de Oliveira EA, Garcia-Cabrera K, Hernandez L, Palacios Cuenca W, Pansini S, Pauletto D, Ramirez Arevalo F, Sampaio AF, Valderrama Sandoval EH, Valenzuela Gamarra L, and Ter Steege H

Subjects
Brazil, Forests, Biodiversity, Trees, Rivers, Floods
Abstract

Amazonia's floodplain system is the largest and most biodiverse on Earth. Although forests are crucial to the ecological integrity of floodplains, our understanding of their species composition and how this may differ from surrounding forest types is still far too limited, particularly as changing inundation regimes begin to reshape floodplain tree communities and the critical ecosystem functions they underpin. Here we address this gap by taking a spatially explicit look at Amazonia-wide patterns of tree-species turnover and ecological specialization of the region's floodplain forests. We show that the majority of Amazonian tree species can inhabit floodplains, and about a sixth of Amazonian tree diversity is ecologically specialized on floodplains. The degree of specialization in floodplain communities is driven by regional flood patterns, with the most compositionally differentiated floodplain forests located centrally within the fluvial network and contingent on the most extraordinary flood magnitudes regionally. Our results provide a spatially explicit view of ecological specialization of floodplain forest communities and expose the need for whole-basin hydrological integrity to protect the Amazon's tree diversity and its function., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Published
2024
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3. More than 10,000 pre-Columbian earthworks are still hidden throughout Amazonia.

Author

Peripato V, Levis C, Moreira GA, Gamerman D, Ter Steege H, Pitman NCA, de Souza JG, Iriarte J, Robinson M, Junqueira AB, Trindade TB, de Almeida FO, Moraes CP, Lombardo U, Tamanaha EK, Maezumi SY, Ometto JPHB, Braga JRG, Campanharo WA, Cassol HLG, Leal PR, de Assis MLR, da Silva AM, Phillips OL, Costa FRC, Flores BM, Hoffman B, Henkel TW, Umaña MN, Magnusson WE, Valderrama Sandoval EH, Barlow J, Milliken W, Lopes MA, Simon MF, van Andel TR, Laurance SGW, Laurance WF, Torres-Lezama A, Assis RL, Molino JF, Mestre M, Hamblin M, Coelho LS, Lima Filho DA, Wittmann F, Salomão RP, Amaral IL, Guevara JE, de Almeida Matos FD, Castilho CV, Carim MJV, Cárdenas López D, Sabatier D, Irume MV, Martins MP, Guimarães JRDS, Bánki OS, Piedade MTF, Ramos JF, Luize BG, Novo EMML, Núñez Vargas P, Silva TSF, Venticinque EM, Manzatto AG, Reis NFC, Terborgh J, Casula KR, Demarchi LO, Honorio Coronado EN, Monteagudo Mendoza A, Montero JC, Schöngart J, Feldpausch TR, Quaresma AC, Aymard C GA, Baraloto C, Castaño Arboleda N, Engel J, Petronelli P, Zartman CE, Killeen TJ, Marimon BS, Marimon-Junior BH, Schietti J, Sousa TR, Vasquez R, Rincón LM, Berenguer E, Ferreira J, Mostacedo B, do Amaral DD, Castellanos H, de Medeiros MB, Andrade A, Camargo JL, Farias ES, Magalhães JLL, Mendonça Nascimento HE, de Queiroz HL, Brienen R, Cardenas Revilla JD, Stevenson PR, Araujo-Murakami A, Barçante Ladvocat Cintra B, Feitosa YO, Barbosa FR, Carpanedo RS, Duivenvoorden JF, de Noronha JDC, Rodrigues DJ, Mogollón HF, Ferreira LV, Householder JE, Lozada JR, Comiskey JA, Draper FC, de Toledo JJ, Damasco G, Dávila N, García-Villacorta R, Lopes A, Cornejo Valverde F, Alonso A, Dallmeier F, Gomes VHF, Jimenez EM, Neill D, Peñuela Mora MC, de Aguiar DPP, Arroyo L, Antunes Carvalho F, Coelho de Souza F, Feeley KJ, Gribel R, Pansonato MP, Ríos Paredes M, Brasil da Silva I, Ferreira MJ, Fine PVA, Fonty É, Guedes MC, Licona JC, Pennington T, Peres CA, Villa Zegarra BE, Parada GA, Pardo Molina G, Vos VA, Cerón C, Maas P, Silveira M, Stropp J, Thomas R, Baker TR, Daly D, Huamantupa-Chuquimaco I, Vieira ICG, Weiss Albuquerque B, Fuentes A, Klitgaard B, Marcelo-Peña JL, Silman MR, Tello JS, Vriesendorp C, Chave J, Di Fiore A, Hilário RR, Phillips JF, Rivas-Torres G, von Hildebrand P, Pereira LO, Barbosa EM, de Matos Bonates LC, Doza HPD, Zárate Gómez R, Gallardo Gonzales GP, Gonzales T, Malhi Y, de Andrade Miranda IP, Mozombite Pinto LF, Prieto A, Rudas A, Ruschel AR, Silva N, Vela CIA, Zent EL, Zent S, Cano A, Carrero Márquez YA, Correa DF, Costa JBP, Galbraith D, Holmgren M, Kalamandeen M, Lobo G, Nascimento MT, Oliveira AA, Ramirez-Angulo H, Rocha M, Scudeller VV, Sierra R, Tirado M, van der Heijden G, Vilanova Torre E, Ahuite Reategui MA, Baider C, Balslev H, Cárdenas S, Casas LF, Farfan-Rios W, Ferreira C, Linares-Palomino R, Mendoza C, Mesones I, Urrego Giraldo LE, Villarroel D, Zagt R, Alexiades MN, de Oliveira EA, Garcia-Cabrera K, Hernandez L, Palacios Cuenca W, Pansini S, Pauletto D, Ramirez Arevalo F, Sampaio AF, Valenzuela Gamarra L, and Aragão LEOC

Subjects
Humans, Brazil, Forests, Archaeology
Abstract

Indigenous societies are known to have occupied the Amazon basin for more than 12,000 years, but the scale of their influence on Amazonian forests remains uncertain. We report the discovery, using LIDAR (light detection and ranging) information from across the basin, of 24 previously undetected pre-Columbian earthworks beneath the forest canopy. Modeled distribution and abundance of large-scale archaeological sites across Amazonia suggest that between 10,272 and 23,648 sites remain to be discovered and that most will be found in the southwest. We also identified 53 domesticated tree species significantly associated with earthwork occurrence probability, likely suggesting past management practices. Closed-canopy forests across Amazonia are likely to contain thousands of undiscovered archaeological sites around which pre-Columbian societies actively modified forests, a discovery that opens opportunities for better understanding the magnitude of ancient human influence on Amazonia and its current state.

Published
2023
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4. Assessing the carbon capture potential of a reforestation project.

Author

Lefebvre D, Williams AG, Kirk GJD, Paul, Burgess J, Meersmans J, Silman MR, Román-Dañobeytia F, Farfan J, and Smith P

Subjects
Biomass, Brazil, Databases, Factual, Ecosystem, Models, Theoretical, Peru, Software, Soil chemistry, Trees, Carbon chemistry, Carbon Cycle, Conservation of Natural Resources, Forests
Abstract

The number of reforestation projects worldwide is increasing. In many cases funding is obtained through the claimed carbon capture of the trees, presented as immediate and durable, whereas reforested plots need time and maintenance to realise their carbon capture potential. Further, claims usually overlook the environmental costs of natural or anthropogenic disturbances during the forest's lifetime, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with the reforestation are not allowed for. This study uses life cycle assessment to quantify the carbon footprint of setting up a reforestation plot in the Peruvian Amazon. In parallel, we combine a soil carbon model with an above- and below-ground plant carbon model to predict the increase in carbon stocks after planting. We compare our results with the carbon capture claims made by a reforestation platform. Our results show major errors in carbon accounting in reforestation projects if they (1) ignore the time needed for trees to reach their carbon capture potential; (2) ignore the GHG emissions involved in setting up a plot; (3) report the carbon capture potential per tree planted, thereby ignoring limitations at the forest ecosystem level; or (4) under-estimate tree losses due to inevitable human and climatic disturbances. Further, we show that applications of biochar during reforestation can partially compensate for project emissions., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

Published
2021
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5. Biased-corrected richness estimates for the Amazonian tree flora.

Author

Ter Steege H, Prado PI, Lima RAF, Pos E, de Souza Coelho L, de Andrade Lima Filho D, Salomão RP, Amaral IL, de Almeida Matos FD, Castilho CV, Phillips OL, Guevara JE, de Jesus Veiga Carim M, Cárdenas López D, Magnusson WE, Wittmann F, Martins MP, Sabatier D, Irume MV, da Silva Guimarães JR, Molino JF, Bánki OS, Piedade MTF, Pitman NCA, Ramos JF, Monteagudo Mendoza A, Venticinque EM, Luize BG, Núñez Vargas P, Silva TSF, de Leão Novo EMM, Reis NFC, Terborgh J, Manzatto AG, Casula KR, Honorio Coronado EN, Montero JC, Duque A, Costa FRC, Castaño Arboleda N, Schöngart J, Zartman CE, Killeen TJ, Marimon BS, Marimon-Junior BH, Vasquez R, Mostacedo B, Demarchi LO, Feldpausch TR, Engel J, Petronelli P, Baraloto C, Assis RL, Castellanos H, Simon MF, de Medeiros MB, Quaresma A, Laurance SGW, Rincón LM, Andrade A, Sousa TR, Camargo JL, Schietti J, Laurance WF, de Queiroz HL, Nascimento HEM, Lopes MA, de Sousa Farias E, Magalhães JLL, Brienen R, Aymard C GA, Revilla JDC, Vieira ICG, Cintra BBL, Stevenson PR, Feitosa YO, Duivenvoorden JF, Mogollón HF, Araujo-Murakami A, Ferreira LV, Lozada JR, Comiskey JA, de Toledo JJ, Damasco G, Dávila N, Lopes A, García-Villacorta R, Draper F, Vicentini A, Cornejo Valverde F, Lloyd J, Gomes VHF, Neill D, Alonso A, Dallmeier F, de Souza FC, Gribel R, Arroyo L, Carvalho FA, de Aguiar DPP, do Amaral DD, Pansonato MP, Feeley KJ, Berenguer E, Fine PVA, Guedes MC, Barlow J, Ferreira J, Villa B, Peñuela Mora MC, Jimenez EM, Licona JC, Cerón C, Thomas R, Maas P, Silveira M, Henkel TW, Stropp J, Paredes MR, Dexter KG, Daly D, Baker TR, Huamantupa-Chuquimaco I, Milliken W, Pennington T, Tello JS, Pena JLM, Peres CA, Klitgaard B, Fuentes A, Silman MR, Di Fiore A, von Hildebrand P, Chave J, van Andel TR, Hilário RR, Phillips JF, Rivas-Torres G, Noronha JC, Prieto A, Gonzales T, de Sá Carpanedo R, Gonzales GPG, Gómez RZ, de Jesus Rodrigues D, Zent EL, Ruschel AR, Vos VA, Fonty É, Junqueira AB, Doza HPD, Hoffman B, Zent S, Barbosa EM, Malhi Y, de Matos Bonates LC, de Andrade Miranda IP, Silva N, Barbosa FR, Vela CIA, Pinto LFM, Rudas A, Albuquerque BW, Umaña MN, Carrero Márquez YA, van der Heijden G, Young KR, Tirado M, Correa DF, Sierra R, Costa JBP, Rocha M, Vilanova Torre E, Wang O, Oliveira AA, Kalamandeen M, Vriesendorp C, Ramirez-Angulo H, Holmgren M, Nascimento MT, Galbraith D, Flores BM, Scudeller VV, Cano A, Ahuite Reategui MA, Mesones I, Baider C, Mendoza C, Zagt R, Urrego Giraldo LE, Ferreira C, Villarroel D, Linares-Palomino R, Farfan-Rios W, Farfan-Rios W, Casas LF, Cárdenas S, Balslev H, Torres-Lezama A, Alexiades MN, Garcia-Cabrera K, Valenzuela Gamarra L, Valderrama Sandoval EH, Ramirez Arevalo F, Hernandez L, Sampaio AF, Pansini S, Palacios Cuenca W, de Oliveira EA, Pauletto D, Levesley A, Melgaço K, and Pickavance G

Subjects
Brazil, Biodiversity, Classification methods, Forests, Rivers, Trees classification
Abstract

Amazonian forests are extraordinarily diverse, but the estimated species richness is very much debated. Here, we apply an ensemble of parametric estimators and a novel technique that includes conspecific spatial aggregation to an extended database of forest plots with up-to-date taxonomy. We show that the species abundance distribution of Amazonia is best approximated by a logseries with aggregated individuals, where aggregation increases with rarity. By averaging several methods to estimate total richness, we confirm that over 15,000 tree species are expected to occur in Amazonia. We also show that using ten times the number of plots would result in an increase to just ~50% of those 15,000 estimated species. To get a more complete sample of all tree species, rigorous field campaigns may be needed but the number of trees in Amazonia will remain an estimate for years to come.

Published
2020
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7. Holocene fire and occupation in Amazonia: records from two lake districts.

Author

Bush MB, Silman MR, de Toledo MB, Listopad C, Gosling WD, Williams C, de Oliveira PE, and Krisel C

Subjects
Brazil, Carbon Radioisotopes analysis, Charcoal analysis, Fresh Water, History, Ancient, Humans, Pollen chemistry, Agriculture history, Archaeology, Conservation of Natural Resources, Fires history, Geologic Sediments analysis, Population Dynamics
Abstract

While large-scale pre-Columbian human occupation and ecological disturbance have been demonstrated close to major Amazonian waterways, less is known of sites in terra firme settings. Palaeoecological analyses of two lake districts in central and western Amazonia reveal long histories of occupation and land use. At both locations, human activity was centred on one of the lakes, while the others were either lightly used or unused. These analyses indicate that the scale of human impacts in these terra firme settings is localized and probably strongly influenced by the presence of a permanent open-water body. Evidence is found of forest clearance and cultivation of maize and manioc. These data are directly relevant to the resilience of Amazonian conservation, as they do not support the contention that all of Amazonia is a 'built landscape' and therefore a product of past human land use.

Published
2007
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8. Distance-dependence in two Amazonian palms: effects of spatial and temporal variation in seed predator communities.

Author

Wyatt JL and Silman MR

Subjects
Animals, Brazil, Feces, Mammals, Models, Biological, Seedlings growth & development, Seedlings physiology, Seeds growth & development, Trees growth & development, Tropical Climate, Biodiversity, Feeding Behavior, Seeds physiology, Trees physiology
Abstract

Animals aid population growth and fitness in tropical forest communities through dispersal and negatively impact populations through seed predation. The interaction between dispersal and seed predation can produce distance- or density-dependence; powerful mechanisms for maintaining species diversity incorporated in the Janzen-Connell model. Large mammals, the highest biomass seed predators of intact Amazonian communities and at risk due to human disturbance, are potentially central to these interactions. This study tests the Janzen-Connell model and investigates the impact of mammalian seed predators on seedling recruitment and maintenance of tree diversity. Patterns of both vertebrate and invertebrate seed predation and seedling recruitment were studied in the two most abundant canopy tree species in western Amazonia (Arecaceae: Astrocaryum murumuru and Iriartea deltoidea). We specifically examined effects of both spatial and temporal variation of the highest biomass seed predator in southwest Amazonian forests, the white-lipped peccary ( Tayassu pecari), on recruitment through disturbed and undisturbed sites and through a fortuitous 12 year natural extinction and recolonization event of T. pecari. Distance-dependent seedling recruitment was found in Astrocaryum and Iriartea at both sites. However, the median distance of seedlings was approximately 1.5x farther from reproductive adults in both palms at the undisturbed site. The number of Iriartea seeds escaping predation increased 6,000% in both space and time due to the decline of T. pecari abundance. The results demonstrate that Janzen-Connell effects are stronger in intact ecosystems and tie these mechanistically to changes in seed predator abundance. This study shows that anthropogenic changes in mammal communities decrease the magnitude of Janzen-Connell effects in Amazonian forests and may result in decreases in tree diversity.

Published
2004
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