Ecosystem services provided by armadillos.

Autor: Rodrigues TF; Applied Ecology Program, Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture, University of São Paulo, Piracicaba, 13418-900, SP, Brazil., Mantellatto AMB; Universidade Federal do Sul da Bahia, Campus Sosígenes Costa, Porto Seguro, 45810-000, BA, Brazil., Superina M; Laboratorio de Medicina y Endocrinología de la Fauna Silvestre, IMBECU - CCT CONICET Mendoza, Mendoza, 5500, Argentina., Chiarello AG; Department of Biology, Faculty of Philosophy, Sciences and Letters at Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, 14040-901, SP, Brazil.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Biological reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society [Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc] 2020 Feb; Vol. 95 (1), pp. 1-21. Date of Electronic Publication: 2019 Aug 25.
DOI: 10.1111/brv.12551
Abstrakt: Awareness of the natural ecological processes provided by organisms that benefit human well-being has significantly progressed towards the goal of making conservation a mainstream value. Identifying different services and the species that provide them is a vital first step for the management and maintenance of these so-called ecosystem services. Herein, we specifically address the armadillos, which play key functional roles in terrestrial ecosystems, including as ecosystem engineers, predators, and vectors of invertebrates and nutrients, although these roles have often been overlooked. Armadillos can control pests, disperse seeds, and be effective sentinels of potential disease outbreaks or bioindicators of environmental contaminants. They also supply important material (meat, medicines) and non-material (learning, inspiration) contributions all over the Americas. We identify key gaps in the understanding of ecosystem services provided by armadillos and areas for future research required to clarify their functional role in terrestrial ecosystems and the services they supply. Such information will produce powerful arguments for armadillo conservation.
(© 2019 Cambridge Philosophical Society.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
Externí odkaz: