Faculty and Student Publications
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
6-21-2021
Abstract
Sloths are unusual mobile ecosystems, containing a high diversity of epibionts living and growing in their fur as they climb slowly through the canopies of tropical forests. These epibionts include poorly studied algae, arthropods, fungi, and bacteria, making sloths likely reservoirs of unexplored biodiversity. This review aims to identify gaps and eliminate misconceptions in our knowledge of sloths and their epibionts, and to identify key questions to stimulate future research into the functions and roles of sloths within a broader ecological and evolutionary context. This review also seeks to position the sloth fur ecosystem as a model for addressing fundamental questions in metacommunity and movement ecology. The conceptual and evidence-based foundation of this review aims to serve as a guide for future hypothesis-driven research into sloths, their microbiota, sloth health and conservation, and the coevolution of symbioses in general.
Relational Format
article
Recommended Citation
Kaup, Trull & Hom (2021) On the Move: Sloths and Their Epibionts as Model Mobile Ecosystems. Biological Reviews DOI: 10.1111/brv.12773
DOI
doi:10.1111/brv.12773
Accessibility Status
Searchable text
Comments
The Article Processing Charge (APC) for this article was partially funded by the UM Libraries Open Access Fund.