Highly disturbed human habitats house species with fewer resilient strategies than pristine habitats

Kuvaus

Biodiversity is rapidly declining worldwide, with a 68% decline of vertebrate populations in recent decades. Human activities are a main driver of this loss, though we do not know how they are shaping the ability of natural populations to respond to disturbances, i.e., their demographic resilience. Here, using the Human Footprint Database and demographic data from 951 populations of 300 plant and 47 animal species from the COMPADRE and COMADRE databases, we investigate how demographic resilience is influenced by gradients of human pressure. We find that, natural populations closer to urban areas are more resistant than those in pristine habitats. Moreover, the spectrum of resilience strategies becomes more constrained towards slower recovery, lower resistance, and lower compensation the closer a population is to urban habitats. These findings suggest a biotic homogenisation of resilience strategies in urban environments. Importantly, populations with a lower mobility are more strongly affected by human pressures.

Aikajakso	21 jouluk. 2022
Tapahtuman otsikko	British Ecological Society annual meeting 2022
Tapahtuman tyyppi	Konferenssi
Sijainti	Edinburgh, BritanniaNäytä kartalla
Tunnustuksen arvo	Kansainvälinen