Reintroducing extirpated herbivores could partially reverse the late Quaternary decline of large and grazing species

Aim: Reinstating large, native herbivores is an essential component of ecological restoration efforts, as these taxa can be important drivers of ecological processes. However, many herbivore species have gone globally or regionally extinct during the last 50,000 years, leaving simplified herbivore assemblages and trophically downgraded ecosystems. Here, we discuss to what extent trophic rewilding can undo these changes by reinstating native herbivores.

Location: Global

Time Period: We report functional trait changes from the Late Pleistocene to the present, and estimated trait changes under future scenarios.

Major Taxa Studied: Wild, large (≥10 kg), terrestrial, mammalian herbivores

Methods: We use a functional trait dataset containing all late Quaternary large herbivores ≥10 kg to look at changes in the body mass and diet composition of herbivore assemblages, a proxy for species’ ecological effects. First, we assess how these traits have changed from the Late Pleistocene to...