An ecosystem services approach to the ecological effects of salvage logging: valuation of seed dispersal.

Forest disturbances diminish ecosystem services and boost disservices. Because post-disturbance management intends to recover the greatest possible value, selling timber often prevails over other considerations. Ecological research has shown diverse effects of salvage logging, yet such research has focused on the biophysical component of post-disturbance ecosystems and lacks the link with human well-being. Here we bridge that gap under the ecosystem services framework by assessing the impact of post-fire management on a non-timber value. By employing the replacement cost method, we calculated the value of the post-fire natural regeneration of Holm oaks in southern Spain under three post-fire management options by considering the cost of planting instead. The value of this ecosystem service in non-intervention areas doubled that of salvage-logged stands due to the preference for standing dead trees by the main seed disperser. Still, most of the value resulted from the resprouting capacity of oaks. The value of this and other ecosystem services should be added to traditional cost/benefit analyses of post-disturbance management. We thus call for a more holistic approach to salvage logging research, one that explicitly links ecological processes with human well-being through ecosystem services, to better inform decision-makers on the outcomes of post-disturbance management

Synergistic effects of seed disperser and predator loss on recruitment success and long-term consequences for carbon stocks in tropical rainforests

Made available in DSpace on 2018-12-11T17:33:41Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2017-12-01The extinction of large frugivores has consequences for the recruitment of large-seeded plants with potential lasting effects on carbon storage in tropical rainforests. However, previous studies relating frugivore defaunation to changes in carbon storage ignore potential compensation by redundant frugivores and the effects of seed predators on plant recruitment. Based on empirical data of the recruitment success of a large-seeded hardwood tree species (Cryptocarya mandioccana, Lauraceae) across a defaunation gradient of seed dispersers and predators, we show that defaunation increases both seed dispersal limitation and seed predation. Depending on the level of seed predator loss, plant recruitment is reduced by 70.7-94.9% as a result of the loss of seed dispersers. The loss of large seed predators increases the net seed mortality by 7-30% due to the increased abundance of small granivorous rodents. The loss of large seed dispersers can be buffered by the compensatory effects of smaller frugivores in seed removal, but it is not sufficient to prevent a decrease in plant recruitment. We show that the conservation of both seed predators and dispersers is necessary for the recruitment of large-seeded plants. Since these plants contribute substantially to carbon stocks, defaunation can jeopardize the maintenance of tropical forest carbon storage.Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP) Instituto de Biociências Departamento de Zoologia Laboratório de Primatologia, Avenida 24A, CP199 1515Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP) Instituto de Biociências Departamento de Ecologia Laboratório de Biologia da Conservação, Avenida 24A, 1515 CP199Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz (ESALQ) Universidade de São Paulo (USP) Departamento de Ciências Florestais, Avenida Pádua Dias, 11Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP) Instituto de Biociências Departamento de Zoologia Laboratório de Primatologia, Avenida 24A, CP199 1515Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP) Instituto de Biociências Departamento de Ecologia Laboratório de Biologia da Conservação, Avenida 24A, 1515 CP19