Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 16, 2026
08:16
Experimental Protocol for Manipulating Plant-induced Soil Heterogeneity
Published on: March 13, 2014
Human Pressures Drive Compositional Homogenization and Functional Shifts in Southeast Asian Mammal Communities.
Yang Liu1,2, Kenneth Otieno Onditi1, Wenqiang Hu1
1State Key Laboratory of Genetic Evolution and Animal Models & Yunnan Key Laboratory of Biodiversity and Ecological Conservation of Gaoligong Mountain, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China.
Global Change Biology
|May 14, 2026
Summary
Human activities are reshaping mammal communities, especially in tropical forests. Integrating community composition and functional traits reveals greater vulnerability in Tropical & Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests (TSMBF) to human pressures.
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Conservation Biology
- Biodiversity Research
Background:
- Human activities significantly alter wildlife distribution and behavior, impacting community structure.
- Previous studies have explored links between human pressures and community assembly, but integrating multiple biodiversity indicators like compositional and functional patterns remains limited.
Purpose of the Study:
- To jointly assess the compositional and functional responses of mammal communities to human pressures across Southeast Asia.
- To provide a more holistic understanding of anthropogenic impacts on biodiversity by integrating diverse indicators.
Main Methods:
- Compiled an extensive camera-trapping dataset from 4508 sites across tropical and temperate forests in Southeast Asia.
- Quantified compositional homogenization and functional diversity trait patterns in relation to various human pressures.
Main Results:
- Mammal communities in Tropical & Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests (TSMBF) showed greater vulnerability than those in Temperate Coniferous Forests (TCF).
- High-intensity human modification led to compositional homogenization and functional trait divergence.
- Long-term changes in building density drove functional trait convergence.
Conclusions:
- Integrating compositional and functional indicators offers a comprehensive view of biodiversity changes due to human impact.
- Tropical mammal communities are particularly vulnerable, necessitating targeted conservation efforts to protect endemic species from generalist replacement.
Related Concept Videos
01:50Threats to Biodiversity
There have been five major extinction events throughout geological history, resulting in the elimination of biodiversity, followed by a rebound of species that adapted to the new conditions. In the current geological epoch, the Holocene, there is a sixth extinction event in progress. This mass extinction has been attributed to human activities and is thus provisionally called the Anthropocene. In 2019 the human population reached 7.7 billion people and is projected to comprise 10 billion by...
02:31Habitat Fragmentation
Habitat fragmentation describes the division of a more extensive, continuous habitat into smaller, discontinuous areas. Human activities such as land conversion, as well as slower geological processes leading to changes in the physical environment, are the two leading causes of habitat fragmentation. The fragmentation process typically follows the same steps: perforation, dissection, fragmentation, shrinkage, and attrition.
00:53Migration
Migration is long-range, seasonal movement from one region or habitat to another. This common strategy, carried out by many different organisms around the world, is an adaptive response that typically corresponds to changes in an organism’s environment, like resource availability or climate. Migrations can involve huge groups of thousands of animals as well as single individuals traveling alone and can range from thousands of kilometers to just a few hundred meters.
01:54Convergent Evolution
Evolution shapes the features of organisms over time, ensuring that they are suited for the environments in which they live. Sometimes, selection pressure leads to the rise of similar but unrelated adaptations in organisms with no recent common ancestors, a process known as convergent evolution.
01:38Limits to Natural Selection
Organisms that are well-adapted to their environment are more likely to survive and reproduce. However, natural selection does not lead to perfectly adapted organisms. Several factors constrain natural selection.
02:31Synteny and Evolution
John H. Renwick first coined the term “synteny” in 1971, which refers to the genes present on the same chromosomes, even if they are not genetically linked. The species with common ancestry tend to show conserved syntenic regions. Therefore, the concept of synteny is nowadays used to describe the evolutionary relationship between species.
Around 80 million years ago, the human and mice lineages diverged from the common ancestor. During the course of evolution, the ancestral chromosome underwent...
Around 80 million years ago, the human and mice lineages diverged from the common ancestor. During the course of evolution, the ancestral chromosome underwent...