Multiple Causes of High Extinction Risk in Large Mammal Species
Zoological Society of London · Natural Environment Research Council · +3 more institutions
Abstract
Many large animal species have a high risk of extinction. This is usually thought to result simply from the way that species traits associated with vulnerability, such as low reproductive rates, scale with body size. In a broad-scale analysis of extinction risk in mammals, we find two additional patterns in the size selectivity of extinction risk. First, impacts of both intrinsic and environmental factors increase sharply above a threshold body mass around 3 kilograms. Second, whereas extinction risk in smaller species is driven by environmental factors, in larger species it is driven by a combination of environmental factors and intrinsic traits. Thus, the disadvantages of large size are greater than…
Citation impact
- FWCI
- 45.16
- Percentile
- 100%
- References
- 28
Authors
8- MCMarcel CardilloCorresponding
Zoological Society of London, Natural Environment Research Council, Imperial College London, University of Virginia, Technical University of Munich
- GMGeorgina M. Mace
Zoological Society of London, Natural Environment Research Council, Imperial College London, University of Virginia, Technical University of Munich
- KEKate E. JonesCorresponding
Zoological Society of London, Natural Environment Research Council, Imperial College London, University of Virginia, Technical University of Munich
- JBJon Bielby
Zoological Society of London, Natural Environment Research Council, Imperial College London, University of Virginia, Technical University of Munich
- OROlaf R. P. Bininda‐Emonds
Zoological Society of London, Natural Environment Research Council, Imperial College London, University of Virginia, Technical University of Munich
Topics & keywords
- Extinction (optical mineralogy)
- Mammal
- Vulnerability (computing)
- Biodiversity
- Biology
- Extinction event
- Ecology
- Extinction debt
- Life in Land