Open AccessErosion of global functional diversity across the tree of life
Author(s) -
Carlos P. Carmona,
Riin Tamme,
Meelis Pärtel,
Francesco de Bello,
Sébastien Brosse,
Pol Capdevila,
Roy GonzálezM.,
Manuela GonzálezSuárez,
Roberto SalgueroGómez,
Maribel Vásquez-Valderrama,
Aurèle Toussaint
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
science advances
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.928
H-Index - 146
ISSN - 2375-2548
DOI - 10.1126/sciadv.abf2675
Subject(s) - threatened species , extinction (optical mineralogy) , ecology , biology , vertebrate , phylogenetic tree , phylogenetic diversity , habitat , paleontology , biochemistry , gene
Although one-quarter of plant and vertebrate species are threatened with extinction, little is known about the potential effect of extinctions on the global diversity of ecological strategies. Using trait and phylogenetic information for more than 75,000 species of vascular plants, mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and freshwater fish, we characterized the global functional spectra of each of these groups. Mapping extinction risk within these spectra showed that larger species with slower pace of life are universally threatened. Simulated extinction scenarios exposed extensive internal reorganizations in the global functional spectra, which were larger than expected by chance for all groups, and particularly severe for mammals and amphibians. Considering the disproportionate importance of the largest species for ecological processes, our results emphasize the importance of actions to prevent the extinction of the megabiota.