Community Dynamics of Browsing and Grazing Ungulates

摘要: The world’s 240 ungulate species belong largely to the same guild, feeding on terrestrial plants, and yet, ungulates typically occur in multi-species assemblages. What allows multiple dependent similar resources coexist? We focus role of variation body masses their adaptations facilitating coexistence at scales. Our analyses a global dataset extant (incl. proboscideans) show that grazing tend have significantly larger masses, browsers smaller, mixed feeders median all species. report evidence for mass structuring grazer browser assemblages biome scale, presumably brought about by interplay competitive facilitative interactions. Pleistocene assemblage indicate biased extinction across extremes, point extinctions determining continental today. findings also possibility not just bodied but smaller as well; this may gone undetected so far, or is most likely, poorly represented fossil record.