Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA, USA.
School of Aquatic and Fisheries Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
Nat Ecol Evol. 2021 May;5(5):574-582. doi: 10.1038/s41559-021-01403-5. Epub 2021 Mar 1.
The rapid loss of intraspecific variation is a hidden biodiversity crisis. Intraspecific variation, which includes the genomic and phenotypic diversity found within and among populations, is threatened by local extinctions, abundance declines, and anthropogenic selection. However, biodiversity assessments often fail to highlight this loss of diversity within species. We review the literature on how intraspecific variation supports critical ecological functions and nature's contributions to people (NCP). Results show that the main categories of NCP (material, non-material, and regulating) are supported by intraspecific variation. We highlight new strategies that are needed to further explore these connections and to make explicit the value of intraspecific variation for NCP. These strategies will require collaboration with local and Indigenous groups who possess critical knowledge on the relationships between intraspecific variation and ecosystem function. New genomic methods provide a promising set of tools to uncover hidden variation. Urgent action is needed to document, conserve, and restore the intraspecific variation that supports nature and people. Thus, we propose that the maintenance and restoration of intraspecific variation should be raised to a major global conservation objective.
种内变异的迅速丧失是一个隐藏的生物多样性危机。种内变异包括种群内和种群间的基因组和表型多样性，它受到局部灭绝、数量减少和人为选择的威胁。然而，生物多样性评估往往未能突出物种内这种多样性的丧失。我们回顾了关于种内变异如何支持关键生态功能和自然对人类的贡献（NCP）的文献。结果表明，NCP 的主要类别（物质、非物质和调节）都得到了种内变异的支持。我们强调了需要新的策略来进一步探索这些联系，并明确种内变异对 NCP 的价值。这些策略将需要与拥有种内变异与生态系统功能关系关键知识的当地和土著群体合作。新的基因组方法提供了一组有前途的工具，可以揭示隐藏的变异。需要采取紧急行动来记录、保护和恢复支持自然和人类的种内变异。因此，我们建议将维持和恢复种内变异提升为一个主要的全球保护目标。
