Contemporary Neotropical Defaunation and Forest Structure, Function, and Diversity—A Sequel to John Terborgh*

摘要: A series of long-term studies on the demography tree seedlings and patterns herbivory in forest understory have been carried out at Los Tuxtlas Tropical Research Station (southern Veracruz, Mexico) (see de la Cruz & Dirzo 1987; 1984, Miranda 1990; Niiuiez-Farfan 1988). As a result these studies, number features this forest's became evident which, we believe, support Terborgh's contention (1988) that "big [animal] things" tropical play an important though largely unappreciated role diversity structure natural systems. Such include following (1) consistently low or total absence damage by folivorous vertebrates. Practically none seedlings, which were individually marked monitored for several years, show evidence damage, other than invertebrates (insects orders). Moreover, our permanent plots has shown trampling, is characteristic areas Mexico tapirs, white-