Global Patterns and Drivers of Avian Extinctions at the Species and Subspecies Level

Szabo, Judit K.; Khwaja, Nyil; Garnett, Stephen T.; Butchart, Stuart H. M.

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0047080

Cited by 126 publications

(106 citation statements)

References 136 publications

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“…Although it is often stated that invasive predators have contributed to many modern extinctions (1,2,11,17), our findings reveal the magnitude and pervasiveness of their impacts and link them to the majority (58%) of modern bird, mammal, and reptile species extinctions. This figure is likely an underestimate because 23 critically endangered species negatively affected by invasive predators are currently classed as possibly extinct.…”

Section: Significancementioning

confidence: 55%

“…extinction | feral cat | island | invasive mammal | trophic cascade I nvasive mammalian predators ("invasive predators" hereafter) are arguably the most damaging group of alien animal species for global biodiversity (1)(2)(3). Species such as cats (Felis catus), rats (Rattus rattus), mongoose (Herpestes auropunctatus), and stoats (Mustela erminea) threaten biodiversity through predation (4,5), competition (6), disease transmission (7), and facilitation with other invasive species (8).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Invasive predators and global biodiversity loss

Doherty

Glen

Nimmo

et al. 2016

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

849

669

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Invasive species threaten biodiversity globally, and invasive mammalian predators are particularly damaging, having contributed to considerable species decline and extinction. We provide a global metaanalysis of these impacts and reveal their full extent. Invasive predators are implicated in 87 bird, 45 mammal, and 10 reptile species extinctions-58% of these groups' contemporary extinctions worldwide. These figures are likely underestimated because 23 critically endangered species that we assessed are classed as "possibly extinct." Invasive mammalian predators endanger a further 596 species at risk of extinction, with cats, rodents, dogs, and pigs threatening the most species overall. Species most at risk from predators have high evolutionary distinctiveness and inhabit insular environments. Invasive mammalian predators are therefore important drivers of irreversible loss of phylogenetic diversity worldwide. That most impacted species are insular indicates that management of invasive predators on islands should be a global conservation priority. Understanding and mitigating the impact of invasive mammalian predators is essential for reducing the rate of global biodiversity loss.I nvasive mammalian predators ("invasive predators" hereafter) are arguably the most damaging group of alien animal species for global biodiversity (1-3). Species such as cats (Felis catus), rats (Rattus rattus), mongoose (Herpestes auropunctatus), and stoats (Mustela erminea) threaten biodiversity through predation (4, 5), competition (6), disease transmission (7), and facilitation with other invasive species (8). The decline and extinction of native species due to invasive predators can have impacts that cascade throughout entire ecosystems (9). For example, predation by feral cats and red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) has led to the decline or extinction of two thirds of Australia's digging mammal species over the past 200 y (10, 11). Reduced disturbance to topsoil in the absence of digging mammals has led to impoverished landscapes where little organic matter accumulates and rates of seed germination are low (10). In the Aleutian archipelago, predation of seabirds by introduced Arctic foxes (Alopex lagopus) has lowered nutrient input and soil fertility, ultimately causing vegetation to transform from grasslands to dwarf shrub/forb-dominated systems (12).Mitigating the negative impacts of invasive mammalian predators is a primary goal of conservation agencies worldwide (1,13,14). Regardless, there remains no global synthesis of the role of invasive predators in species declines and extinctions (but see refs. 3 and 15). Here, we quantify the number of bird, mammal, and reptile species threatened by, or thought to have become extinct (since AD 1500) due to, invasive mammalian predators. We use metaanalysis to examine taxonomic and geographic trends in these impacts and show how the severity of predator impacts varies according to species endemicity and evolutionary distinctiveness. Results and DiscussionIn total, 596 threatened and 142 extinc...

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Section: Significancementioning

confidence: 55%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Invasive predators and global biodiversity loss

Doherty

Glen

Nimmo

et al. 2016

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

849

669

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…They also tend to be very vulnerable to extinction drivers such as invasive species and overexploitation (MCKINNEY, 1997;PURVIS et al, 2000b;SZABO et al, 2012).…”

Section: Island Livingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, it is notable that these are highly unpredictable but influential drivers ("grey and black swans"; LOGARES ; NUÑEZ, 2012) associated to some more basic and widely mentioned extinction drivers in conservation studies: (1) habitat loss, (2) habitat fragmentation, (3) habitat degradation, (4) overexploitation, (5) invasive species, and (6) spread of diseases (PRIMACK ;RODRIGUES, 2008). For example, SZABO et al (2012) found that the introduction of invasive species (mainly on oceanic islands), overexploitation (mainly on continental islands), and agricultural-related habitat loss and degradation (mainly on continents) were responsible for 141 human-related bird species extinctions since the 1500s. They also noted that most of these extinctions (78.7%) happened on oceanic islands, indicating that the restricted range of island species contributed to the high number of historical bird extinctions.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biological Correlates of Extinction: What Does Differentiate Survivors From Victims?

Hidasi‐Neto¹

2017

Enci Bio

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Since Georges Cuvier introduced the concept of extinction to the scientific community at the end of the 18 th century, researchers further studied how, where, and when it tended to occur in nature. Some of these researchers, such as JeanBaptiste Lamarck and Charles Lyell, speculated whether species with certain biological traits were more prone to extinction than other species lacking these traits (i.e. extinction selectivity). Following the definition of "mass extinction", first studies on the Cretaceous mass extinction, and the development Conservation Biology field, there has been an increasingly amount of studies on extinction. In addition, several of these studies have been able to identify various biological traits usually found in organisms with high extinction risk (i.e. biological correlates of extinction). In this work, extinction correlates usually found in both past and recent extinctions for several biological groups are reviewed. Also, it is discussed how extinction selectivity can have distinct macroevolutionary effects on biodiversity depending on the extent of environmental disturbances in a specific time period. Moreover, evidences are presented indicating that a new period of mass extinction can begin if conservation actions are not taken properly in the near future. After so many years of development of biological theory on extinction, advantage must be taken of its advances in an objective way in prioritization methods to improve conservation actions while dealing with the reduction of resources for humans and wildlife. This is not only necessary to decrease biodiversity loss, but also to prevent humans from extinction. KEYWORDS: Extinction selectivity, Mass extinction, Conservation. EXTINÇÃO SELETIVA: O QUE DIFERENCIA SOBREVIVENTES DE VÍTIMAS?RESUMO Georges Cuvier introduziu o conceito de extinção para a comunidade científica ao final do século 18. Desde então, pesquisadores estudam como, onde e quando a extinção tende a ocorrer na natureza. Alguns desses pesquisadores, como JeanBaptiste Lamarck e Charles Lyell, já especulavam que algumas espécies com determinadas características biológicas eram mais propensas à extinção do que outras que não as possuíam (i.e. extinção seletiva). Após (1) a definição do conceito de "extinção em massa", (2) os primeiros estudos sobre a extinção em massa do Cretáceo, e (3) o desenvolvimento do campo da Biologia da Conservação, tem havido uma quantidade cada vez maior de estudos sobre extinção. Vários destes estudos identificaram características biológicas normalmente encontradas em

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“…Furthermore, there is a growing interest in invasive mammal eradications (Phillips 2010). However, an assessment of global avian extinctions at the species and subspecies level did not cite birds as a driver of extinctions (Szabo et al 2012). So what is the evidence for introduced birds interacting with native birds?…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Threats from introduced birds to native birds

Baker

Harvey

French

2014

Emu - Austral Ornithology

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Abstract. Invasion by introduced species is a global threat to the natural environment, with major consequences for biodiversity, economies and societies. This paper reviews the literature documenting interactions between introduced and native bird species. Surprisingly, we found only ten cases of an introduced bird being involved in a process that threatened a population of a native bird with extinction and conclude there is little evidence that introduced birds are a major threat to avian diversity globally. The conservation priorities for managing interactions between introduced and native birds are: (1) strong, precautionary biosecurity policies and practices to discourage future introductions; (2) gaining knowledge about interspecific interactions; (3) managing threats where they affect the persistence or recovery of threatened and endemic island bird species; (4) managing the threat of hybridisation and (5) best practice, cost-effective management that defines threatening processes to avian diversity and uses adaptive management for threat abatement. Our review highlights the lack of evidence for detrimental effects of introduced birds on native avifauna and highlights the need for future work in this area.

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Global Patterns and Drivers of Avian Extinctions at the Species and Subspecies Level

Cited by 126 publications

References 136 publications

Invasive predators and global biodiversity loss

Invasive predators and global biodiversity loss

Biological Correlates of Extinction: What Does Differentiate Survivors From Victims?

Threats from introduced birds to native birds

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