RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Body mass and latitude as global predictors of vertebrate populations exposure to multiple threats
JF bioRxiv
FD Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
SP 2022.02.04.479091
DO 10.1101/2022.02.04.479091
A1 Pol Capdevila
A1 Nicola Noviello
A1 Louise McRae
A1 Robin Freeman
A1 Christopher Clements
YR 2022
UL http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2022/02/06/2022.02.04.479091.abstract
AB The interactive effects of multiple threats are one of the main causes of biodiversity loss, yet our understanding of what predisposes species to be impacted by multiple threats remains limited. Here we analyse a global dataset of over 7000 marine, freshwater, and terrestrial vertebrate populations, alongside trait, threat and geographical data, to identify the factors influencing the number of threats a species is subjected to at the population level. Out of a suite of predictors tested, we find that body mass and latitude both are broadly available for vertebrate species, and influence the number of threats a population is subjected to. Larger bodied species and those nearer the equator are typically affected by a higher number of threats. However, whilst this pattern broadly holds across ecosystems for most taxa, amphibians and reptiles show opposing trends. We suggest that latitude and body mass should be considered as key predictors to identify which vertebrate populations are likely to be impacted by multiple threats. These general predictors can help to better understand the impacts of the Anthropocene on global vertebrate biodiversity and design effective conservation policies.Competing Interest StatementThe authors have declared no competing interest.