Secondary extinctions of biodiversity
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Updated: Apr 20, 2026

A Concoction Pipeline for Generating Molecular Operational Taxonomic Units (MOTUs) Among Riparian and Aquatic Beetles
Published on: July 11, 2025
Jedediah F Brodie1, Clare E Aslan2, Haldre S Rogers3
1Department of Botany, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada; Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada; Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada.
Abstract:
Extinctions beget further extinctions when species lose obligate mutualists, predators, prey, or hosts. Here, we develop a conceptual model of species and community attributes affecting secondary extinction likelihood, incorporating mechanisms that buffer organisms against partner loss. Specialized interactors, including 'cryptic specialists' with diverse but nonredundant partner assemblages, incur elevated risk. Risk is also higher for species that cannot either evolve new traits following partner loss or obtain novel partners in communities reorganizing under changing environmental conditions. Partner loss occurs alongside other anthropogenic impacts; multiple stressors can circumvent ecological buffers, enhancing secondary extinction risk. Stressors can also offset each other, reducing secondary extinction risk, a hitherto unappreciated phenomenon. This synthesis suggests improved conservation planning tactics and critical directions for research on secondary extinctions.
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