The global loss of avian functional and phylogenetic diversity from anthropogenic extinctions
Humans have been driving a global erosion of species richness for millennia, but the consequences of past extinctions for other dimensions of biodiversity-functional and phylogenetic diversity-are poorly understood. In this work, we show that, since the Late Pleistocene, the extinction of 610 bird species has caused a disproportionate loss of the global avian functional space along with ~3 billion years of unique evolutionary history. For island endemics, proportional losses have been even greater. Projected future extinctions of more than 1000 species over the next two centuries will incur further substantial reductions in functional and phylogenetic diversity. These results highlight the severe consequences of the ongoing biodiversity crisis and the urgent need to identify the ecological functions being lost through extinction.
Authors
- Joseph P. Wayman (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3122-8070)
- Jon P. Sadler (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0443-4458)
- Kostas A. Triantis (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2737-8890)
- Chase D. Mendenhall (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4789-0587)
- Eva Benavides (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9476-0961)
- Ferran Sayol (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3540-7487)
- Rob Cooke (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0601-8888)
- Christophe Thébaud (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8586-1234)
- Yasuhiro Kubota (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5723-4962)
- Paul Dufour (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7940-9997)
- Pedro Cardoso (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8119-9960)
- Julian P. Hume
- Filipa C. Soares (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7579-2538)
- François Rigal (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6882-1591)
- Thomas J. Matthews (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7624-244X)
- Søren Faurby (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2974-2628)
- Werner Ulrich (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8715-6619)
- Joseph A. Tobias (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2429-6179)
- Robert J. Whittaker (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7775-3383)
- Thomas E. Martin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2347-982X)
- Maria Wagner Jørgensen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8246-9931)
- Alex L. Pigot
Institutions
- Universidade dos Açores (PT)
- University of Copenhagen (DK)
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR)
- Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (BJ)
- Natural History Museum (GB)
- University of Helsinki (FI)
- Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (FR)
- École Pratique des Hautes Études (FR)
- Bangor University (GB)
- Slippery Rock University (US)
- Université de Montpellier (FR)
- National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (GR)
- Operation Wallacea (GB)
- Université Paris Sciences et Lettres (FR)
- Nicolaus Copernicus University (PL)
- University of the Ryukyus (JP)
- University of Oxford (GB)
- Centre d'Écologie Fonctionnelle et Évolutive (FR)
- Institut des Sciences Analytiques et de Physico-Chimie pour l'Environnement et les Matériaux (FR)
- UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (GB)
- Sustainability Institute (ZA)
- Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution de Montpellier (FR)
- Centre for Research on Ecology and Forestry Applications (ES)
- Forest Research (GB)
- Finnish Museum of Natural History (FI)
- Tour du Valat (FR)
- Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (FR)
- University College London (GB)
- Imperial College London (GB)
- University of Birmingham (GB)
- University of Gothenburg (SE)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Science
- Published
- 2024-10-03
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adk7898
- Citations
- 47
- Primary Topic
- Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 32.48
Funders
- Sight Research UK
- Fundación Bancaria Caixa d'Estalvis i Pensions de Barcelona
- Natural Environment Research Council