Extinction rate of discovered and undiscovered plants in Singapore

Kristensen, Nadiah P.; Seah, W.W.; Chong, Kwek Yan; Yeoh, Yen Shing; Fung, Tak; Berman, Laura M.; Tan, Hui Zhen; Chisholm, Ryan A.

doi:10.1111/cobi.13499

Cited by 7 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 59 publications

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“…Anthropogenic threats and climate change are driving more and more species to extinction faster than the discovery rate, leading to a global concern on how to halt the current biodiversity loss [ 1 , 2 ]. Island ecosystems present the highest rates of both unique biodiversity and species extinctions [ 3 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Digging in a 120 years-old lunch: What can we learn from collection specimens of extinct species?

et al. 2022

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Studying collection specimens is often the only way to unravel information about recent extinctions. These can reveal knowledge on threats and life traits related to extinction, and contribute, by extrapolation, to the conservation of extant species. However, high-throughput sequencing methods have rarely been applied to extinct species to reveal information on their ecology. Insular species are especially prone to extinction. We studied the gut contents of three specimens of the extinct giant skink Chioninia coctei of the Cabo Verde Islands using microscopy and DNA-metabarcoding. The presence of Tachygonetria adult nematodes suggests plants as important diet items. Our metabarcoding approach also identified plants and, additionally, invertebrates, supporting the hypothesis of C. coctei’s generalist diet. The absence of vertebrates in the digestive contents may reflect the decline of seabirds on the Desertas Islands that could have contributed to the debilitation of the giant skink, already depleted by persecution and severe droughts. Even with a small sample size, this study contributes to shedding light on the trophic roles of this enigmatic extinct species and emphasizes the need to develop holistic conservation plans for island threatened taxa. Additionally, it illustrates the potential of integrating up-to-date molecular methods with traditional approaches to studying collection specimens to help to solve ecological puzzles in other ecosystems.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Digging in a 120 years-old lunch: What can we learn from collection specimens of extinct species?

et al. 2022

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“…As such, true species richness in Malesia and that of individual island groups would be expected to be higher than presented here and extant distributions of species may be overrepresented where extirpations have occurred. We made no attempt to account for extinctions and local extirpations in each island group, as comprehensive data are currently only available for Singapore (Kristensen et al., 2020; Lindsay et al., 2022). This omission is likely to lead to a small overestimate of homogenization, as species that are now extirpated from individual island groups may not have disappeared from all, and therefore, removing extirpated taxa could lead to differentiation between the ‘native flora’ and ‘Anthropocene flora’ (native + naturalized) (Olden & Rooney, 2006).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Naturalizations have led to homogenization of the Malesian flora in the Anthropocene

Holmes,

Pelser,

Barcelona

et al. 2023

Journal of Biogeography

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AimWorldwide, floras are becoming homogenized at global scales, but regional patterns vary. Here, we present the first assessment for the Malesian phytogeographical region in terms of the timing of introductions, direction, magnitude and drivers of floristic change due to alien plant naturalizations.LocationMalesian phytogeographic region, including Southeast Asia and the Pacific.TaxonTracheophyta (vascular plants).MethodsWe compiled data on first records of naturalized plants in Malesia to investigate temporal trends in the rate and origin of introductions. We then calculated β‐diversity (including turnover and nestedness) for the native, naturalized and Anthropocene (native + naturalized) floras for each pair of island groups (36 pairs), and a homogenization index for the native and Anthropocene floras, using presence/absence data for 31,580 plant species. Mantel tests were used to investigate the geographic, climatic and anthropogenic correlates of dissimilarity and homogenization.ResultsAround 75% of all naturalized species documented to date were already reported for the first time within Malesia prior to 1950. This has led to homogenization between the historic (native) and contemporary (Anthropocene) floras for all island group pairs. Turnover was the most important process for driving compositional dissimilarity between island groups in Malesia in the native and Anthropocene floras, but homogenization resulted from decreases in nestedness and turnover. Differences in average taxonomic homogenization for island groups were associated with differences in their level of anthropogenic modification.Main ConclusionsThis study improves current understanding of the direction and drivers of floristic homogenization in one of the world's most diverse tropical regions. Alien plant introductions carry a long historical legacy in Malesia, and naturalizations of these plants have led to overall taxonomic homogenization of the region's flora. Expected increases in the magnitude of human modification, without appropriate policy, will likely lead to further reductions in the floristic uniqueness of island groups.

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“…The authors estimate a DE (local extirpation) of an additional 9.6 unrecorded species. Subsequent studies applied the method to plants [26] and butterflies [27].…”

Section: (B) the Tedesco Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dark extinction: the problem of unknown historical extinctions

Boehm

Cronk

2021

Biol. Lett.

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The extinction of species before they are discovered and named (dark extinction, DE) is widely inferred as a significant part of species loss in the ‘pre-taxonomic’ period (approx. 1500–1800 CE) and, to some extent, in the ‘taxonomic period’ (approx. 1800–present) as well. The discovery of oceanic islands and other pristine habitats by European navigators and the consequent introduction of destructive mammals, such as rats and goats, started a process of anthropogenic extinction. Much ecosystem change happened before systematic scientific recording, so has led to DE. Statistical methods are available to robustly estimate DE in the ‘taxonomic period’. For the ‘pre-taxonomic period’, simple extrapolation can be used. The application of these techniques to world birds, for example, suggests that approximately 56 DEs occurred in the ‘taxonomic period’ (1800–present) and approximately 180 in the ‘pre-taxonomic period’ (1500–1800). Targeting collection activities in extinction hotspots, to make sure organisms are represented in collections before their extinction, is one way of reducing the number of extinct species without a physical record (providing that collection efforts do not themselves contribute to species extinction).

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Extinction rate of discovered and undiscovered plants in Singapore

Cited by 7 publications

References 59 publications

Digging in a 120 years-old lunch: What can we learn from collection specimens of extinct species?

Digging in a 120 years-old lunch: What can we learn from collection specimens of extinct species?

Naturalizations have led to homogenization of the Malesian flora in the Anthropocene

Dark extinction: the problem of unknown historical extinctions

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