Asset Details
Do you wish to reserve the book?
Historic and prehistoric human‐driven extinctions have reshaped global mammal diversity patterns
Hey, we have placed the reservation for you!
By the way, why not check out events that you can attend while you pick your title.
Oops! Something went wrong.
Looks like we were not able to place the reservation. Kindly try again later.
Are you sure you want to remove the book from the shelf?
Historic and prehistoric human‐driven extinctions have reshaped global mammal diversity patterns
Do you wish to request the book?
Historic and prehistoric human‐driven extinctions have reshaped global mammal diversity patterns
Please be aware that the book you have requested cannot be checked out. If you would like to checkout this book, you can reserve another copy
We have requested the book for you!
Your request is successful and it will be processed during the Library working hours. Please check the status of your request in My Requests.
Oops! Something went wrong.
Looks like we were not able to place your request. Kindly try again later.
Journal Article
Historic and prehistoric human‐driven extinctions have reshaped global mammal diversity patterns
2015
Overview
AIM: To assess the extent to which humans have reshaped Earth's biodiversity, by estimating natural ranges of all late Quaternary mammalian species, and to compare diversity patterns based on these with diversity patterns based on current distributions. LOCATION: Globally. METHODS: We estimated species, functional and phylogenetic diversity patterns based on natural ranges of all mammalian species (n = 5747 species) as they could have been today in the complete absence of human influence through time. Following this, we compared macroecological analyses of current and natural diversity patterns to assess whether human‐induced range changes bias evolutionary and ecological analyses based on current diversity patterns. RESULTS: We find that current diversity patterns have been drastically modified by humans, mostly due to global extinctions and regional to local extirpations. Current and natural diversities exhibit marked deviations virtually everywhere outside sub‐Saharan Africa. These differences are strongest for terrestrial megafauna, but also important for all mammals combined. The human‐induced changes led to biases in estimates of environmental diversity drivers, especially for terrestrial megafauna, but also for all mammals combined. MAIN CONCLUSIONS: Our results show that fundamental diversity patterns have been reshaped by human‐driven extinctions and extirpations, highlighting humans as a major force in the Earth system. We thereby emphasize that estimating natural distributions and diversities is important to improve our understanding of the evolutionary and ecological drivers of diversity as well as for providing a benchmark for conservation.
Publisher
Blackwell Science,Blackwell Publishing Ltd,John Wiley & Sons Ltd,John Wiley & Sons, Inc
