Identifying species traits that predict vulnerability to climate change DOI Creative Commons
Damien A. Fordham

Cambridge Prisms Extinction, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 2

Published: Jan. 1, 2024

Accurately predicting the vulnerabilities of species to climate change requires a more detailed understanding functional and life-history traits that make some susceptible declines extinctions in shifting climates. This is because existing trait-based correlates extinction risk from environmental disturbances vary widely, often being idiosyncratic context dependent. A powerful solution analyse growing volume biological data on changes ranges abundances using process-explicit ecological models run at fine temporal spatial scales across large geographical extents. These simulation-based approaches can unpack complex interactions between species' other threats. enables species-responses climatic be contextualised integrated into future biodiversity projections used formulate assess conservation policy goals. By providing complete contexts regulate different responses change, these process-driven are likely result certain predictions most vulnerable change.

Language: Английский

DNA and spores from coprolites reveal that colourful truffle-like fungi endemic to New Zealand were consumed by extinct moa (Dinornithiformes) DOI
Alexander P. Boast, Jamie R. Wood, Jerry Cooper

et al.

Biology Letters, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 21(1)

Published: Jan. 1, 2025

Mycovores (animals that consume fungi) are important for fungal spore dispersal, including ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi symbiotic with forest-forming trees. As such, and their symbionts may be impacted by mycovore extinction. New Zealand (NZ) has a diversity of unusual, colourful, endemic sequestrate (truffle-like) fungi, most which ECM. NZ lacks native land mammals (except bats), typically drab mammal-dispersed, NZ’s hypothesized to adapted bird dispersal. However, there is little direct evidence this hypothesis, as 41% species became extinct since initial human settlement in the thirteenth century. Here, we report ancient DNA spores from inside two coprolites extinct, upland moa ( Megalapteryx didinus ) reveal consumption likely dispersal ECM at least one colourful species. Contemporary data show birds rarely introduced preferentially exotic fungi. could therefore limited compared co-evolved mammalian dispersers. communities thus undergoing gradual turnover following avian extinction establishment mycovores, potentially affecting forest resilience facilitating invasion tree taxa.

Language: Английский

Citations

0
Was extinction of New Zealand's avian megafauna an unavoidable consequence of human arrival? DOI Creative Commons
Sean Tomlinson, Mark V. Lomolino, Jamie Wood

et al.

The Science of The Total Environment, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 964, P. 178471 - 178471

Published: Jan. 24, 2025

Human overexploitation contributed strongly to the loss of hundreds bird species across Oceania, including nine giant, flightless birds called moa. The inevitability anthropogenic moa extinctions in New Zealand has been fiercely debated. However, we can now rigorously evaluate their extinction drivers using spatially explicit demographic models capturing species-specific interactions between moa, natural climates and landscapes, human colonists. By modelling spatial abundance dynamics six validated against distributional inferences from fossil record, test whether could have avoided if colonists moderated hunting behaviours. We show that harvest rates both (adults subadults) eggs are likely low, varying 4.0-6.0 % for 2.5-12.0 eggs, annually. Our modelling, however, indicates only Polynesian maintained unrealistically expansive no-take zones (covering at least half Zealand's land area) held annual implausible levels (just 1 populations per annum). Although too late these insights provide valuable lessons new computational approaches conserving today's endangered megafauna.

Language: Английский

Citations

0
Identifying species traits that predict vulnerability to climate change DOI Creative Commons
Damien A. Fordham

Cambridge Prisms Extinction, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 2

Published: Jan. 1, 2024

Accurately predicting the vulnerabilities of species to climate change requires a more detailed understanding functional and life-history traits that make some susceptible declines extinctions in shifting climates. This is because existing trait-based correlates extinction risk from environmental disturbances vary widely, often being idiosyncratic context dependent. A powerful solution analyse growing volume biological data on changes ranges abundances using process-explicit ecological models run at fine temporal spatial scales across large geographical extents. These simulation-based approaches can unpack complex interactions between species' other threats. enables species-responses climatic be contextualised integrated into future biodiversity projections used formulate assess conservation policy goals. By providing complete contexts regulate different responses change, these process-driven are likely result certain predictions most vulnerable change.

Language: Английский

Citations

1