Institute of Biology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
Department of Biology, University of South Dakota, Vermillion, South Dakota, USA.
Glob Chang Biol. 2024 Jan;30(1). doi: 10.1111/gcb.17107.
We created a database of lost and rediscovered tetrapod species, identified patterns in their distribution and factors influencing rediscovery. Tetrapod species are being lost at a faster rate than they are being rediscovered, due to slowing rates of rediscovery for amphibians, birds and mammals, and rapid rates of loss for reptiles. Finding lost species and preventing future losses should therefore be a conservation priority. By comparing the taxonomic and spatial distribution of lost and rediscovered tetrapod species, we have identified regions and taxa with many lost species in comparison to those that have been rediscovered-our results may help to prioritise search effort to find them. By identifying factors that influence rediscovery, we have improved our ability to broadly distinguish the types of species that are likely to be found from those that are not (because they are likely to be extinct). Some lost species, particularly those that are small and perceived to be uncharismatic, may have been neglected in terms of conservation effort, and other lost species may be hard to find due to their intrinsic characteristics and the characteristics of the environments they occupy (e.g. nocturnal species, fossorial species and species occupying habitats that are more difficult to survey such as wetlands). These lost species may genuinely await rediscovery. However, other lost species that possess characteristics associated with rediscovery (e.g. large species) and that are also associated with factors that negatively influence rediscovery (e.g. those occupying small islands) are more likely to be extinct. Our results may foster pragmatic search protocols that prioritise lost species likely to still exist.
我们创建了一个已灭绝和重新发现的四足动物物种数据库，确定了它们分布的模式和影响重新发现的因素。由于两栖动物、鸟类和哺乳动物的重新发现速度放缓，而爬行动物的损失速度加快，因此四足动物物种的灭绝速度快于重新发现的速度。因此，寻找已灭绝的物种并防止未来的损失应该成为保护的优先事项。通过比较已灭绝和重新发现的四足动物物种的分类和空间分布，我们确定了与已重新发现的物种相比，有许多已灭绝物种的区域和类群——我们的结果可能有助于优先搜索努力来找到它们。通过确定影响重新发现的因素，我们提高了从那些不太可能找到的物种中广泛区分那些可能找到的物种的能力（因为它们可能已经灭绝）。一些已灭绝的物种，特别是那些体型较小且被认为没有魅力的物种，在保护工作方面可能被忽视了，而其他已灭绝的物种可能由于其内在特征和它们所占据的环境特征（例如夜间活动的物种、穴居物种和生活在更难调查的栖息地的物种，如湿地）而难以找到。这些已灭绝的物种可能真的在等待重新发现。然而，其他具有与重新发现相关的特征（例如大型物种）的已灭绝物种，以及与负面影响重新发现的因素相关的物种（例如那些生活在小岛屿上的物种），更有可能已经灭绝。我们的结果可能会促进实用的搜索协议，优先考虑那些可能仍然存在的已灭绝物种。
