A new study led by The University of Manchester has identified that mammal species are being pushed to their ecological limits in areas where they are unlikely to thrive.
The researchers examined whether habitat loss caused by human activity leads to species being pushed into poor-quality environments.
The research, led by Dr Jake A. Britnell and Professor Susanne Shultz is published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). Their results suggest that being restricted to poor, marginal habitat is a global conservation threat that is vital to incorporate into conservation assessment and management.
The researchers demonstrate that many of the 627 mammal species with documented range contraction now only occur at the ecological extremes of their historic ranges. 66% and 75% of these species were pushed toward temperature or precipitation extremes, respectively, with the shifts getting worse as species lose more land.
“Human pressures are causing species to lose range. As they lose range, their niches shrink, and they become restricted to a less diverse range of habitats. Our study suggests range loss is concentrated in niche cores, pushing many species to the ecological extremes of their historic range.” Dr Jake A. Britnell
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Posted On: 10/01/2023