SYMP 5-4 - The roles of animals in climate change mitigation and adaptation: a zoogeochemical perspective

Animals have often been invisible in ecosystem and earth system science, seen as mere passive recipients of the bounty that vegetation offers. In reality, animals shape ecosystem structure and function in many ways, and the emergence of the field of zoogeochemistry is playing a major role in changing that perception. In this talk I first explore some aspects of the biogeography of terrestrial zoogeochemistry, and how the role animals play in shaping ecosystems functions varies with different climates. I examine how this affects the role that large wildlife protection and rewilding can play in climate change mitigation and adaptation. Building on this understanding, I examine a detailed case study of the zoogeochemistry of tropical island atolls before and after rat eradication, based on recent fieldwork in the Indian and Pacific Oceans This work demonstrates the zoogeochemical connections between seabirds, rats and both island and marine function in tropical atolls. Ultimately, this zoogeochemical lens demonstrates that rat eradication might be a surprising but effective approach to maintaining the climate change resilience of coral reefs. More generally, the connections between rewilding and zoogeochemistry are likely one of the most exciting frontiers of ecosystem science.