Drivers of extinction: the case of Azorean beetles |
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| Authors: | Sofia Terzopoulou Fran?ois Rigal Robert J. Whittaker Paulo A. V. Borges Kostas A. Triantis |
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| Affiliation: | 1.Department of Ecology and Taxonomy, Faculty of Biology, University of Athens, Athens, Greece;2.CE3C-Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes/Azorean Biodiversity Group-Universidade dos Açores, Angra do Heroísmo, Açores, Portugal;3.Conservation Biogeography and Macroecology Programme, School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK;4.Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark |
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| Abstract: | Oceanic islands host a disproportionately high fraction of endangered or recently extinct endemic species. We report on species extinctions among endemic Azorean beetles following 97% habitat loss since AD 1440. We infer extinctions from historical and contemporary records and examine the influence of three predictors: geographical range, habitat specialization and body size. Of 55 endemic beetle species investigated (out of 63), seven can be considered extinct. Single-island endemics (SIEs) were more prone to extinction than multi-island endemics. Within SIEs restricted to native habitat, larger species were more extinction-prone. We thus show a hierarchical path to extinction in Azorean beetles: species with small geographical range face extinction first, with the larger bodied ones being the most threatened. Our study provides a clear warning of the impact of habitat loss on island endemic biotas. |
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| Keywords: | Azores body size endemic beetles extinction habitat destruction oceanic islands |
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