Functional traits of the world’s late Quaternary large-bodied avian and mammalian herbivores

Abstract

Prehistoric and recent extinctions of large-bodied terrestrial herbivores had significant and lasting impacts on Earth’s ecosystems due to the loss of their distinct trait combinations. The world’s surviving large-bodied avian and mammalian herbivores remain among the most threatened taxa. As such, a greater understanding of the ecological impacts of large herbivore losses is increasingly important. However, comprehensive and ecologically-relevant trait datasets for extinct and extant herbivores are lacking. Here, we present HerbiTraits, a comprehensive functional trait dataset for all late Quaternary terrestrial avian and mammalian herbivores ≥10 kg (545 species). HerbiTraits includes key traits that influence how herbivores interact with ecosystems, namely body mass, diet, fermentation type, habitat use, and limb morphology. Trait data were compiled from 557 sources and comprise the best available knowledge on late Quaternary large-bodied herbivores. HerbiTraits provides a tool for the analysis of herbivore functional diversity both past and present and its effects on Earth’s ecosystems.

Abstract

Measurement(s)	body weight • diet • digestion trait • habitat • limb morphology trait
Technology Type(s)	digital curation
Factor Type(s)	species of avian and mammalian herbivores
Sample Characteristic - Organism	avian herbivores • mammalian herbivores
Sample Characteristic - Environment	terrestrial biome

Machine-accessible metadata file describing the reported data: 10.6084/m9.figshare.13353416