Global effects of land use on local terrestrial biodiversity

[摘要] Human activities, especially conversion and degradation of habitats, are causing global biodiversity declines. How local ecological assemblages are responding is less clear-a concern given their importance for many ecosystem functions and services. We analysed a terrestrial assemblage database of unprecedented geographic and taxonomic coverage to quantify local biodiversity responses to land use and related changes. Here we show that in the worst-affected habitats, these pressures reducewithin-sample species richness by anaverage of 76.5%, total abundance by 39.5% andrarefaction-based richness by 40.3%. We estimate that, globally, these pressures have already slightly reduced average within-sample richness (by 13.6%), total abundance (10.7%) and rarefaction-based richness (8.1%), with changes showing marked spatial variation. Rapid further losses are predicted under a business-as-usual land-use scenario; within-sample richness is projected to fall by a further 3.4% globally by 2100, with losses concentrated in biodiverse but economically poor countries. Strongmitigationcan delivermuchmore positive biodiversity changes (up to a 1.9% average increase) that are less strongly related to countries' socioeconomic status.

[关键词] PLANT COMMUNITY COMPOSITION;BOMBUS SPP. HYMENOPTERA;DUNG BEETLE COLEOPTERA;BUMBLEBEE NEST DENSITY;BIRD SPECIES RICHNESS;SARISKA-TIGER RESERVE;POST-LOGGING RECOVERY;VOLANT SMALL MAMMALS;TROPICAL FOREST;RAIN-FOREST