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Mammal diversity influences the carbon cycle through trophic interactions in the Amazon

Nature Ecology & Evolution volume 1, pages 1670–1676 (2017)Cite this article

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An Author Correction to this article was published on 19 October 2017

This article has been updated

Abstract

Biodiversity affects many ecosystem functions and services, including carbon cycling and retention. While it is known that the efficiency of carbon capture and biomass production by ecological communities increases with species diversity, the role of vertebrate animals in the carbon cycle remains undocumented. Here, we use an extensive dataset collected in a high-diversity Amazonian system to parse out the relationship between animal and plant species richness, feeding interactions, tree biomass and carbon concentrations in soil. Mammal and tree species richness is positively related to tree biomass and carbon concentration in soil—and the relationship is mediated by organic remains produced by vertebrate feeding events. Our research advances knowledge of the links between biodiversity and carbon cycling and storage, supporting the view that whole community complexity—including vertebrate richness and trophic interactions—drives ecosystem function in tropical systems. Securing animal and plant diversity while protecting landscape integrity will contribute to soil nutrient content and carbon retention in the biosphere.

Biodiversity is expected to affect the ability of forests to sequester carbon dioxide from the atmosphere1. This is due to both the increased likelihood of highly productive species being present2 and a rise in the use of limiting resources due to complementarity effects3. Plant diversity increases biomass production (carbon sequestration) and soil organic matter4,5,6,7. After biomass is formed, it can be consumed by herbivores or die. After death, organic litter can be decomposed or stored as organic matter. Thus, diversity of the whole community, including animals, may influence carbon concentration in soil, which might eventually impact carbon stored in tree biomass8. However, the relationship between mammal diversity and carbon cycle components in tropical forests remains undocumented.

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Fig. 1: Map of the study area in Guyana (WGS 84/UTM zone 21N; short lines indicate surveyed transects) and diagram of hypothesized ecological interactions that link atmospheric, biotic and soil carbon pools.
Fig. 2: Results of the richness–carbon relationships.
Fig. 3: Results of the structural equation model analysing the relationship of mammal richness, tree richness, feeding interactions and organic remains with carbon concentration in soil, carbon per tree and tree carbon per area.

Change history

  • 19 October 2017

    In the version of this Article originally published, the surname of Ted K. Raab was misspelt. This error has now been corrected in all versions of the Article.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the Guyana Environmental Protection Agency and the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs for permission to work in the Rupununi. We thank the National Science Foundation (NSF; Grant BE/CNH 05 08094), the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation and Stanford University for financial and administrative support. We thank the Iwokrama International Centre for Rainforest Conservation, the North Rupununi District Development Board, and the Deep South Toshaos’ Council for support in Guyana. K. Epps, D. Turner and E. Kurten collaborated with soil sampling and analyses. N. Butts and A. Cummings sampled tree diversity and carbon in trees. Additionally, A. R. Larrinaga, A. Baselga and C. Gómez provided useful suggestions and collaborated with GIS work. We thank H. Mooney, C. Field, E. Garnier, C. Violle, A. Milcu, S. Hattenschwiler, B. Shipley, C. Tucker, M. Grennié, A. M. Cortizas, B. Glaser, A. da Rocha, L. García de Jalón and the Guitián lab for comments on the manuscript. S. García created the illustration. We thank the Makushi, Wapishana and Wai-Wai technicians whose fieldwork and local knowledge made this research possible.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA

    Mar Sobral & José M. V. Fragoso

  2. Center of Functional and Evolutionary Ecology, CNRS, Montpellier, 34293, France

    Mar Sobral

  3. Department of Zoology, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, 15782, Spain

    Mar Sobral

  4. Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, USA

    Kirsten M. Silvius

  5. State University of New York-ESF, Syracuse, NY, 13210, USA

    Han Overman

  6. Museu Nacional/UFRJ, Rio de Janeiro, 21941, Brazil

    Luiz F. B. Oliveira

  7. Carnegie Institution for Science, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA

    Ted K. Raab

  8. The California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, CA, 94118, USA

    José M. V. Fragoso

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  1. Mar Sobral
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Contributions

J.M.V.F., M.S., K.M.S. and L.F.B.O. conceptualized this study. M.S. completed the statistical analyses. J.M.V.F., K.M.S., H.O., L.F.B.O., T.K.R. and other colleagues designed the field study and/or oversaw data collection. M.S. and K.M.S. drafted the manuscript with all authors participating in revisions.

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Correspondence to Mar Sobral.

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Sobral, M., Silvius, K.M., Overman, H. et al. Mammal diversity influences the carbon cycle through trophic interactions in the Amazon. Nat Ecol Evol 1, 1670–1676 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-017-0334-0

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