Vertebrates on the brink as indicators of biological annihilation and the sixth mass extinction

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Год журнала: 2020, Номер 117(24), С. 13596 - 13602

Опубликована: Июнь 1, 2020

Significance The ongoing sixth mass extinction may be the most serious environmental threat to persistence of civilization, because it is irreversible. Thousands populations critically endangered vertebrate animal species have been lost in a century, indicating that human caused and accelerating. acceleration crisis certain still fast growth numbers consumption rates. In addition, are links ecosystems, and, as they fall out, interact with likely go also. regions where disappearing concentrated, regional biodiversity collapses occurring. Our results reemphasize extreme urgency taking massive global actions save humanity’s crucial life-support systems.

Язык: Английский

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Scientists’ warning to humanity on the freshwater biodiversity crisis

AMBIO, Год журнала: 2020, Номер 50(1), С. 85 - 94

Опубликована: Фев. 10, 2020

Язык: Английский

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Taxonomic bias in biodiversity data and societal preferences

Scientific Reports, Год журнала: 2017, Номер 7(1)

Опубликована: Авг. 16, 2017

Studying and protecting each every living species on Earth is a major challenge of the 21st century. Yet, most remain unknown or unstudied, while others attract public, scientific government attention. Although known to be detrimental, this taxonomic bias continues pervasive in literature, but still poorly studied understood. Here, we used 626 million occurrences from Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), biggest biodiversity data portal, characterize data. We also investigated how societal preferences research relate gathering. For belonging 24 classes, number publications Web Science web pages Bing searches approximate activity preferences. Our results show that preferences, rather than activity, strongly correlate with bias, which lead us assert scientists should advertise less charismatic develop initiatives (e.g. citizen science) specifically target neglected organisms. Ensuring representatively sampled possible an urgent prerequisite for achieving efficient conservation plans global understanding our surrounding environment.

Язык: Английский

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Climate-driven declines in arthropod abundance restructure a rainforest food web

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Год журнала: 2018, Номер 115(44)

Опубликована: Окт. 15, 2018

A number of studies indicate that tropical arthropods should be particularly vulnerable to climate warming. If these predictions are realized, warming may have a more profound impact on the functioning and diversity forests than currently anticipated. Although comprise over two-thirds terrestrial species, information their abundance extinction rates in habitats is severely limited. Here we analyze data arthropod insectivore abundances taken between 1976 2012 at two midelevation Puerto Rico's Luquillo rainforest. During this time, mean maximum temperatures risen by 2.0 °C. Using same study area methods employed Lister 1970s, discovered dry weight biomass captured sweep samples had declined 4 8 times, 30 60 times sticky traps. Analysis long-term canopy walking sticks as part Long-Term Ecological Research program revealed sustained declines decades, well negative regressions temperatures. We also document parallel decreases Luquillo's insectivorous lizards, frogs, birds. While El Niño/Southern Oscillation influences forest arthropods, major driver reductions abundance, indirectly precipitating bottom-up trophic cascade consequent collapse food web.

Язык: Английский

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Multiple health and environmental impacts of foods

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Год журнала: 2019, Номер 116(46), С. 23357 - 23362

Опубликована: Окт. 28, 2019

Significance Dietary choices are a leading global cause of mortality and environmental degradation threaten the attainability UN’s Sustainable Development Goals Paris Climate Agreement. To inform decision making to better identify multifaceted health impacts dietary choices, we describe how consuming 15 different food groups is associated with 5 outcomes aspects degradation. We find that foods improved adult also often have low impacts, indicating same transitions would lower incidences noncommunicable diseases help meet sustainability targets.

Язык: Английский

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Linking the influence and dependence of people on biodiversity across scales

Nature, Год журнала: 2017, Номер 546(7656), С. 65 - 72

Опубликована: Май 30, 2017

Язык: Английский

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The Sixth Mass Extinction: fact, fiction or speculation?

Biological reviews/Biological reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society, Год журнала: 2022, Номер 97(2), С. 640 - 663

Опубликована: Янв. 10, 2022

ABSTRACT There have been five Mass Extinction events in the history of Earth's biodiversity, all caused by dramatic but natural phenomena. It has claimed that Sixth may be underway, this time entirely humans. Although considerable evidence indicates there is a biodiversity crisis increasing extinctions and plummeting abundances, some do not accept amounts to Extinction. Often, they use IUCN Red List support their stance, arguing rate species loss does differ from background rate. However, heavily biased: almost birds mammals only minute fraction invertebrates evaluated against conservation criteria. Incorporating estimates true number invertebrate leads conclusion vastly exceeds we indeed witnessing start As an example, focus on molluscs, second largest phylum numbers known species, and, extrapolating boldly, estimate that, since around AD 1500, possibly as many 7.5–13% (150,000–260,000) ~2 million already gone extinct, orders magnitude greater than 882 (0.04%) . We review differences extinction rates according realms: marine face significant threats but, although previous mass were largely defined invertebrates, no biota reached same non‐marine biota. Island suffered far continental ones. Plants similar biases are hints lower rates. also those who deny it new trajectory evolution, because humans part world; even embrace it, with desire manipulate for human benefit. take issue these stances. Humans able Earth grand scale, allowed current happen. Despite multiple initiatives at various levels, most oriented (certain charismatic vertebrates excepted) specific actions protect every living individually simply unfeasible tyranny numbers. systematic biologists, encourage nurturing innate appreciation reaffirm message makes our world so fascinating, beautiful functional vanishing unnoticed unprecedented In mounting crisis, scientists must adopt practices preventive archaeology, collect document possible before disappear. All depends reviving venerable study taxonomy. Denying accepting doing nothing, or embracing ostensible benefit humanity, appropriate options pave way continue its sad towards

Язык: Английский

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Anthropologists Are Talking – About the Anthropocene

Ethnos, Год журнала: 2015, Номер 81(3), С. 535 - 564

Опубликована: Ноя. 5, 2015

Love it or hate it, the Anthropocene is emerging as an inescapable word for (and of) current moment. Popularized by Eugene Stoermer and Paul Crutzen, names age in which human in...

Язык: Английский

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The impact of hunting on tropical mammal and bird populations

Science, Год журнала: 2017, Номер 356(6334), С. 180 - 183

Опубликована: Апрель 13, 2017

Quantifying hunting-induced defaunation As the human population grows and increasingly encroaches on remaining wildlife habitat, hunting threatens many species. Benítez-López et al. conducted a large-scale meta-analysis of trends impacts across tropics (see Perspective by Brashares Gaynor). Bird mammal populations were considerably lower in areas where occurred. Although commercial proximity to roads urban centers most damaging factors, all had worrying impacts, even protected areas. Protection alternative approaches for sustainable subsistence must be implemented soon if we are prevent further, rapid defaunation. Science , this issue p. 180 ; see also 136

Язык: Английский

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Bushmeat hunting and extinction risk to the world's mammals

Royal Society Open Science, Год журнала: 2016, Номер 3(10), С. 160498 - 160498

Опубликована: Окт. 1, 2016

Terrestrial mammals are experiencing a massive collapse in their population sizes and geographical ranges around the world, but many of drivers, patterns consequences this decline remain poorly understood. Here we provide an analysis showing that bushmeat hunting for mostly food medicinal products is driving global crisis whereby 301 terrestrial mammal species threatened with extinction. Nearly all these occur developing countries where major coexisting threats include deforestation, agricultural expansion, human encroachment competition livestock. The unrelenting suggests vital ecological socio-economic services will be lost, potentially changing ecosystems irrevocably. We discuss options current obstacles to achieving effective conservation, alongside failure stem such anthropogenic mammalian extirpation. propose multi-pronged conservation strategy help save from immediate extinction avoid security hundreds millions people.

Язык: Английский

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