Ecological generalism and resilience of tropical island mammals to logging: A 23 year test

Tropical forest disturbance is a key driver of global biodiversity decline. On continents, the effects of logging are greatest on endemic species, presumably because disturbance is more likely to cover narrower distributions (the “cookie cutter” model). Islands hold disproportionate biodiversity, and are subject to accelerating biotic homogenization, where specialist endemics are lost while generalists persist. We tested responses of tropical island mammals to logging at multiple spatial scales, using a long-term experimental test in a Pacific archipelago. The most widely distributed ecological generalists did not decline after logging, and we detected no overall changes in relative abundance or species diversity. However, endemics with small ranges did decline in response to logging. The least mobile and most range-restricted species declined even at the smallest spatial scale, supporting the cookie cutter model for sedentary species, and suggesting that habitat change due to selective logging is contributing to biotic homogenization on islands.