Climate change and its impact on biodiversity and human welfare

DELETED, Год журнала: 2022, Номер 88(2), С. 160 - 171

Опубликована: Май 2, 2022

Climate change refers to the long-term changes in temperature and weather due human activities. Increase average global extreme unpredictable are most common manifestations of climate change. In recent years, it has acquired importance emergency affecting not only wellbeing humans but also sustainability other lifeforms. Enormous increase emission greenhouse gases (CO2, methane nitrous oxide) decades largely burning coal fossil fuels, deforestation main drivers Marked frequency intensity natural disasters, rise sea level, decrease crop productivity loss biodiversity consequences Obvious mitigation measures include significant reduction forest cover landmass. Conference Parties (COP 21), held Paris 2015 adapted, as a legally binding treaty, limit warming well below 2 °C, preferably 1.5 °C by 2100, compared pre-industrial levels. However, under present scenario, world is heading for 3–4 end century. This was discussed further COP 26 Glasgow November 2021; many countries pledged reach net zero carbon 2050 deforestation, essential requirements keep target. even with implementation these pledges, expected be around 2.4 °C. Additional urgently needed realize goal limiting sustain welfare.

Язык: Английский

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Biodiversity: Concepts, Patterns, Trends, and Perspectives

Annual Review of Environment and Resources, Год журнала: 2022, Номер 47(1), С. 31 - 63

Опубликована: Сен. 2, 2022

Biodiversity, a term now widely employed in science, policy, and wider society, has burgeoning associated literature. We synthesize aspects of this literature, focusing on several key concepts, debates, patterns, trends, drivers. review the history multiple dimensions values biodiversity, we explore what is known not about global patterns biodiversity. then changes biodiversity from early human times to modern era, examining rates extinction direct drivers change also highlighting some less-well-studied Finally, turn attention indirect loss, notably humanity's increasing consumption footprint, might be required reverse ongoing decline fabric life Earth.

Язык: Английский

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Trophic rewilding can expand natural climate solutions

Nature Climate Change, Год журнала: 2023, Номер 13(4), С. 324 - 333

Опубликована: Март 27, 2023

Язык: Английский

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Circling the drain: the extinction crisis and the future of humanity

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences, Год журнала: 2022, Номер 377(1857)

Опубликована: Июнь 27, 2022

Humanity has triggered the sixth mass extinction episode since beginning of Phanerozoic. The complexity this crisis is centred on intersection two complex adaptive systems: human culture and ecosystem functioning, although significance not properly appreciated. Human beings are part biodiversity elements in a global ecosystem. Civilization, perhaps even fate our species, utterly dependent that ecosystem's proper which society increasingly degrading. seems rooted three factors. First, relatively few people globally aware its existence. Second, most who are, many scientists, assume incorrectly problem primarily one disappearance when it existential threat myriad population extinctions. Third, while concerned scientists know there individual collective steps must be taken to slow rates, some willing advocate fundamental, necessary, 'simple' cure, is, reducing scale enterprise. We argue compassionate shrinkage by further encouraging lower birth rates both inequity aggregate wasteful consumption-that an end growthmania-will required. This article theme issue 'Ecological biosphere: next 30 years'.

Язык: Английский

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Collapse of terrestrial mammal food webs since the Late Pleistocene

Science, Год журнала: 2022, Номер 377(6609), С. 1008 - 1011

Опубликована: Авг. 25, 2022

Food webs influence ecosystem diversity and functioning. Contemporary defaunation has reduced food web complexity, but simplification caused by past is difficult to reconstruct given the sparse paleorecord of predator-prey interactions. We identified changes terrestrial mammal globally over ~130,000 years using extinct extant traits, geographic ranges, observed interactions, deep learning models. underwent steep regional declines in complexity through loss links after arrival expansion human populations. estimate that a 53% decline globally. Although extinctions explain much this effect, range losses for species degraded similar extent, highlighting potential restoration via recovery.

Язык: Английский

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Herbivory limits success of vegetation restoration globally

Science, Год журнала: 2023, Номер 382(6670), С. 589 - 594

Опубликована: Ноя. 2, 2023

Restoring vegetation in degraded ecosystems is an increasingly common practice for promoting biodiversity and ecological function, but successful implementation hampered by incomplete understanding of the processes that limit restoration success. By synthesizing terrestrial aquatic studies globally (2594 experimental tests from 610 articles), we reveal substantial herbivore control under restoration. Herbivores at sites reduced abundance more strongly (by 89%, on average) than those relatively undegraded suppressed, rather fostered, plant diversity. These effects were particularly pronounced regions with higher temperatures lower precipitation. Excluding targeted herbivores temporarily or introducing their predators improved magnitudes similar to greater achieved managing competition facilitation. Thus, herbivory a promising strategy enhancing efforts.

Язык: Английский

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Animal functional traits: Towards a trait‐based ecology for whole ecosystems

Functional Ecology, Год журнала: 2023, Номер 37(1), С. 4 - 12

Опубликована: Янв. 1, 2023

Abstract Functional traits and associated trait‐based concepts have driven rapid innovation in ecology over recent years, with most progress based on insights from plants. However, plants are almost entirely restricted to a single trophic level, an over‐reliance plant therefore neglects the complexity importance of biotic interactions across levels. The need expand focus account for has led upsurge attention animal functional emergence new relevant community ecology, macroecology ecosystem science. Recent compilation global trait datasets some taxa opened up possibilities testing ecological theory. In this Special Focus, we explore how can scope investigation multiple levels, these investigations be used upscale understanding local communities biogeographical patterns ultimately help predict impacts change functions. To address key questions, showcase studies diverse ranging size springtails crocodiles spanning levels primary consumers apex predators. This collection shows precise measurements morphological or physiological increase mechanistic assembly particularly mechanisms underpinning large‐scale biodiversity patterns. Furthermore, clearer picture is emerging systematic responses environmental that shape composition affect functioning. articles volume highlight move beyond limits taxonomic boundaries. integration data opens identifying general processes operating at different scales. identification their interplay underpin development whole ecosystems, which could eventually enable predictions ecosystem‐level consequences loss. Read free Plain Language Summary article Journal blog.

Язык: Английский

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More than 17,000 tree species are at risk from rapid global change

Nature Communications, Год журнала: 2024, Номер 15(1)

Опубликована: Янв. 2, 2024

Abstract Trees are pivotal to global biodiversity and nature’s contributions people, yet accelerating changes threaten tree diversity, making accurate species extinction risk assessments necessary. To identify that require expert-based re-evaluation, we assess exposure change in six anthropogenic threats over the last two decades for 32,090 species. We estimated half (54.2%) of assessed have been exposed increasing threats. Only 8.7% these considered threatened by IUCN Red List, whereas they include more than Data Deficient (57.8%). These findings suggest a substantial underestimation associated current assessments. also map hotspots rapidly changing around world. Our data-driven approach can strengthen efforts going into List facilitating prioritization among allowing efficient conservation efforts.

Язык: Английский

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The late-Quaternary megafauna extinctions: Patterns, causes, ecological consequences and implications for ecosystem management in the Anthropocene

Cambridge Prisms Extinction, Год журнала: 2024, Номер 2

Опубликована: Янв. 1, 2024

Across the last ~50,000 years (the late Quaternary) terrestrial vertebrate faunas have experienced severe losses of large species (megafauna), with most extinctions occurring in Late Pleistocene and Early to Middle Holocene. Debate on causes has been ongoing for over 200 years, intensifying from 1960s onward. Here, we outline criteria that any causal hypothesis needs account for. Importantly, this extinction event is unique relative other Cenozoic 66 million years) its strong size bias. For example, only 11 out 57 megaherbivores (body mass ≥1,000 kg) survived present. In addition mammalian megafauna, certain groups also substantial extinctions, mainly non-mammalian vertebrates smaller but megafauna-associated taxa. Further, severity dates varied among continents, severely affected all biomes, Arctic tropics. We synthesise evidence against climatic or modern human (Homo sapiens) causation, existing tenable hypotheses. Our review shows there little support major influence climate, neither global patterns nor fine-scale spatiotemporal mechanistic evidence. Conversely, increasing pressures as key driver these emerging an initial onset linked pre-sapiens hominins prior Pleistocene. Subsequently, synthesize ecosystem consequences megafauna discuss implications conservation restoration. A broad range indicates elicited profound changes structure functioning. The late-Quaternary thereby represent early, large-scale human-driven environmental transformation, constituting a progenitor Anthropocene, where humans are now player planetary Finally, conclude restoration via trophic rewilding can be expected positive effects biodiversity across Anthropocene settings.

Язык: Английский

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Trophic rewilding as a restoration approach under emerging novel biosphere conditions

Current Biology, Год журнала: 2024, Номер 34(9), С. R435 - R451

Опубликована: Май 1, 2024

Язык: Английский

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