美国生物多样性评价单位Yan Xie研究组进行了一项全球爬行动物评估，并强调了四足动物的共同保护需求。这一研究成果发表在2022年4月27日出版的国际学术期刊《自然》上。
他们对爬行动物进行了全面的灭绝风险评估，且表明10,196 个物种中至少有 1,829 个（21.1%）受到威胁——证实了之前的推断，并代表了 156 亿年的系统发育多样性。爬行动物受到与其他四足动物的相同主要因素的威胁——农业、伐木、城市发展和入侵物种——尽管气候变化带来的威胁仍然不确定。与他们的预测相反，栖息在这些威胁最强的森林中的爬行动物比干旱栖息地的爬行动物受到的威胁更大。鸟类、哺乳动物和两栖动物出人意料地成为保护爬行动物的良好替代品，尽管最小范围的受威胁爬行动物往往与其他受威胁的四足动物隔离开来。尽管一些爬行动物——包括大多数鳄鱼和海龟——需要采取紧急的、有针对性的行动来防止灭绝，但保护其他四足动物的努力，例如栖息地保护和贸易和入侵物种的控制，可能也会使许多爬行动物受益。
研究人员表示，对物种灭绝风险的综合评估记录了灭绝危机,并为降低这些风险的战略提供了依据。全球评估显示，在四足动物中，40.7% 的两栖动物、25.4% 的哺乳动物和 13.6% 的鸟类面临灭绝的威胁。由于缺乏全球评估，爬行动物已被排除在包括其他四足动物的保护优先级分析中。爬行动物在干旱地区异常多样，这表明它们可能有不同的保护需求。
附：英文原文
Title: A global reptile assessment highlights shared conservation needs of tetrapods
Author: Cox, Neil, Young, Bruce E., Bowles, Philip, Fernandez, Miguel, Marin, Julie, Rapacciuolo, Giovanni, Bhm, Monika, Brooks, Thomas M., Hedges, S. Blair, Hilton-Taylor, Craig, Hoffmann, Michael, Jenkins, Richard K. B., Tognelli, Marcelo F., Alexander, Graham J., Allison, Allen, Ananjeva, Natalia B., Auliya, Mark, Avila, Luciano Javier, Chapple, David G., Cisneros-Heredia, Diego F., Cogger, Harold G., Colli, Guarino R., de Silva, Anslem, Eisemberg, Carla C., Els, Johannes, Fong G., Ansel, Grant, Tandora D., Hitchmough, Rodney A., Iskandar, Djoko T., Kidera, Noriko, Martins, Marcio, Meiri, Shai, Mitchell, Nicola J., Molur, Sanjay, Nogueira, Cristiano de C., Ortiz, Juan Carlos, Penner, Johannes, Rhodin, Anders G. J., Rivas, Gilson A., Rdel, Mark-Oliver, Roll, Uri, Sanders, Kate L., Santos-Barrera, Georgina, Shea, Glenn M., Spawls, Stephen, Stuart, Bryan L., Tolley, Krystal A., Trape, Jean-Franois, Vidal, Marcela A., Wagner, Philipp, Wallace, Bryan P., Xie, Yan
Issue&Volume: 2022-04-27
Abstract: Comprehensive assessments of species’ extinction risks have documented the extinction crisis1 and underpinned strategies for reducing those risks2. Global assessments reveal that, among tetrapods, 40.7% of amphibians, 25.4% of mammals and 13.6% of birds are threatened with extinction3. Because global assessments have been lacking, reptiles have been omitted from conservation-prioritization analyses that encompass other tetrapods4,5,6,7. Reptiles are unusually diverse in arid regions, suggesting that they may have different conservation needs6. Here we provide a comprehensive extinction-risk assessment of reptiles and show that at least 1,829 out of 10,196species (21.1%) are threatened—confirming a previous extrapolation8 and representing 15.6billion years of phylogenetic diversity. Reptiles are threatened by the same major factors that threaten other tetrapods—agriculture, logging, urban development and invasive species—although the threat posed by climate change remains uncertain. Reptiles inhabiting forests, where these threats are strongest, are more threatened than those in arid habitats, contrary to our prediction. Birds, mammals and amphibians are unexpectedly good surrogates for the conservation of reptiles, although threatened reptiles with the smallest ranges tend to be isolated from other threatened tetrapods. Although some reptiles—including most species of crocodiles and turtles—require urgent, targeted action to prevent extinctions, efforts to protect other tetrapods, such as habitat preservation and control of trade and invasive species, will probably also benefit many reptiles.
DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-04664-7
Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-022-04664-7
Nature：《自然》，创刊于1869年。隶属于施普林格·自然出版集团，最新IF：69.504
官方网址：http://www.nature.com/
投稿链接：http://www.nature.com/authors/submit_manuscript.html
本期文章：《自然》：Online/在线发表
