Effect of vertebrate exclusion on ecosystem functioning

Abstract

Description: Vertebrate communities can be the most sensitive to deforestation, therefore it is important to understand how their loss impacts the ecosystem. This study investigated the removal of top-down control by vertebrates and the resulting trophic cascade, through exclusion plots. Here, I examined the effect of vertebrate exclusion on aboveground invertebrate communities and herbivory rate, and the effect on belowground invertebrate communities and decomposition rate. I also assessed whether this trophic cascade accumulated over time by comparing results in newly established plots to those established the previous year.