Heilpern Sebastian A, DeFries Ruth, Fiorella Kathryn, Flecker Alexander, Sethi Suresh A, Uriarte María, Naeem Shahid
Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.
Department of Natural Resources and the Environment, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA.
Sci Adv. 2021 May 28;7(22). doi: 10.1126/sciadv.abf9967. Print 2021 May.
Although biodiversity loss adversely influences a variety of ecosystem functions, how declining wild food diversity affects nutrient supplies for people is poorly understood. Here, we analyze the impact of declining biodiversity on nutrients supplied by fish using detailed information from the Peruvian Amazon, where inland fisheries provide a critical source of nutrition for many of the region's 800,000 people. We found that the impacts of biodiversity loss on nutrient supplies depended on compensation, trophic dynamics, and functional diversity. When small sedentary species compensated for declines in large migratory species, fatty acid supplies increased, while zinc and iron supplies decreased. In contrast, the probability of failing to maintain supplies or nutrient supply risk increased when species were nutritionally unique. Our results show that trait-based regulations and public health polices need to consider biodiversity's vital role in sustaining nutritional benefits for over 2 billion people dependent on wild foods across the globe.
尽管生物多样性丧失会对多种生态系统功能产生不利影响，但野生食物多样性的减少如何影响人类的营养供应却鲜为人知。在此，我们利用来自秘鲁亚马逊地区的详细信息，分析生物多样性下降对鱼类提供的营养物质的影响，该地区的内陆渔业为该地区80万人口中的许多人提供了关键的营养来源。我们发现，生物多样性丧失对营养供应的影响取决于补偿、营养动态和功能多样性。当小型定居物种补偿大型洄游物种的减少时，脂肪酸供应增加，而锌和铁的供应减少。相反，当物种在营养上具有独特性时，无法维持供应或营养供应风险增加的可能性就会增加。我们的研究结果表明，基于特征的法规和公共卫生政策需要考虑生物多样性在为全球超过20亿依赖野生食物的人维持营养益处方面的至关重要作用。
