Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://hdl.handle.net/1893/31738
Appears in Collections:Biological and Environmental Sciences Journal Articles
Peer Review Status: Refereed
Title: Long-term collapse in fruit availability threatens Central African forest megafauna
Author(s): Bush, Emma R
Whytock, Robin C
Bahaa-el-din, Laila
Bourgeois, Stéphanie
Bunnefeld, Nils
Cardoso, Anabelle W
Dikangadissi, Jean Thoussaint
Dimbonda, Pacôme
Dimoto, Edmond
Edzang Ndong, Josué
Jeffery, Kathryn J
Lehmann, David
Makaga, Loïc
Momboua, Brice
Momont, Ludovic R W
Tutin, Caroline E G
White, Lee J T
Whittaker, Alden
Abernethy, Katharine
Issue Date: 4-Dec-2020
Date Deposited: 25-Sep-2020
Citation: Bush ER, Whytock RC, Bahaa-el-din L, Bourgeois S, Bunnefeld N, Cardoso AW, Dikangadissi JT, Dimbonda P, Dimoto E, Edzang Ndong J, Jeffery KJ, Lehmann D, Makaga L, Momboua B, Momont LRW, Tutin CEG, White LJT, Whittaker A & Abernethy K (2020) Long-term collapse in fruit availability threatens Central African forest megafauna. Science, 370 (6521), pp. 1219-1222. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abc7791
Abstract: Afrotropical forests host many of the world’s remaining megafauna, but even here they are confined to areas where direct human influences are low. We use a rare long-term dataset of tree reproduction and a photographic database of forest elephants to assess food availability and body condition of an emblematic megafauna species at Lopé National Park, Gabon. We show an 81% decline in fruiting over a 32-year period (1986-2018) and an 11% decline in body condition of fruit-dependent forest elephants from 2008-2018. Fruit famine in one of the last strongholds for African forest elephants should raise concern for the ability of this species and other fruit-dependent megafauna to persist in the long-term, with consequences for broader ecosystem and biosphere functioning.
DOI Link: 10.1126/science.abc7791
Rights: This is the author’s version of the work. It is posted here by permission of the AAAS for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Science on 4 Dec 2020, Vol. 370, Issue 6521, pp. 1219-1222. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abc7791

Files in This Item:
File Description SizeFormat 
Bush Whytock et al. 2020_FinalAuthorVersion.pdfFulltext - Accepted Version8.73 MBAdobe PDFView/Open



This item is protected by original copyright



Items in the Repository are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.

The metadata of the records in the Repository are available under the CC0 public domain dedication: No Rights Reserved https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/

If you believe that any material held in STORRE infringes copyright, please contact library@stir.ac.uk providing details and we will remove the Work from public display in STORRE and investigate your claim.