Hunting may be the greatest threat to wildlife populations across the Congo basin. Large-bodied species are the most vulnerable; alterations in assemblages of such keystone species can affect many important ecological functions. There may be a reduction or loss of ecological services, such as seed dispersal. Monitoring functional diversity within a wildlife community alongside descriptions of wildlife community structure (abundances and species richness) increases understanding of how well a system can withstand disturbance, or recover following it (i.e., its ecological resilience). Between 2002 and 2016, changes in wildlife abundance and diversity of functional traits related to resource use and energy flow were monitored in a tropical forest wildlife community in southeast Cameroon, where hunting activities have escalated in the last decade. Wildlife abundances significantly decreased by 2009, and species richness and functional diversity declined by 2016. This reduction in functional diversity suggests that the wildlife community has been considerably altered, compromising ecological functions, and indicating the start of ecological decay. The study found a significant reduction in keystone species, such as great apes and elephants, suggesting that their decline as a result of hunting is leading to ecological imbalance. The results suggest that, beyond a certain threshold of wildlife decline, wildlife community collapse and ecological decay are likely. Identifying such thresholds can inform sustainable wildlife management and help monitor the health or integrity of the ecosystem, and its ability to provide globally significant ecosystem services, such as carbon sequestration and storage.

中文翻译：

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喀麦隆东南部乡村狩猎区野生动物群落结构和功能多样性的长期趋势

狩猎可能是对整个刚果盆地野生动植物种群的最大威胁。大物种是最脆弱的物种。这类关键物种的组合变化会影响许多重要的生态功能。生态服务可能减少或丧失，例如种子散播。监视野生生物群落内的功能多样性以及对野生生物群落结构（丰富度和物种丰富度）的描述，可以增加对系统抵御干扰或在干扰之后恢复（即其生态适应力）的了解。在2002年至2016年之间，喀麦隆东南部的一个热带森林野生动植物群落对野生动植物丰度的变化和与资源利用和能量流有关的功能性状的多样性进行了监测，过去十年来狩猎活动在不断升级。到2009年，野生动植物的丰度显着下降，到2016年，物种丰富度和功能多样性下降。功能多样性的下降表明，野生动植物群落已经发生了巨大变化，损害了生态功能，并表明了生态衰退的开始。研究发现，重要的猿类和大象等重要物种的数量大大减少，这表明由于狩猎而导致的物种减少导致生态失衡。结果表明，超出野生动植物衰退的一定阈值，野生动植物群落可能崩溃和生态衰退。确定这些阈值可以为野生动植物的可持续管理提供信息，并有助于监测生态系统的健康或完整性，以及其提供全球重要的生态系统服务的能力，