Matthew Luskin, PhD, studied the impact of native pigs in the Malaysian rainforest and found that
Wild pigs can support ecosystems by doingThey are more diverse, rather than just being a nuisance and pest. Their nesting methods have a beneficial effect on forests. The fact is that before giving birth, pigs build birthing nests from hundreds of tree seedlings, usually in flat and dry areas of the forest.
A sow's nest for giving birth in the Malaysian rainforest. Photo: University of Queensland
While building their nests, pigs destroy manydominant seedlings and inadvertently reducing the number of native tree species, but usually not more rare native species, thereby maintaining biodiversity.
Wild pigs (Sus scrofa) evolved from one andof the same species of domestic pigs, and both were generally considered pests by farmers, land users and conservationists. Their negative impacts on natural and cultivated ecosystems are well documented - from soil disturbance to attacks on newborn livestock. This is the first study to link animals to this maintenance mechanism for super-diverse rainforests. Given that they are often exposed to external threats, nesting pigs promotes recovery.
Pigs can be considered "random foresters"which prune common seedlings and unintentionally support diversity. In many regions, the focus is on managing excess pig populations to limit their negative impact on the environment. But our results suggest that there may be some benefits to keeping pigs in the ecosystem.
Matthew Luskin, study author
Researchers have tagged over 30,000seedlings in the tropical forests of Malaysia and studied how tree diversity has changed in areas where pigs nest. To do this, they removed over 1,800 tree tags from over 200 pig nests.
Автор исследования подчеркнул, что, поскольку field studies were conducted in Malaysia, where pigs are native species; exposure to invasive pigs in Australia may not cause similar effects. Scientists are now developing new research to study the same processes in Queensland.
Note that pigs have become the most abundant large animal on Earth, so documenting any new environmental impacts has enormous implications around the world.
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