Widespread forest vertebrate extinctions induced by a mega hydroelectric dam in lowland Amazonia

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Widespread forest vertebrate extinctions induced by a mega hydroelectric dam in lowland Amazonia [1]

Mega hydropower projects in tropical forests pose a major emergent threat to terrestrial and freshwater biodiversity worldwide. Despite the unprecedented number of existing, under-construction and planned hydroelectric dams in lowland tropical forests, long-term effects on biodiversity have yet to be evaluated. We examine how medium and large-bodied assemblages of terrestrial and arboreal vertebrates (including 35 mammal, bird and tortoise species) responded to the drastic 26-year post-isolation history of archipelagic alteration in landscape structure and habitat quality in a major hydroelectric reservoir of Central Amazonia. The Balbina Hydroelectric Dam inundated 3,129 km2 of primary forests, simultaneously isolating 3,546 land-bridge islands.

Original Source [2]

Publication Date:

01/07/2015

Author(s): Maíra Benchimol [3], Carlos A. Peres [4]

Source: PLoS ONE [5]

pp:

1-15

Tags:

Dams [6], Amazon [7], Extinct Species [8], Biodiversity [9], Tropical Forests [10], Freshwater Ecosystems [11], Mammals [12], Birds [13], Brazil [14], South America [15], Hydroelectricity [16]

Source URL: http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/feature-article/widespread-forest-vertebrate-extinctions-induced-mega-hydroelectric-dam-lowland

Links:
[1] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/feature-article/widespread-forest-vertebrate-extinctions-induced-mega-hydroelectric-dam-lowland
[2] http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0129818
[3] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/author/ma%C3%ADra-benchimol
[4] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/author/carlos-peres
[5] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/journal/plos-one
[6] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/thesaurus/dams
[7] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/thesaurus/amazon
[8] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/thesaurus/extinct-species
[9] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/thesaurus/biodiversity
[10] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/thesaurus/tropical-forests
[11] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/thesaurus/freshwater-ecosystems
[12] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/thesaurus/mammals
[13] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/thesaurus/birds
[14] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/thesaurus/brazil
[15] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/thesaurus/south-america
[16] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/thesaurus/hydroelectricity