Ecosystem functional meltdown through biological annihilation in the world’s ecoregions

IF 3.5 2区环境科学与生态学 Q1 BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION

Perspectives in Ecology and Conservation Pub Date : 2025-07-01 DOI:10.1016/j.pecon.2025.05.002

José F. González-Maya , I. Mauricio Vela-Vargas , Gerardo Ceballos

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Abstract

Ecosystem resilience and functioning depends largely on species’ diversity and ecological roles. Functional diversity (FD) is a measure of the diversity of roles within ecosystems. The massive population and species extinction crisis, namely biological annihilation, is occurring around the World. Here we assessed the influence of mammals at risk, according to IUCN, on FD (trait richness) across ecoregions globally. Overall global models showed significant influence of mammals at risk over FD, and this influence was greater at regional scale. At least 65% of total FD was explained by threatened species in selected ecoregions in Asia, Europe, America and to a lesser extent in others. Since the ecoregion FD is disproportionally influenced by species at risk of disappearing in the short term, ecosystems supporting those species are more vulnerable to ecological meltdown through loss of its functional and resilience capacity; implications for humanity are unprecedented and ecological meltdown will undoubtedly impact to the globe.

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世界各生态区生物灭绝导致生态系统功能崩溃

生态系统的恢复力和功能在很大程度上取决于物种的多样性和生态作用。功能多样性（FD）是衡量生态系统中角色多样性的指标。大规模的人口和物种灭绝危机，即生物灭绝，正在世界各地发生。根据世界自然保护联盟的说法，我们在这里评估了全球生态区域中处于危险中的哺乳动物对FD（性状丰富度）的影响。总体而言，全球模型显示有风险的哺乳动物对FD的影响显著，而这种影响在区域尺度上更大。在亚洲、欧洲和美洲选定的生态区域中，受威胁物种至少占总FD的65%，而在其他地区则较少。由于生态区域FD受到短期内有消失风险的物种的不成比例的影响，支持这些物种的生态系统更容易因其功能和恢复能力的丧失而遭受生态崩溃；对人类的影响是前所未有的，生态崩溃无疑将影响到全球。

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来源期刊

Perspectives in Ecology and Conservation Environmental Science-Nature and Landscape Conservation

CiteScore

7.80

自引率

4.30%

发文量

审稿时长

59 days

期刊介绍： Perspectives in Ecology and Conservation (PECON) is a scientific journal devoted to improving theoretical and conceptual aspects of conservation science. It has the main purpose of communicating new research and advances to different actors of society, including researchers, conservationists, practitioners, and policymakers. Perspectives in Ecology and Conservation publishes original papers on biodiversity conservation and restoration, on the main drivers affecting native ecosystems, and on nature’s benefits to people and human wellbeing. This scope includes studies on biodiversity patterns, the effects of habitat loss, fragmentation, biological invasion and climate change on biodiversity, conservation genetics, spatial conservation planning, ecosystem management, ecosystem services, sustainability and resilience of socio-ecological systems, conservation policy, among others.