Document Type
Honors Thesis
Publication Date
5-1-2025
Abstract
Ecosystems worldwide are experiencing changes in structure and function as populations of fauna decline and experience local extinctions (Torres-Romero et al. 2020). Due primarily to their body size, large mammal herbivores (LMHs) are disproportionately prone to extinction from human activities such as agricultural expansion, deforestation, and anthropogenic climate change (Pringle et al. 2023). Additionally, as the number of domesticated LMHs (i.e. cattle, pigs, etc.) continue to increase in both density and distribution, their wild counterparts are continually displaced, resulting in increased competition for resources and an increased risk of disease transmission between domestic to wild species (Pringle et al. 2023; Ripple et al. 2015).
Recommended Citation
Garner, Kathryn, "Large mammal herbivores as gardeners of tropical forest ecosystems" (2025). Student Scholarship. 41.
https://digitalcommons.wofford.edu/studentpubs/41
Included in
Biodiversity Commons, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons, Natural Resources and Conservation Commons