Andrew D. Barnes, Kara Allen, Holger Kreft, Marife D. Corre, Malte Jochum, Edzo Veldkamp, Yann Clough, Rolf Daniel, Kevin Darras, Lisa H. Denmead, Noor Farikhah Haneda, Dietrich Hertel, Alexander Knohl, Martyna M. Kotowska, Syahrul Kurniawan, Ana Meijide, Katja Rembold, Walesa Edho Prabowo, Dominik Schneider, Teja Tscharntke, Ulrich Brose
The conversion of tropical rainforest to agricultural systems such as oil palm alters biodiversity across a large range of interacting taxa and trophic levels. Yet, it remains unclear how direct and cascading effects of land-use change simultaneously drive ecological shifts. Combining data from a multi-taxon research initiative in Sumatra, Indonesia, we show that direct and cascading land-use effects alter biomass and species richness of taxa across trophic levels ranging from microorganisms to birds. Tropical land use resulted in increases in biomass and species richness via bottom-up cascading effects, but reductions via direct effects. When considering direct and cascading effects together, land use was found to reduce biomass and species richness, with increasing magnitude at higher trophic levels. Our analyses disentangle the multifaceted effects of land-use change on tropical ecosystems, revealing that biotic interactions on broad taxonomic scales influence the ecological outcome of anthropogenic perturbations to natural ecosystems. © 2017 Macmillan Publishers Limited, part of Springer Nature. All rights reserved.
Systemic Conservation Biology, University of Goettingen, Berliner Str. 28, Goettingen, 37073, Germany; German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (IDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, Leipzig, 04103, Germany; Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, Johannisallee 21, Leipzig, 04103, Germany; Soil Science of Tropical and Subtropical Ecosystems, University of Goettingen, Büsgen Institute, Büsgenweg 2, Goettingen, 37077, Germany; Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota, 306 Ecology, 1987 Upper Buford Circle, St. Paul, 55108, MN, United States; Biodiversity, Macroecology and Biogeography, University of Goettingen, Büsgenweg 1, Goettingen, 37077, Germany; Institute of Plant Sciences, University of Bern, Altenbergrain 21, Bern, 3013, Switzerland; Department of Crop Sciences, Agroecology, University of Goettingen, Grisebachstr. 6, Goettingen, 37077, Germany; Centre for Environmental and Climate Research, Lund University, Sölvegatan 37, Lund, 22362, Sweden; Department of Genomic and Applied Microbiology and Goettingen Genomics Laboratory, Institute of Microbiology and Genetics, University of Goettingen, Grisebachstr. 8, Goettingen, 37077, Germany; Marine and Environmental Management, School of Applied Sciences, Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology, 70 Windermere Drive, Tauranga, 3112, New Zealand; Department of Silviculture, Faculty of Forestry, Bogor Agricultural University, Darmaga Campus, Bogor, 16680, Indonesia; Department of Plant Ecology and Ecosystems Research, University of Goettingen, Untere Karspüle 2, Goettingen, 37073, Germany; Bioclimatology, University of Goettingen, Büsgenweg 2, Goettingen, 37077, Germany; Department of Soil Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Brawijaya University, Malang, Indonesia; Conservation Biology Division, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Baltzerstrasse 6, Bern, CH-3012, Switzerland; Institute of Ecology, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Dornburger-Str. 159, Jena, 07743, Germany
