Boris Worm and Derek P. Tittensor
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- January 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780691154831
- eISBN:
- 9781400890231
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691154831.003.0006
- Subject:
- Biology, Evolutionary Biology / Genetics
This chapter explores the following question: How can our knowledge of global biodiversity patterns and our understanding of underlying processes and drivers help us to apprehend, project, and ...
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This chapter explores the following question: How can our knowledge of global biodiversity patterns and our understanding of underlying processes and drivers help us to apprehend, project, and reverse the trajectory of large-scale biodiversity loss? It examines global richness patterns and biodiversity hotspots on land and in the sea together. It looks at these patterns through two different lenses: (1) total species richness, and (2) relative richness across taxa. It argues that biodiversity patterns are not a static feature. In recent decades and certainly throughout Earth's history, the global magnitude and distribution of biodiversity has been dynamically changing in response to various environmental drivers, many of which are now affected by human activities. This means that the future of biodiversity is in our own hands, and future trajectories will largely depend on how we choose to constrain or manage the cumulative impacts that arise from our actions.Less
This chapter explores the following question: How can our knowledge of global biodiversity patterns and our understanding of underlying processes and drivers help us to apprehend, project, and reverse the trajectory of large-scale biodiversity loss? It examines global richness patterns and biodiversity hotspots on land and in the sea together. It looks at these patterns through two different lenses: (1) total species richness, and (2) relative richness across taxa. It argues that biodiversity patterns are not a static feature. In recent decades and certainly throughout Earth's history, the global magnitude and distribution of biodiversity has been dynamically changing in response to various environmental drivers, many of which are now affected by human activities. This means that the future of biodiversity is in our own hands, and future trajectories will largely depend on how we choose to constrain or manage the cumulative impacts that arise from our actions.
Karen J. Esler, Anna L. Jacobsen, and R. Brandon Pratt
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- April 2018
- ISBN:
- 9780198739135
- eISBN:
- 9780191802218
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780198739135.003.0001
- Subject:
- Biology, Ecology
Mediterranean-type climate (MTC) regions have long been of interest to scientists and they formed the basis for many early ecological studies. This has included comparisons of the vegetation within ...
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Mediterranean-type climate (MTC) regions have long been of interest to scientists and they formed the basis for many early ecological studies. This has included comparisons of the vegetation within these regions (mediterranean-type vegetation) as well as other functional, climatic, and historical studies and comparisons. Comparing MTC regions and the species that occur within them has been used to test the evolutionary convergence hypothesis. Continuing scientific interest in MTC regions is linked to their unusually high levels of species richness and biodiversity. These regions have the highest species richness outside of the tropics, particularly in vascular plant diversity, as well as high levels of endemism. International research activities and meetings have provided the opportunity for scholars to collaborate across MTC regions and have fostered an active comparative research environment from the 1960s to the present.Less
Mediterranean-type climate (MTC) regions have long been of interest to scientists and they formed the basis for many early ecological studies. This has included comparisons of the vegetation within these regions (mediterranean-type vegetation) as well as other functional, climatic, and historical studies and comparisons. Comparing MTC regions and the species that occur within them has been used to test the evolutionary convergence hypothesis. Continuing scientific interest in MTC regions is linked to their unusually high levels of species richness and biodiversity. These regions have the highest species richness outside of the tropics, particularly in vascular plant diversity, as well as high levels of endemism. International research activities and meetings have provided the opportunity for scholars to collaborate across MTC regions and have fostered an active comparative research environment from the 1960s to the present.
Marc W. Cadotte and T. Jonathan Davies
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- January 2018
- ISBN:
- 9780691157689
- eISBN:
- 9781400881192
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691157689.003.0009
- Subject:
- Biology, Ecology
This chapter explains how phylogenetic information can be used to make better conservation decisions. Evidence shows that human-caused climate change is likely to be the dominant cause of extinction ...
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This chapter explains how phylogenetic information can be used to make better conservation decisions. Evidence shows that human-caused climate change is likely to be the dominant cause of extinction in the near future. Phylogeny can provide a powerful tool for aiding decision making in species conservation. The chapter first considers the importance of preserving evolutionary history by focusing on the tree of life, the phylogenetic tree connecting all living organisms that provides a powerful metaphor for conservation biology. It then examines phylogenetically based metrics for quantifying evolutionary history, including phylogenetic diversity for evaluating sites and evolutionary distinctiveness for comparing species. It also discusses the integration of evolutionary history with extinction probabilities for conservation prioritization using relative extinction risk to weight evolutionary distinctiveness, or EDGE (evolutionarily distinct and globally endangered). Finally, it describes how to prioritize biodiversity hotspots of evolutionary distinctiveness and how to apply metrics to conservation prioritization.Less
This chapter explains how phylogenetic information can be used to make better conservation decisions. Evidence shows that human-caused climate change is likely to be the dominant cause of extinction in the near future. Phylogeny can provide a powerful tool for aiding decision making in species conservation. The chapter first considers the importance of preserving evolutionary history by focusing on the tree of life, the phylogenetic tree connecting all living organisms that provides a powerful metaphor for conservation biology. It then examines phylogenetically based metrics for quantifying evolutionary history, including phylogenetic diversity for evaluating sites and evolutionary distinctiveness for comparing species. It also discusses the integration of evolutionary history with extinction probabilities for conservation prioritization using relative extinction risk to weight evolutionary distinctiveness, or EDGE (evolutionarily distinct and globally endangered). Finally, it describes how to prioritize biodiversity hotspots of evolutionary distinctiveness and how to apply metrics to conservation prioritization.
Christa P. H. Mulder, Wendy B. Anderson, David R. Towns, and Peter J. Bellingham (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- May 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780199735693
- eISBN:
- 9780190267803
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:osobl/9780199735693.001.0001
- Subject:
- Biology, Ecology
Islands with large colonies of seabirds are found throughout the globe. Seabird islands provide nesting and roosting sites for birds that forage at sea, deposit marine nutrients on land, and ...
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Islands with large colonies of seabirds are found throughout the globe. Seabird islands provide nesting and roosting sites for birds that forage at sea, deposit marine nutrients on land, and physically alter these islands. Habitats for numerous endemic and endangered animal and plant species, seabird islands are therefore biodiversity hotspots with high priority for conservation. Successful campaigns to eradicate predators from seabird islands have been conducted worldwide. However, removal of predators will not necessarily lead to natural recovery of seabirds or other native species. Restoration of island ecosystems requires social acceptance of eradications, knowledge of how island food webs function, and a long-term commitment to measuring and assisting the recovery process. This book provides a large-scale cross-system compilation, comparison, and synthesis of the ecology of seabird island systems.Less
Islands with large colonies of seabirds are found throughout the globe. Seabird islands provide nesting and roosting sites for birds that forage at sea, deposit marine nutrients on land, and physically alter these islands. Habitats for numerous endemic and endangered animal and plant species, seabird islands are therefore biodiversity hotspots with high priority for conservation. Successful campaigns to eradicate predators from seabird islands have been conducted worldwide. However, removal of predators will not necessarily lead to natural recovery of seabirds or other native species. Restoration of island ecosystems requires social acceptance of eradications, knowledge of how island food webs function, and a long-term commitment to measuring and assisting the recovery process. This book provides a large-scale cross-system compilation, comparison, and synthesis of the ecology of seabird island systems.
