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Rethinking megafauna
Rethinking megafauna
- Article/chapterEnglish2020
Publisher, publication year, extent ...
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2020-03-04
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The Royal Society,2020
Numbers
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LIBRIS-ID:oai:gup.ub.gu.se/292435
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https://gup.ub.gu.se/publication/292435URI
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https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2019.2643DOI
Supplementary language notes
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Classification
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Subject category:ref swepub-contenttype
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Subject category:art swepub-publicationtype
Notes
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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 analyse associated terminology in the scientific literature. Second, we conduct a survey among ecologists and palaeontologists 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.
Subject headings and genre
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NATURVETENSKAP Biologi hsv//swe
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NATURAL SCIENCES Biological Sciences hsv//eng
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apex predators
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body size
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functional traits
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keystone species
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large
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animals
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megaherbivores
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epibenthic megafauna
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marine megafauna
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body-size
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pleistocene
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abundance
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extinction
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management
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patterns
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biomass
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biodiversity
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Life Sciences & Biomedicine - Other Topics
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Ecology
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Evolutionary Biology
Added entries (persons, corporate bodies, meetings, titles ...)
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Sanchez-Zapata, J. A.
(author)
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Donazar, J. A.
(author)
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Revilla, E.
(author)
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Martin-Lopez, B.
(author)
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Gutierrez-Canovas, C.
(author)
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Getz, W. M.
(author)
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Morales-Reyes, Z.
(author)
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Campos-Arceiz, A.
(author)
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Crowder, L. B.
(author)
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Galetti, M.
(author)
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Gonzalez-Suarez, M.
(author)
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He, F. Z.
(author)
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Jordano, P.
(author)
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Lewison, R.
(author)
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Naidoo, R.
(author)
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Owen-Smith, N.
(author)
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Selva, N.
(author)
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Tella, J. L.
(author)
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Zarfl, C.
(author)
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Jahnig, S. C.
(author)
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Hayward, M. W.
(author)
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Faurby, Sören,1981Gothenburg University,Göteborgs universitet,Institutionen för biologi och miljövetenskap,Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences(Swepub:gu)xfauso
(author)
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Garcia, N.
(author)
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Barnosky, A. D.
(author)
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Tockner, K.
(author)
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Göteborgs universitetInstitutionen för biologi och miljövetenskap
(creator_code:org_t)
Related titles
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In:Proceedings of the Royal Society B-Biological Sciences: The Royal Society287:19220962-84521471-2954
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Moleon, M.
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Sanchez-Zapata, ...
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Donazar, J. A.
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Revilla, E.
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Martin-Lopez, B.
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Gutierrez-Canova ...
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show more...
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Getz, W. M.
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Morales-Reyes, Z ...
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Campos-Arceiz, A ...
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Crowder, L. B.
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Galetti, M.
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Gonzalez-Suarez, ...
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He, F. Z.
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Jordano, P.
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Lewison, R.
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Naidoo, R.
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Owen-Smith, N.
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Selva, N.
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Tella, J. L.
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Zarfl, C.
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Jahnig, S. C.
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Hayward, M. W.
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Faurby, Sören, 1 ...
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Garcia, N.
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Barnosky, A. D.
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Tockner, K.
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- NATURAL SCIENCES
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NATURAL SCIENCES
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and Biological Scien ...
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University of Gothenburg