Intentional and unintentional changes to avian and mammalian diversities in the U.K

Journal article

Rewilding is emerging as a promising restoration strategy to tackle the challenges posed by global change and maintain natural ecosystems and their biodiversity. However, rewilding has also been criticized for the absence of a consistent definition and insufficient knowledge about its possible outcomes. Here, we explored the effects of rewilding on filling functional gaps created by the extirpation of native species. We contrasted rewilding with three other mechanisms for change in community composition—species extirpation, species introduction, and unassisted colonization—in terms of their impacts on changes in avian and mammalian diversity in the UK. We found that (i) while rewilding increases functional diversity most on average, introduced/naturalized birds contribute more functional uniqueness to native functional space than other groups of birds; and (ii) changes in functional diversity associated with “rewilded” organisms were species-dependent and idiosyncratic. Our results suggest that although rewilding can expand or infill native functional trait space to some extent, such effects require careful assessment.

 

Authors: Zhang, W; Gaston, K; Sheldon, B; Grenyer, R

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: Wiley
• Journal: Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment
• Volume: 23
• Issue: 6
• Article number: e2842
• Publication date: 2025-03-11
• Acceptance date: 2024-12-03
• DOI: 10.1002/fee.2842
• EISSN: 1540-9309
• ISSN: 1540-9295
• Language: English