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Elevational distribution and extinction risk in birds
Rachel L White1, Peter M Bennett1
1Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology, University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent, United Kingdom.
Plos One
|April 8, 2015
Summary
Mountain biodiversity is at risk. A bird study reveals that elevational range is a crucial factor in predicting extinction risk, complementing geographical range size. Conservation efforts must consider elevation.
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Conservation Biology
- Biodiversity Science
Background:
- Mountainous regions are critical biodiversity hotspots facing significant human-induced threats like habitat loss and climate change.
- Research on extinction dynamics has largely focused on islands, with limited investigation into mountain ecosystems despite their vulnerability.
- Previous data limitations hindered a comprehensive assessment of how elevational distribution influences extinction risk in mountain-dwelling species.
Purpose of the Study:
- To globally quantify the impact of elevational distribution (range, maximum, midpoint) on avian extinction risk.
- To investigate this relationship across different biogeographic realms, taxonomic levels, and phylogenetic groups.
- To identify elevational distribution as a potentially overlooked factor in current conservation prioritization schemes.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a novel global species-level avian database to analyze extinction risk.
- Quantified three measures of elevational distribution: range, maximum elevation, and midpoint elevation.
- Controlled for confounding variables including phylogenetic, distributional, morphological, life history, and niche breadth traits.
Main Results:
- All three measures of elevational distribution (range, maximum, midpoint) were significant negative predictors of avian extinction risk.
- Elevational range proved to be a strong predictor, comparable and complementary to geographical range size.
- Extinction risk was positively correlated with body weight, development time, and adult survival, but negatively with reproduction and niche breadth.
Conclusions:
- Elevational distribution is a key driver of extinction dynamics in birds, comparable in importance to geographical range.
- Current extinction risk assessments and conservation prioritization schemes for birds may be incomplete without considering elevational distribution.
- Further research is needed to assess the generality of these findings across non-avian taxa and improve data on species' elevational ranges.
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