Assessing mammal pollinators in the Eastern Amazon and the effects of climate change on endangered species

do Nascimento, Caroline Bianca and Acosta, André Luis and Trevelin, Leonardo C. and Miranda, Leonardo and Mendes-Oliveira, Ana Cristina and Giannini, Tereza Cristina (2025) Assessing mammal pollinators in the Eastern Amazon and the effects of climate change on endangered species. Regional Environmental Change, 25 (3): 82. ISSN 1436-3798

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Abstract

Although the importance of insects in pollination is well recognized, the role of vertebrates in this important ecosystem function remains to be addressed. The need to understand this role is especially urgent due to the risks posed by climate change, which threatens populations of native species and affects their interactions and the ecosystem services they provide. Our study aimed to define a novel list of criteria to analyze the role of Amazonian mammal species as pollinators and apply these criteria to all species present in the study area. We also predicted the effects of climate change on endangered mammal species that can act as pollinators. We defined 19 criteria to evaluate whether a mammal species can be considered an effective or potential pollinator and applied these criteria to a list of mammal species present in our study area. Sixty of the 281 species were classified as effective or potential pollinators according to our criteria. Three species were classified as under some degree of threat according to current red lists, with a fourth species being taxonomically divided and revalidated. Among the four threatened species selected for species distribution modelling, one species, Saguinus niger (É. Geoffroy), was unlikely to find climatically suitable habitats in the future scenarios analyzed, suggesting the need to plan actions for conservation. Knowledge about the role of species in nature is important for designing conservation programs and making decisions aimed at protecting biodiversity.