Environmental Science
6 years ago

Global extinction rates impacting species richness at different scales, study finds.

Oikos
Species richness change across spatial scales
Jonathan M. Chase, Brian J. McGill, Patrick L. Thompson, Laura H. Antão, Amanda E. Bates, Shane A. Blowes, María Dornelas, Andrew Gonzalez, Anne E. Magurran, Sarah R. Supp, Marten Winter, Anne D. Bjorkman, Helge Bruelheide, Jarrett E. K. Byrnes, Juliano Sarmento Cabral, Robin Elahi, Catalina Gómez, Héctor M. Guzmán, Forest Isbell, Isla H. Myers‐Smith, Holly P. Jones, Jes Hines, Mark Vellend, Conor Waldock, Mary I. O’Connor

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Humans have caused global species extinction, but this doesn't always mean local species diversity decreases. The impact of human activity on species richness can vary across different scales. For example, coral in Central America shows little change in small areas but big losses in larger areas. On the other hand, birds in North America have stable diversity in small areas but more species in larger areas. Overall, changes in biodiversity due to human influence depend on the size of the area being studied. Understanding how species are changing in the modern era requires considering spatial scale.