Sonawane Chinmay, Xu Maya, Ward Natalie, Chichilnisky du Lac Ariella, Kamets Bohdan, Dirzo Rodolfo
Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305.
Department of Earth System Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2025 Jun 24;122(25):e2417328122. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2417328122. Epub 2025 Jun 16.
Vertebrate scavengers play a critical role in ecosystem functioning worldwide. Through the cascading effects of their ecological role, scavengers can also alleviate the burden of zoonotic diseases on people. This importance to human health fuels a growing need to understand how vertebrate scavengers and their ecosystem services are faring globally in the Anthropocene. We reviewed the conservation status of 1,376 vertebrate scavenging species and examined the implications for human health. We uncovered that 36% of these species are threatened or decreasing in population abundance and that apex (large-bodied or obligate) scavengers are disproportionately imperiled. In contrast, mesoscavengers (small-bodied or facultative) are thriving from anthropogenic food subsidies and ecological release. We posit that this global shift in scavenger community structure increases carrion persistence enabling zoonotic pathogens to propagate. Our analysis also indicates that the release of mesoscavengers is associated with reservoir host proliferation, potentially further exacerbating human disease burdens. Urgently tackling the key threats to scavengers-intensive livestock production, land use change, wildlife trade, and the interactions among them-is critical to securing the long-term public health benefits of the world's diverse scavenger communities.
脊椎动物食腐动物在全球生态系统功能中发挥着关键作用。通过其生态角色的级联效应，食腐动物还可以减轻人畜共患病对人类的负担。这种对人类健康的重要性促使人们越来越需要了解脊椎动物食腐动物及其生态系统服务在人类世的全球状况。我们审查了1376种脊椎动物食腐物种的保护状况，并研究了其对人类健康的影响。我们发现，这些物种中有36%受到威胁或种群数量正在减少，顶级（大体型或专性）食腐动物受到的威胁尤为严重。相比之下，中型食腐动物（小体型或兼性）正从人为食物补贴和生态释放中蓬勃发展。我们认为，食腐动物群落结构的这种全球转变增加了腐肉的持久性，使人畜共患病原体得以传播。我们的分析还表明，中型食腐动物的释放与储存宿主的增殖有关，这可能会进一步加重人类疾病负担。迫切应对食腐动物面临的关键威胁——集约化畜牧生产、土地利用变化、野生动物贸易以及它们之间的相互作用——对于确保世界多样化食腐动物群落带来的长期公共卫生益处至关重要。
