Impacts of large herbivores on spinescence and abundance of palms in the Pantanal, Brazil

• Published in: Botanical journal of the Linnean Society Vol. 182; no. 2; pp. 465 - 479
• Main Authors: Göldel, Bastian, Araujo, Andréa C., Kissling, W. Daniel, Svenning, Jens-Christian
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Oxford University Press 01.10.2016
• Subjects: Acrocomia aculeata; adults; Attalea; Attalea phalerata; Bactris; Brazil; Cattle; Copernicia; disturbance; extinction; fauna; grazing; Herbivores; Herbivory; Holocene; juveniles; Leaves; Livestock; megafauna extinction; Pantanal; plant defences; Pleistocene; Seedlings; Spine; spines; Stems; Trampling; trampling damage; Pantanal; Brazil; spines; disturbance; megafauna extinction; grazing; plant defences; livestock

Abstract South America harboured a rich megafauna for millions of years, but most of it was lost during the latest Pleistocene and early Holocene. However, human-introduced livestock is a potential partial ecological replacement, with livestock having been present in many areas of the Brazilian Pant...