牛津大学Yadvinder Malhi小组取得一项新突破：能量流揭示了整个非洲动物生态系统功能的下降。该项研究成果发表在2025年10月29日出版的《自然》上。

在这里，该课题组采用生态系统能量学方法作为一种物理上有意义的方法，将动物物种组成转化为一套生态系统功能。利用估算生物多样性完整性和物种种群密度的新数据集，该研究组量化了撒哈拉以南非洲哺乳动物和鸟类介导的生态系统功能中能量流的历史变化。总的来说，营养能量流减少了三分之一以上。不同历史生物群系中，由森林中的树栖鸟类和灵长类动物、草地系统中的陆生食草动物和干旱系统中的穴居哺乳动物驱动的功能下降模式各不相同。特别是在保护区之外，巨型动物的功能已经崩溃。与其他生物多样性指标相比，能量学方法强调了小型动物和关键物种的生态重要性。

研究结果可以帮助从业者保护和恢复功能多样、能量完整的陆地主题和生物群系生态系统。通过将生物多样性的完整性与能量和物质流动联系起来，生态系统能量学还可以促进将动物驱动的功能整合到生物圈和地球系统模型中的努力，帮助他们了解生物多样性可能的区域或行星边界。

据了解，生态科学面临的一个关键挑战是了解生物多样性丧失如何在与政策相关的尺度上改变生态系统的结构和功能。几乎所有的生物多样性指标都难以分解为动物介导的生态系统功能，如授粉、种子和养分传播以及捕食。

附：英文原文

Title: Energy flows reveal declining ecosystem functions by animals across Africa

Author: Loft, Ty, Oliveras Menor, Imma, Stevens, Nicola, Beyer, Robert, Clements, Hayley S., Santini, Luca, Thomas, Seth, Tobias, Joseph A., Malhi, Yadvinder

Issue&Volume: 2025-10-29

Abstract: A key challenge for ecological science is to understand how biodiversity loss is changing ecosystem structure and function at scales that are relevant for policy1. Almost all biodiversity metrics are challenging to disaggregate into animal-mediated ecosystem functions such as pollination, seed and nutrient dispersal, and predation. Here we adopt an ecosystem energetics approach2 as a physically meaningful method of translating animal species composition into a suite of ecosystem functions. Drawing on new datasets that estimate biodiversity intactness and species population densities3,4,5, we quantify historical changes to energy flows through mammal- and bird-mediated ecosystem functions across sub-Saharan Africa. In total, trophic energy flows have decreased by more than one-third. The pattern of decreasing function varies by historical biome, driven by arboreal birds and primates in forests, terrestrial herbivores in grassy systems, and burrowing mammals in arid systems. Functions performed by megafauna in particular have collapsed outside protected areas. Compared with other biodiversity metrics, an energetics approach highlights the ecological importance of smaller animals and keystone species. The results can help practitioners conserve and restore functionally diverse, energetically intact ecosystems across land uses and biomes. By relating biodiversity intactness to energy and material flows, ecosystem energetics can also advance efforts to integrate animal-driven functions into biosphere and earth system models, helping us to understand possible regional or planetary boundaries6 for biodiversity.

DOI: 10.1038/s41586-025-09660-1

Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09660-1