RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Global biogeographical regions reveal a signal of past human impacts
JF bioRxiv
FD Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
SP 586313
DO 10.1101/586313
A1 Marta Rueda
A1 Manuela González-Suárez
A1 Eloy Revilla
YR 2021
UL http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2021/01/13/586313.abstract
AB Ecologists have long documented that the world’s biota is spatially organized in regions with boundaries shaped by processes acting on geological and evolutionary timescales. Although growing evidence suggests that human impact has been key in how biodiversity is currently assembled, its role as a driver of the geographical organization of biodiversity remains unclear. Here, we quantify the relative importance of human land use during the Late Holocene to predict the current assemblage of terrestrial mammals in biogeographical regions across the Earth. Results show that human land use 2,000 years ago has left an imprint on the taxonomic differentiation of some of the largest biogeographical realms, whereas land use at present stands out as a driver of the taxonomic differences between medium-sized subregions, i.e., within and among continents. Our findings highlight the far-reaching effect that past anthropogenic actions have had on the organization of biodiversity globally and warn us about future impacts.Competing Interest StatementThe authors have declared no competing interest.