Functional Extinctions of Bird Pollinators Cause Plant Declines

摘要

The world's approximately 10,000 bird species are key "mobile links" (1) in most major ecosystems, from tropical rainforests to the depths of the Antarctic Ocean. Birds provide crucial ecosystem services, including seed dispersal, pollination, predation, scavenging, nutrient deposition, and ecosystem engineering (2-4). Countless plant species depend on mutualistic relationships with birds for their survival (5-7). However, threats such as habitat loss, introduced species, and exploitation (7-9), exacerbated by the growing impact of climate change (10,11), are causing large population declines and extinctions among birds (see the photo).