What is it about?
The study investigates the consequences of rare species extinction to the functional structure of communities in different regions on Earth, from Amazonian stream fishes and rainforest trees to Australian birds. A surprising finding was the disproportional influence of rare species on this facet of biodiversity: they support irreplaceable functions! Their loss may thus severely undermine the integrity of critical ecological processes.
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Why is it important?
The study calls for changing the way people think about biodiversity in general and conservation strategies in particular by moving beyond protecting species per se to protecting species that maintain the breadth of functional roles within assemblages along with associated ecosystem services.
Perspectives
I hope our study will fill a critical knowledge gap on the functional importance of rare species. I also expect it will provide important insights in terms of ecological theory and conservation strategies.
Dr Rafael P. Leitão
Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Rare species contribute disproportionately to the functional structure of species assemblages, Proceedings of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences, April 2016, Royal Society Publishing,
DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2016.0084.
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