scholarly journals Spatial and species-level metrics reveal global patterns of irreplaceable and imperiled gecko phylogenetic diversity

2020 ◽  
Vol 66 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 239-252
Author(s):  
Rikki Gumbs ◽  
Rachel C Williams ◽  
Anthony M Lowney ◽  
Darrell Smith
Keyword(s):  
Phylogenetic Diversity ◽  
Extinction Risk ◽  
Conservation Status ◽  
Species Level ◽  
Conservation Priorities ◽  
Human Pressure ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Data Deficient ◽  
Anthropogenic Threats ◽  
Conservation Prioritisation

Abstract Phylogenetic Diversity (PD) is increasingly recognised as a useful tool for prioritising species and regions for conservation effort. Increased availability of spatial and phylogenetic data for reptiles now facilitates their inclusion in phylogenetically-informed conservation prioritisation efforts. Geckos are a highly divergent and diverse clade that comprises almost 20% of global reptile diversity. Their global distribution is coincident with numerous anthropogenic threats, making them worthy of conservation prioritisation. Here, we combine phylogenetic, spatial distribution and extinction risk data for geckos with global human encroachment data to identify both regions and species representing irreplaceable gecko diversity at risk from human pressure. We show that high levels of irreplaceable gecko diversity are restricted to regions under intense human pressure, such as India, Sri Lanka and the Caribbean. There is a lack of extinction risk data for the western regions of Angola and Namibia, and yet these regions harbour high levels of irreplaceable diversity. At the species level, geckos display more unique PD than other lizards and snakes and are of greater conservation concern under our metric. The PD represented by Data Deficient geckos is at comparable risk to that of Endangered species. Finally, estimates of potential gecko diversity loss increase by up to 300% when species lacking extinction risk data are included. Our analyses show that many evolutionarily unique gecko species are poorly known and are at an increased risk of extinction. Targeted research is needed to elucidate the conservation status of these species and identify conservation priorities.

scholarly journals Global extinction risk for seahorses, pipefishes and their near relatives (Syngnathiformes)

Oryx ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Riley A. Pollom ◽  
Gina M. Ralph ◽  
Caroline M. Pollock ◽  
Amanda C.J. Vincent
Keyword(s):  
Threatened Species ◽  
Habitat Degradation ◽  
Extinction Risk ◽  
Conservation Status ◽  
Field Research ◽  
Selective Extraction ◽  
Iucn Red List ◽  
Point Estimate ◽  
Conservation Action ◽  
Data Deficient

Abstract Few marine taxa have been comprehensively assessed for their conservation status, despite heavy pressures from fishing, habitat degradation and climate change. Here we report on the first global assessment of extinction risk for 300 species of syngnathiform fishes known as of 2017, using the IUCN Red List criteria. This order of bony teleosts is dominated by seahorses, pipefishes and seadragons (family Syngnathidae). It also includes trumpetfishes (Aulostomidae), shrimpfishes (Centriscidae), cornetfishes (Fistulariidae) and ghost pipefishes (Solenostomidae). At least 6% are threatened, but data suggest a mid-point estimate of 7.9% and an upper bound of 38%. Most of the threatened species are seahorses (Hippocampus spp.: 14/42 species, with an additional 17 that are Data Deficient) or freshwater pipefishes of the genus Microphis (2/18 species, with seven additional that are Data Deficient). Two species are Near Threatened. Nearly one-third of syngnathiformes (97 species) are Data Deficient and could potentially be threatened, requiring further field research and evaluation. Most species (61%) were, however, evaluated as Least Concern. Primary threats to syngnathids are (1) overexploitation, primarily by non-selective fisheries, for which most assessments were determined by criterion A (Hippocampus) and/or (2) habitat loss and degradation, for which assessments were determined by criterion B (Microphis and some Hippocampus). Threatened species occurred in most regions but more are found in East and South-east Asia and in South African estuaries. Vital conservation action for syngnathids, including constraining fisheries, particularly non-selective extraction, and habitat protection and rehabilitation, will benefit many other aquatic species.

scholarly journals Conservation Status of Marine Biodiversity in Oceania: An Analysis of Marine Species on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species

2011 ◽  
Vol 2011 ◽  
pp. 1-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beth A. Polidoro ◽  
Cristiane T. Elfes ◽  
Jonnell C. Sanciangco ◽  
Helen Pippard ◽  
Kent E. Carpenter
Keyword(s):  
Threatened Species ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Extinction Risk ◽  
Conservation Status ◽  
Marine Species ◽  
Iucn Red List ◽  
Red List ◽  
Marine Biodiversity ◽  
Conservation Priorities ◽  
Conservation Action

Given the economic and cultural dependence on the marine environment in Oceania and a rapidly expanding human population, many marine species populations are in decline and may be vulnerable to extinction from a number of local and regional threats. IUCN Red List assessments, a widely used system for quantifying threats to species and assessing species extinction risk, have been completed for 1190 marine species in Oceania to date, including all known species of corals, mangroves, seagrasses, sea snakes, marine mammals, sea birds, sea turtles, sharks, and rays present in Oceania, plus all species in five important perciform fish groups. Many of the species in these groups are threatened by the modification or destruction of coastal habitats, overfishing from direct or indirect exploitation, pollution, and other ecological or environmental changes associated with climate change. Spatial analyses of threatened species highlight priority areas for both site- and species-specific conservation action. Although increased knowledge and use of newly available IUCN Red List assessments for marine species can greatly improve conservation priorities for marine species in Oceania, many important fish groups are still in urgent need of assessment.

scholarly journals Review of the status and conservation of tenrecs (Mammalia: Afrotheria: Tenrecidae)

Oryx ◽  
2019 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. J. Stephenson ◽  
Voahangy Soarimalala ◽  
Steven M. Goodman ◽  
Martin E. Nicoll ◽  
Vonjy Andrianjakarivelo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Conservation Status ◽  
Iucn Red List ◽  
Conservation Priorities ◽  
Incidental Capture ◽  
The Status ◽  
Conservation Actions ◽  
Data Deficient ◽  
Essential Knowledge ◽  
Development Objectives ◽  
Near Future

Abstract The mammal family Tenrecidae (Afrotheria: Afrosoricida) is endemic to Madagascar. Here we present the conservation priorities for the 31 species of tenrec that were assessed or reassessed in 2015–2016 for the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Six species (19.4%) were found to be threatened (4 Vulnerable, 2 Endangered) and one species was categorized as Data Deficient. The primary threat to tenrecs is habitat loss, mostly as a result of slash-and-burn agriculture, but some species are also threatened by hunting and incidental capture in fishing traps. In the longer term, climate change is expected to alter tenrec habitats and ranges. However, the lack of data for most tenrecs on population size, ecology and distribution, together with frequent changes in taxonomy (with many cryptic species being discovered based on genetic analyses) and the poorly understood impact of bushmeat hunting on spiny species (Tenrecinae), hinders conservation planning. Priority conservation actions are presented for Madagascar's tenrecs for the first time since 1990 and focus on conserving forest habitat (especially through improved management of protected areas) and filling essential knowledge gaps. Tenrec research, monitoring and conservation should be integrated into broader sustainable development objectives and programmes targeting higher profile species, such as lemurs, if we are to see an improvement in the conservation status of tenrecs in the near future.

scholarly journals Conservation status of the order Rodentia of Brazil: taxonomic and biogeographical patterns

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 535-556
Author(s):  
Thomas Edward Lacher ◽  
Shelby D. McCay ◽  
Gledson Vigiano Bianconi ◽  
Lilianna K. Wolf ◽  
Nicolette S. Roach ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Atlantic Forest ◽  
Spatial Data ◽  
Extinction Risk ◽  
Conservation Status ◽  
Field Research ◽  
Iucn Red List ◽  
Species Of Conservation Concern ◽  
The Family ◽  
Conservation Actions ◽  
Data Deficient

The Global Mammal Assessment (GMA) evaluates the risk of extinction for all species of mammals, providing important data on their status to national and global conservation agencies and conventions. We assessed all of the species of Brazilian rodents as part of the GMA activities of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature Species Survival Commission (IUCN SSC) Small Mammal Specialist Group. A total of 234 species were evaluated against the IUCN Red List Criteria and placed into one of eight categories. Although rodents do not have elevated extinction risk compared to mammals as a whole, several families of caviomorph rodents have high levels of either threat, data deficiency, or both. The family Echimyidae has a large number of species and one-third of those either are species of conservation concern or data deficient. The family Ctenomyidae also is of concern in this regard. There are also strong geographic patterns to threat and poor knowledge. The focal areas for conservation effort are the Atlantic Forest and the Cerrado, and for Data Deficient species Atlantic Forest, Cerrado, and Amazonia, in particular the eastern Amazon. The results highlight the need for targeted field research and the application of ecological and spatial data to the development of conservation actions.

scholarly journals Ranked tree shapes, non-random extinctions and the loss of phylogenetic diversity

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Odile Maliet ◽  
Fanny Gascuel ◽  
Amaury Lambert
Keyword(s):  
Species Diversity ◽  
Phylogenetic Diversity ◽  
Extinction Risk ◽  
Simulated Data ◽  
Random Trees ◽  
Monte Carlo Algorithm ◽  
Conservation Priorities ◽  
Parameter Estimates ◽  
Relative Depth ◽  
As Species

AbstractPhylogenetic diversity (PD) is a measure of the evolutionary legacy of a group of species, which can be used to define conservation priorities. It has been shown that an important loss of species diversity can sometimes lead to a much less important loss of PD, depending on the topology of the species tree and on the distribution of its branch lengths. However, the rate of decrease of PD strongly depends on the relative depths of the nodes in the tree and on the order in which species become extinct. We introduce a new, sampling-consistent, three-parameter model generating random trees with covarying topology, clade relative depths and clade relative extinction risks. This model can be seen as an extension to Aldous’ one parameter splitting model β, which controls for tree balance) with two additional parameters: a new parameter α quantifying the correlation between the richness of a clade and its relative depth, and a parameter η quantifying the correlation between the richness of a clade and its frequency (relative abundance or range), taken herein as a proxy for its overall extinction risk. We show on simulated phylogenies that loss of PD depends on the combined effect of all three parameters, β, α and η. In particular, PD may decrease as fast as species diversity when high extinction risks are clustered within small, old clades, corresponding to a parameter range that we term the ‘thin ice zone’ (β < –1 or α < 0; η > 1). Besides, when high extinction risks are clustered within large clades, the loss of PD can be higher in trees that are more balanced (β > 0), in contrast to the predictions of earlier studies based on simpler models. We propose a Monte-Carlo algorithm, tested on simulated data, to infer all three parameters. Applying it to a real dataset comprising 120 bird clades (class Aves) with known range sizes, we show that parameter estimates precisely fall close to close to a ‘thin ice zone’: the combination of their ranking tree shape and non-random extinctions risks makes them prone to a sudden collapse of PD.

scholarly journals Tetrapods on the EDGE: Overcoming data limitations to identify phylogenetic conservation priorities

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rikki Gumbs ◽  
Claudia L. Gray ◽  
Oliver R. Wearn ◽  
Nisha R. Owen
Keyword(s):  
Extinction Risk ◽  
Phylogenetic Analyses ◽  
Iucn Red List ◽  
New Method ◽  
Conservation Priorities ◽  
Conservation Action ◽  
Biodiversity Crisis ◽  
Data Limitations ◽  
Evolutionary Distinctiveness ◽  
Conservation Prioritisation

AbstractThe scale of the ongoing biodiversity crisis requires both effective conservation prioritisation and urgent action. The EDGE metric, which prioritises species based on their Evolutionary Distinctiveness (ED) and Global Endangerment (GE), relies on adequate phylogenetic and extinction risk data to generate meaningful priorities for conservation. However, comprehensive phylogenetic analyses of large clades are extremely rare and, even when available, become quickly out-of-date due to the rapid rate of species descriptions and taxonomic revisions. Thus, it is important that conservationists can use the available data to incorporate evolutionary history into conservation prioritisation. We compared published and new methods to impute ED for species missing from a phylogeny whilst simultaneously correcting the ED scores of their close taxonomic relatives. We found that following artificial removal of species from a phylogeny, the new method provided the closest estimates of their “true” score, differing from the true ED score by an average of less than 1%, compared to the 31% and 38% difference of the previous imputation methods. Previous methods also substantially under- and over-estimated scores as more species were artificially removed from a phylogeny. We therefore used the new method to estimate ED scores for all tetrapods. From these scores we updated EDGE prioritisation rankings for all tetrapod species with IUCN Red List assessments, including the first EDGE prioritisation for reptiles. Further, we identified criteria to identify robust priority species in an effort to further inform conservation action whilst limiting uncertainty and anticipating future phylogenetic advances.

scholarly journals A taxonomic revision of Acanthaceae tribe Barlerieae in Angola and Namibia. Part 2

Kew Bulletin ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iain Darbyshire ◽  
Erin A. Manzitto-Tripp ◽  
Frances M. Chase
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
Extinction Risk ◽  
Conservation Status ◽  
Taxonomic Revision ◽  
Distinct Species ◽  
Preliminary Assessment ◽  
New Variety ◽  
New Subspecies ◽  
Data Deficient ◽  
Near Threatened

SummaryThe second part of a taxonomic revision of the tribe Barlerieae (Acanthaceae) in Angola and Namibia covers Barleria sects. Somalia and Stellatohirta. Thirty-one taxa including 27 accepted species are treated. Four new species (Barleria eburnea, B. imatensis, B. louiseana and B. thunbergiiflora), one new subspecies (B. kacondensis subsp. glabrescens) and one new variety (B. violascens var. humpatana) are described. In addition, B. taitensis S.Moore var. occidentalis S.Moore is elevated to subspecies status and B. newtonii Lindau is resurrected as a distinct species endemic to the Lubango Highlands of Angola. Full descriptions, citations of types and representative specimens, and notes on their habitat(s), ecology and biogeography are provided for each taxon. Thirteen names in Barleria are lectotypified and a neotype is selected for B. newtonii. A preliminary assessment of the conservation status and extinction risk is provided for each taxon. Of the 31 taxa enumerated, five are assessed as Endangered, two as Vulnerable, two as Near Threatened, and 13 are of Least Concern, whilst nine are currently considered to be Data Deficient. This contribution completes our revision of Barleria in Angola and Namibia, with 59 accepted species, four additional subspecies, four additional varieties and two incompletely known taxa documented in total. A remarkable 75% of the taxa are endemic or near-endemic to Angola and Namibia.

scholarly journals On the Data Deficient amphibians occurring in Colombia

2018 ◽  
Vol 66 (3) ◽  
pp. 1272
Author(s):  
Cristian Román Palacios ◽  
Alejandro Valencia Zuleta
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Clustering ◽  
Extinction Risk ◽  
Conservation Status ◽  
Anthropogenic Pressures ◽  
Amphibian Species ◽  
Current Conservation ◽  
Geographic Ranges ◽  
Human Footprint ◽  
Data Deficient ◽  
The Relationship

Whereas more than 10 % of the global amphibian richness is known to occur in Colombia, almost 16 % of these species are currently classified as Data Deficient according to the IUCN. These estimates suggest that the available data for a large portion of the amphibians occurring in Colombia is insufficient to assess extinction risk. Here we aim to (1) review the available information on the distribution of the Colombian Data Deficient (DD hereafter) amphibians, (2) analyze their geographic distribution, and (3) evaluate the relationship between anthropogenic impact and their current conservation status. For this, we first compiled geographical records for the DD amphibian species using primary sources. Geographical records were obtained mainly from taxonomic descriptions and non-systematic surveys. We then estimated the geographical range and inferred the potential distribution for each species using LetsR and MaxEnt, respectively. We quantified the human footprint for each species and tested the relationship between spatial distribution and anthropogenic change across populations. Analyses are here based on 128 of the 129 amphibians that occur in Colombia and are currently listed as DD. We found that most of these species were recently described and have small geographic ranges. A large proportion of these DD amphibians inhabit the Colombian Andes, and their populations have been strongly affected by human activities. Overall, the spatial clustering suggests that many of these species have faced similar environmental and anthropogenic pressures that have contributed to their rareness. We also suggest that the conservation status of several of the analyzed DD amphibians should be changed to account for the threats they face. 

scholarly journals Using publicly available data to conduct rapid assessments of extinction risk

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael O Levin ◽  
Jared B Meek ◽  
Brian Boom ◽  
Sara M Kross ◽  
Evan A Eskew
Keyword(s):  
Plant Species ◽  
Extinction Risk ◽  
Iucn Red List ◽  
Red List ◽  
Assessment Process ◽  
Conservation Priorities ◽  
Global Biodiversity Information Facility ◽  
Red List Species ◽  
Data Deficient ◽  
Biodiversity Information

The IUCN Red List plays a key role in setting global conservation priorities. Species are added to the Red List through a rigorous assessment process that, while robust, can be quite time-intensive. Here, we test the rapid preliminary assessment of plant species extinction risk using a single Red List metric: Extent of Occurrence (EOO). To do so, we developed REBA (Rapid EOO-Based Assessment), a workflow that harvests and cleans data from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), calculates each species' EOO, and assigns Red List categories based on that metric. We validated REBA results against 1,546 North American plant species already on the Red List and found ~90% overlap between REBA's rapid classifications and those of full IUCN assessments. Our preliminary workflow can be used to quickly evaluate data deficient Red List species or those in need of reassessment, and can prioritize unevaluated species for a full assessment.

Classifying threatened species: means and ends

1994 ◽  
Vol 344 (1307) ◽  
pp. 91-97 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Threatened Species ◽  
Extinction Risk ◽  
Conservation Status ◽  
Species Conservation ◽  
Conservation Priorities ◽  
Extinction Rate ◽  
Sources Of Information ◽  
Means And Ends ◽  
Species Area ◽  
Taxonomic Groups

Threatened species lists are widely consulted as sources of information on the conservation status of species. However, their application to planning for conservation is limited because they have not been developed systematically, and because the criteria used to judge extinction risk are subjective. Recently, new proposals have been made to increase the broader usefulness of these lists, and some elements of these proposals are reviewed here. Apart from indicating the geographical and taxonomic groups containing most threatened species, these lists can provide other kinds of information. Some data from threatened species classifications using quantitative criteria provide a new method for estimating extinction rates in a variety of vertebrate taxa. This analysis suggests that over the next 100 years, the extinction rate could be as high as 15-20% in these groups. These values are comparable to those based upon extrapolations from species-area curves. However, allocating threatened species categories is only a first step towards developing rational systems for setting conservation priorities. These systems will need to consider a quite different set of variables, including those for incorporating species conservation priorities in area-based planning

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