Rethinking megafauna

  1. Moleón, Marcos 1
  2. Sánchez-Zapata, José 2
  3. Donázar, José 3
  4. Revilla, Eloy 3
  5. Martín-López, Berta 4
  6. Gutiérrez-Cánovas, Cayetano 5
  7. Getz, Wayne 6
  8. Morales-Reyes, Zebensui 2
  9. Campos-Arceiz, Ahimsa 7
  10. Crowder, Larry 8
  11. Galetti, Mauro 9
  12. González-Suárez, Manuela 10
  13. He, Fengzhi 11
  14. Jordano, Pedro 3
  15. Lewison, Rebecca 12
  16. Naidoo, Robin 13
  17. Owen-Smith, Norman 14
  18. Selva, Nuria 15
  19. Svenning, Jens-Christian 16
  20. Tella, José 3
  21. Zarfl, Christiane 17
  22. Jähnig, Sonja 11
  23. Hayward, Matt 18
  24. Faurby, Søren 19
  25. García, Nuria 20
  26. Barnosky, Anthony 8
  27. Tochner, Klement 21
  28. Mostrar todos los/as autores/as +
  1. 1 Universidad de Granada
    info

    Universidad de Granada

    Granada, España

    ROR https://ror.org/04njjy449

  2. 2 Universidad Miguel Hernández de Elche
    info

    Universidad Miguel Hernández de Elche

    Elche, España

    ROR https://ror.org/01azzms13

  3. 3 Estación Biológica de Doñana
    info

    Estación Biológica de Doñana

    Sevilla, España

    ROR https://ror.org/006gw6z14

  4. 4 Leuphana University of Lüneburg
  5. 5 Universitat de Barcelona
    info

    Universitat de Barcelona

    Barcelona, España

    ROR https://ror.org/021018s57

  6. 6 University of California, Berkeley
    info

    University of California, Berkeley

    Berkeley, Estados Unidos

    ROR https://ror.org/01an7q238

  7. 7 University of Nottingham
    info

    University of Nottingham

    Nottingham, Reino Unido

    ROR https://ror.org/01ee9ar58

  8. 8 Stanford University
    info

    Stanford University

    Stanford, Estados Unidos

    ROR https://ror.org/00f54p054

  9. 9 Universidade Estadual Paulista
    info

    Universidade Estadual Paulista

    São Paulo, Brasil

    ROR https://ror.org/00987cb86

  10. 10 University of Reading
    info

    University of Reading

    Reading, Reino Unido

    ROR https://ror.org/05v62cm79

  11. 11 Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries
    info

    Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries

    Berlín, Alemania

    ROR https://ror.org/01nftxb06

  12. 12 San Diego State University
    info

    San Diego State University

    San Diego, Estados Unidos

    ROR https://ror.org/0264fdx42

  13. 13 World Wildlife Fund
  14. 14 University of the Witwatersrand
    info

    University of the Witwatersrand

    Johannesburgo, Sudáfrica

    ROR https://ror.org/03rp50x72

  15. 15 Polish Academy of Sciences
    info

    Polish Academy of Sciences

    Varsovia, Polonia

    ROR https://ror.org/01dr6c206

  16. 16 Aarhus University
    info

    Aarhus University

    Århus, Dinamarca

    ROR https://ror.org/01aj84f44

  17. 17 University of Tübingen
    info

    University of Tübingen

    Tubinga, Alemania

    ROR https://ror.org/03a1kwz48

  18. 18 Bangor University
    info

    Bangor University

    Bangor, Reino Unido

    ROR https://ror.org/006jb1a24

  19. 19 University of Gothenburg
    info

    University of Gothenburg

    Gotemburgo, Suecia

    ROR https://ror.org/01tm6cn81

  20. 20 Universidad Complutense de Madrid
    info

    Universidad Complutense de Madrid

    Madrid, España

    ROR 02p0gd045

  21. 21 FWF Austrian Science Fund
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Editor: Dryad

Año de publicación: 2020

Tipo: Dataset

CC0 1.0

DOI: 10.5061/DRYAD.DV41NS1V3 lock_openAcceso abierto editor

Resumen

Concern for megafauna is increasing among scientists and non-scientists. Many studies have emphasized that megafauna play prominent ecological roles and provide important ecosystem services to humanity. But, what precisely are “megafauna”? Here we critically assess the concept of megafauna and propose a goal-oriented framework for megafaunal research. First, we review definitions of megafauna and analyze associated terminology in the scientific literature. Second, we conduct a survey among ecologists and paleontologists to assess the species traits used to identify and define megafauna. Our review indicates that definitions are highly dependent on the study ecosystem and research question, and primarily rely on ad hoc size-related criteria. Our survey suggests that body size is crucial, but not necessarily sufficient, for addressing the different applications of the term megafauna. Thus, after discussing the pros and cons of existing definitions, we propose an additional approach by defining two function-oriented megafaunal concepts: “keystone megafauna” and “functional megafauna”, with its variant “apex megafauna”. Assessing megafauna from a functional perspective could challenge the perception that there may not be a unifying definition of megafauna that can be applied to all eco-evolutionary narratives. In addition, using functional definitions of megafauna could be especially conducive to cross-disciplinary understanding and cooperation, improvement of conservation policy and practice, and strengthening of public perception. As megafaunal research advances, we encourage scientists to unambiguously define how they use the term “megafauna” and to present the logic underpinning their definition.