Rewilded mammal assemblages reveal the missing ecological functions of granivores

1. Rewilding is a strategy for ecological restoration that uses reintroductions of animals to re-establish the ecological functions of keystone species. Globally, rewilding efforts have focused primarily on reinstating the ecological functions of charismatic megafauna. In Australia, rewilding efforts have focused on restoring the ecological functions of herbivorous and omnivorous rodents and marsupials weighing between 30-5000g inside of predator-proof exclosures.
2. In many arid ecosystems, mammals are considered the dominant seed predators. In Australian deserts, ants are considered to be the primary removers and predators of seeds and mammals unimportant removers and predators of seeds. However, most research on granivory in Australian deserts has occurred in areas where native mammals were functionally extinct.
3. Here, we compare rates of seed removal by mammals and ants on shrub seeds and abundance of shrub seedlings in two rewilded desert ecosystems (Arid Recovery Reserve and S...