Leveraging mountain ecosystems to address biodiversity questions in the Afrotropics

Publication Type

Journal Article

Journal Name

Advances in Ecological Research

Name of Author

• Fairo F. Dzekashu, International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology Nairobi
• H. Michael G. Lattorff, University of KwaZulu-Natal
• Frank B.N. Tonle, International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology Nairobi
• Christian W.W. Pirk, University of Pretoria
• Abdullahi A. Yusuf, University of Pretoria

Publication Date

1-1-2026

Abstract

Global change is continually reshaping species community assemblages, driving increases in incursions and extinctions across ecological scales and altering the ecosystem processes and services they underpin. Recent advances in biodiversity studies emphasise the need for holistic monitoring and assessment frameworks, particularly for ecosystem services such as pollination, to support effective conservation planning and management. In the Afrotropics, rapid ecological change driven by natural resource exploitation has already resulted in substantial biodiversity losses. Yet compared with other global regions, there remains a striking lack of empirical evidence on how human-induced pressures including indiscriminate pesticide use, the introduction of alien species, climate warming, and habitat fragmentation affect biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. Using bees as a model system and pollination as a focal ecosystem service provides a powerful lens through which to examine species assemblage patterns, functional trait diversity, mutualistic network structure, and ecological resilience in Afrotropical highlands. These mountain systems, characterised by sharp environmental transitions and high levels of endemism, offer an exceptional but underexplored context for understanding how global change reshapes ecological processes. In this review, we outline a synergistic pathway for ecological research that can address key knowledge gaps across Afrotropical mountains. Through these discussions, we advocate for strengthened monitoring and assessment approaches as essential components of successful biodiversity conservation in these rapidly changing highland ecosystems.

Keywords

Bee functional guilds, Eastern afromontane hotspot, Ecological resilience, Functional redundancy, Global change drivers, Phenological shifts, Plant and insect diversity, Plant-pollinator networks, Tropical montane ecosystems

Recommended Citation

Dzekashu, F., Lattorff, H., Tonle, F., Pirk, C., & Yusuf, A. (2026). Leveraging mountain ecosystems to address biodiversity questions in the Afrotropics. Advances in Ecological Research https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.aecr.2026.08.003