Effects of Climate Change and Anthropogenic Activities on Mammal Biodiversity

A special issue of Diversity (ISSN 1424-2818). This special issue belongs to the section "Biodiversity Loss & Dynamics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 December 2024 | Viewed by 1950

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Biological Sciences Department, Santa Cruz State University, Bahia CEP 45662-900, Brazil
Interests: biodiversity; climate breakdown; defaunation; anthropogenic factors; trophic cascade; ecosystem functioning; conservation biology; habitat loss; global warming
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Climate change and anthropogenic disturbances have been the main drivers of global mammal biodiversity. As far as we know, the climate crisis will redistribute the biodiversity as we know it, with negative effects to ecosystem services and human well-being. Projections of climate change effects on biodiversity usually indicate range shrinks, upslope, and poleward movements. Studies have pointed out that climate-driven decreases in the abundance and distribution areas of the habitats of specialist species have limited the ability of generalist and abundant species to grow in wide distribution. As mammal species shift in response to climate change, colonization by invasive species may also be enhanced. Furthermore, anthropogenic activities are the main global factor influencing mammal biodiversity loss. Due to anthropogenic disturbances, mammals are downsizing, and some studies have pointed a biomass compensation by small mammals, mainly rodents. As a result, the world is observing the “Gulliver Syndrome” (more small mammals than mid-sized and large mammals); this affects several ecosystem functions, services, and human well-being.

In this Special Issue, we aim to highlight papers that identify and quantify the magnitude of climate change and the main anthropogenic drivers of mammal biodiversity. We invite submissions of reviews and original research articles, covering a broad range of mammal biodiversity, with a focus on how climate change and anthropogenic activities affect mammals. We particularly welcome papers discussing the ecological consequences of the shift and the loss of mammal biodiversity, stimulating debate on how to revert the loss of mammals to restore biodiversity and ecosystem functions and services.

Dr. Ricardo Siqueira Bovendorp
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • defaunation
  • trophic cascade
  • ecosystem functioning
  • habitat loss
  • climate breakdown
  • mammals

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

19 pages, 5793 KiB  
Article
Habitat Suitability Analysis and Future Distribution Prediction of Giant Panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) in the Qinling Mountains, China
by Qi Ma, Huihui Zhang, Jiechao Liu, Yiman Guo and Kang Liu
Diversity 2024, 16(7), 412; https://doi.org/10.3390/d16070412 - 16 Jul 2024
Viewed by 1079
Abstract
Climate change has triggered a series of global problems, posing a huge threat to the distribution of many plants and animals, especially endangered species such as the giant panda. Therefore, predicting the distribution of habitat quality under climate change conditions is of great [...] Read more.
Climate change has triggered a series of global problems, posing a huge threat to the distribution of many plants and animals, especially endangered species such as the giant panda. Therefore, predicting the distribution of habitat quality under climate change conditions is of great significance for protecting these species. In this study, we examined the correlation between suitable habitat index and ecosystem services using 260 occurrence records and 13 environmental factors with giant pandas as the model species. The species distribution models can also be employed to predict and compare the potential geographical distribution of giant pandas at present and in the 2050s and 2090s in the Qinling Mountains of Shaanxi Province. The results show the following: (1) The relationship between suitable habitat index and ecosystem services of giant panda is not uniform. (2) From 2040 to 2100, the existing habitats may decrease by 47.8% to 98.5%. (3) The main direction of change in the center of the distribution of the giant panda’s habitat is to migrate first eastward and then northwestward. Our results regarding the potential distribution pattern of giant pandas in the Qinling Mountains and their response to climate change can provide important references for optimizing the conservation and habitat management of wild giant pandas in the Qinling Mountains. Full article
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