Open AccessMultivariate correlates of extinction proneness in a naturally fragmented landscape
Author(s) -
Watling James I.,
Donnelly Maureen A.
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
diversity and distributions
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.918
H-Index - 118
eISSN - 1472-4642
pISSN - 1366-9516
DOI - 10.1111/j.1472-4642.2007.00331.x
Subject(s) - extinction (optical mineralogy) , ecology , biodiversity , extinction debt , habitat , local extinction , habitat fragmentation , habitat destruction , biology , predation , fragmentation (computing) , vertebrate , trophic level , geography , population , biological dispersal , paleontology , biochemistry , demography , sociology , gene
Habitat loss and fragmentation threaten a large proportion of terrestrial biodiversity, and identifying the ecological traits associated with extinction proneness is of widespread interest. We used a multivariate statistical approach to identify combinations of ecological traits that best allowed us to identify extinction‐prone amphibians and reptiles in a fragmented landscape in north‐eastern Bolivia. Extinction‐prone amphibians were rare and did not utilize the savannah matrix separating forest islands, whereas extinction‐prone reptiles were trophically specialized. Rarity and matrix aversion are among the most widely reported correlates to extinction proneness, and we argue that an increased understanding of their role as drivers of extinction processes is necessary. We suggest that the absence of reptilian vertebrate predators may exacerbate trophic cascades in habitat patches.