TY - JOUR
T1 - Bird and bat predation services in tropical forests and agroforestry landscapes
AU - Maas, Bea
AU - Karp, Daniel S.
AU - Bumrungsri, Sara
AU - Darras, Kevin
AU - Gonthier, David
AU - Huang, Joe C.C.
AU - Lindell, Catherine A.
AU - Maine, Josiah J.
AU - Mestre, Laia
AU - Michel, Nicole L.
AU - Morrison, Emily B.
AU - Perfecto, Ivette
AU - Philpott, Stacy M.
AU - Şekercioğlu, Çagan H.
AU - Silva, Roberta M.
AU - Taylor, Peter J.
AU - Tscharntke, Teja
AU - Van Bael, Sunshine A.
AU - Whelan, Christopher J.
AU - Williams-Guillén, Kimberly
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2015 Cambridge Philosophical Society
PY - 2016/11/1
Y1 - 2016/11/1
N2 - Understanding distribution patterns and multitrophic interactions is critical for managing bat- and bird-mediated ecosystem services such as the suppression of pest and non-pest arthropods. Despite the ecological and economic importance of bats and birds in tropical forests, agroforestry systems, and agricultural systems mixed with natural forest, a systematic review of their impact is still missing. A growing number of bird and bat exclosure experiments has improved our knowledge allowing new conclusions regarding their roles in food webs and associated ecosystem services. Here, we review the distribution patterns of insectivorous birds and bats, their local and landscape drivers, and their effects on trophic cascades in tropical ecosystems. We report that for birds but not bats community composition and relative importance of functional groups changes conspicuously from forests to habitats including both agricultural areas and forests, here termed ‘forest-agri’ habitats, with reduced representation of insectivores in the latter. In contrast to previous theory regarding trophic cascade strength, we find that birds and bats reduce the density and biomass of arthropods in the tropics with effect sizes similar to those in temperate and boreal communities. The relative importance of birds versus bats in regulating pest abundances varies with season, geography and management. Birds and bats may even suppress tropical arthropod outbreaks, although positive effects on plant growth are not always reported. As both bats and birds are major agents of pest suppression, a better understanding of the local and landscape factors driving the variability of their impact is needed.
AB - Understanding distribution patterns and multitrophic interactions is critical for managing bat- and bird-mediated ecosystem services such as the suppression of pest and non-pest arthropods. Despite the ecological and economic importance of bats and birds in tropical forests, agroforestry systems, and agricultural systems mixed with natural forest, a systematic review of their impact is still missing. A growing number of bird and bat exclosure experiments has improved our knowledge allowing new conclusions regarding their roles in food webs and associated ecosystem services. Here, we review the distribution patterns of insectivorous birds and bats, their local and landscape drivers, and their effects on trophic cascades in tropical ecosystems. We report that for birds but not bats community composition and relative importance of functional groups changes conspicuously from forests to habitats including both agricultural areas and forests, here termed ‘forest-agri’ habitats, with reduced representation of insectivores in the latter. In contrast to previous theory regarding trophic cascade strength, we find that birds and bats reduce the density and biomass of arthropods in the tropics with effect sizes similar to those in temperate and boreal communities. The relative importance of birds versus bats in regulating pest abundances varies with season, geography and management. Birds and bats may even suppress tropical arthropod outbreaks, although positive effects on plant growth are not always reported. As both bats and birds are major agents of pest suppression, a better understanding of the local and landscape factors driving the variability of their impact is needed.
KW - agricultural landscapes
KW - arthropod suppression
KW - bird and bat ecology
KW - cacao
KW - coffee
KW - ecosystem services
KW - exclosure experiments
KW - flying vertebrates
KW - food webs
KW - pest suppression
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U2 - 10.1111/brv.12211
DO - 10.1111/brv.12211
M3 - Article
C2 - 26202483
AN - SCOPUS:84937501528
SN - 1464-7931
VL - 91
SP - 1081
EP - 1101
JO - Biological Reviews
JF - Biological Reviews
IS - 4
ER -