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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Sep 3, 2025

A Concoction Pipeline for Generating Molecular Operational Taxonomic Units (MOTUs) Among Riparian and Aquatic Beetles

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Top predators as biodiversity indicators: A meta-analysis.

Haruki Natsukawa¹, Fabrizio Sergio²

¹Graduate School of Environment and Information Sciences, Yokohama National University, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan.

Ecology Letters

|July 23, 2022

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Top predators effectively indicate biodiversity, especially for closely related species. Conservation efforts prioritizing these top predators can yield broader ecosystem benefits, but require case-by-case validation.

Keywords:

alpha predators apex predators biodiversity conservation carnivores charismatic species flagship species indicator species raptors surrogate species umbrella species

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Last Updated: Sep 3, 2025

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Published on: July 11, 2025

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Area of Science:

Ecology
Conservation Biology
Biodiversity Science

Background:

Identifying effective biodiversity indicators is crucial for global conservation strategies.
Top predators have been proposed as biodiversity indicators, but their efficacy remains debated.
Understanding indicator species performance is key to successful conservation planning.

Purpose of the Study:

To evaluate the performance of top predators as biodiversity indicators.
To determine the relationship between predator ecological role and indicator efficacy.
To provide evidence-based recommendations for using top predators in conservation.

Main Methods:

A meta-analysis of published studies was conducted.
The study analyzed the correlation between predator occurrence and biodiversity components.
Efficacy was assessed based on ecological proximity between predator and indicator components.

Main Results:

Top predators demonstrated solid efficacy as biodiversity indicators.
Indicator performance was stronger for biodiversity components ecologically closer to the predator.
Efficacy decreased for biodiversity components more ecologically remote from the predator.

Conclusions:

Top predators are justified candidates for biodiversity indicators.
Conservation prioritization based on top predators can offer wider ecosystem benefits.
Case-by-case validation and integration with other indicators are recommended for optimal use.