Human activity threatens vertebrate evolutionary history
Research highlights which endangered species should be prioritized for conservation

Date:
June 3, 2020
Source:
American Friends of Tel Aviv University
Summary:
A new study maps for the first time the evolutionary history of
the world's terrestrial vertebrates: amphibians, birds, mammals
and reptiles.

It explores how areas with large concentrations of evolutionarily
distinct species are being impacted by our ever-increasing 'human
footprint.'


FULL STORY ========================================================================== [Aye-aye (stock | Credit: (c) javarman / stock.adobe.com] Aye-aye
(stock image).

Credit: (c) javarman / stock.adobe.com [Aye-aye (stock | Credit: (c)
javarman / stock.adobe.com] Aye-aye (stock image).

Credit: (c) javarman / stock.adobe.com Close A new study maps for
the first time the evolutionary history of the world's terrestrial
vertebrates: amphibians, birds, mammals and reptiles. It explores how
areas with large concentrations of evolutionarily distinct species are
being impacted by our ever-increasing "human footprint."

========================================================================== Research for the study was led by Dr. Rikki Gumbs of the EDGE of Existence Programme at the Zoological Society of London and Imperial College London
and Dr. James Rosindell of Imperial College London in collaboration
with Prof. Shai Meiri of the School of Zoology at Tel Aviv University's
George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences and Steinhardt Museum of Natural History and other colleagues.

The study was published in Nature Communications on May 26.

"Being 'evolutionarily distinct' means that you have no close living relatives," explains Prof. Meiri, who generated and interpreted the
reptile- related data for the study. "In other words, you are alone on
your branch of the evolutionary tree of life. Aardvarks, crocodiles,
and kiwis were all separated from their closest evolutionary relatives
tens of millions of years ago and bear a unique evolutionary history.

"The new research will provide a clear understanding of how best to
protect nature given the current threats to specific locations and
endangered species." The researchers developed two new metrics that
combine phylogenetic diversity and the extent of human pressure across
the spatial distribution of species - - one metric valuing regions and
another prioritizing species. They evaluated these metrics for reptiles,
which have been largely neglected in previous studies, and contrasted
these results with equivalent calculations for all terrestrial vertebrate groups. The researchers found that regions under high human pressure
coincided with those containing irreplaceable reptilian diversity.

"Our analyses reveal the incomprehensible scale of the losses we face if
we don't work harder to save global biodiversity," says Dr. Gumbs, the
lead author on the paper. "To put some of the numbers into perspective, reptiles alone stand to lose at least 13 billion years of unique
evolutionary history, roughly the same number of years as have passed
since the beginning of the entire universe." Using extinction-risk data
for around 25,000 species, the researchers found at least 50 billion
years of evolutionary heritage to be under threat, as well as a large
number of potentially threatened species for which we lack adequate
extinction risk data. This suggests that the calculation underestimates
the number of species that may be affected.



========================================================================== According to the study's calculations, the Caribbean, the Western Ghats
of India, and large parts of Southeast Asia -- regions that are home to
the most unique evolutionary history -- are facing unprecedented levels
of human-related devastation.

"This new study highlights which species should be prioritized for conservation, based on their evolutionary uniqueness and the intense human impact on environments where they are thought to dwell," Prof. Meiri says.

According to the research, the greatest losses of evolutionary history
will be driven by the extinction of entire groups of closely-related
species, such as pangolins and tapirs, and by the loss of highly
evolutionarily distinct species, such as the ancient Chinese crocodile
lizard (Shinisaurus crocodilurus); the Shoebill (Balaeniceps rex),
a gigantic bird that stalks the wetlands of Africa; and the Aye-aye (Daubentonia madagascariensis), a nocturnal lemur with large yellow eyes
and long spindly fingers.

The study highlights several unusual species as urgent conservation
priorities, including the punk-haired Mary River turtle (Elusor
macrurus), the Purple frog (Nasikabatrachus sahyadrensis), and the Numbat (Myrmecobius fasciatus). It also highlights many lesser known species,
about which little is now understood by scientists, as priorities for
further research. Adequate extinction risk data is currently lacking
for more than half of the priority lizards and snakes identified.

"These are some of the most incredible and overlooked animals on Planet
Earth," says Dr. Gumbs. "From legless lizards and tiny blind snakes to
pink worm-like amphibians called caecilians, we know precious little about these fascinating creatures, many of which may be sliding silently toward extinction." The study also identifies regions where concentrations of irreplaceable diversity are currently under little to no human pressure, particularly across the Amazon rainforest, the highlands of Borneo,
and parts of southern Africa.

Co-author Dr. Rosindell concludes, "Our findings highlight the importance
of acting urgently to conserve these extraordinary species and the
remaining habitat that they occupy -- in the face of intense human
pressures."

========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by
American_Friends_of_Tel_Aviv_University. Note: Content may be edited
for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Rikki Gumbs, Claudia L. Gray, Monika Bo"hm, Michael Hoffmann,
Richard
Grenyer, Walter Jetz, Shai Meiri, Uri Roll, Nisha R. Owen,
James Rosindell. Global priorities for conservation of reptilian
phylogenetic diversity in the face of human impacts. Nature
Communications, 2020; 11 (1) DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-16410-6 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/06/200603194431.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/06/200603194431.htm

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