The global loss of avian functional and phylogenetic diversity from anthropogenic extinctions

Matthews, Thomas J.; Triantis, Kostas A.; Wayman, Joseph P.; Martin, Thomas E.; Hume, Julian P.; Cardoso, Pedro; Faurby, Søren; Mendenhall, Chase D.; Dufour, Paul; Rigal, François; Cooke, Rob ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0601-8888; Whittaker, Robert J.; Pigot, Alex L.; Thébaud, Christophe; Jørgensen, Maria Wagner; Benavides, Eva; Soares, Filipa C.; Ulrich, Werner; Kubota, Yasuhiro; Sadler, Jon P.; Tobias, Joseph A.; Sayol, Ferran. 2024 The global loss of avian functional and phylogenetic diversity from anthropogenic extinctions. Science, 386 (6717). 55-60. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adk7898

Before downloading, please read NORA policies.

Preview

Text N538248PP.pdf - Accepted Version Available under License Creative Commons Attribution 4.0. Download (380kB) | Preview

Abstract/Summary

Humans have been driving a global erosion of species richness for millennia, but the consequences of past extinctions for other dimensions of biodiversity—functional and phylogenetic diversity—are poorly understood. In this work, we show that, since the Late Pleistocene, the extinction of 610 bird species has caused a disproportionate loss of the global avian functional space along with ~3 billion years of unique evolutionary history. For island endemics, proportional losses have been even greater. Projected future extinctions of more than 1000 species over the next two centuries will incur further substantial reductions in functional and phylogenetic diversity. These results highlight the severe consequences of the ongoing biodiversity crisis and the urgent need to identify the ecological functions being lost through extinction.

Item Type:	Publication - Article
Digital Object Identifier (DOI):	https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adk7898
UKCEH and CEH Sections/Science Areas:	Biodiversity (Science Area 2017-)
ISSN:	0036-8075
NORA Subject Terms:	Ecology and Environment
Related URLs:	Other Dataset Dataset
Date made live:	16 Oct 2024 09:17 +0 (UTC)
URI:	https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/538248

Actions (login required)

View Item

Document Downloads

More statistics for this item...