One-quarter of freshwater fauna threatened with extinction
Freshwater ecosystems are highly biodiverse1 and important for livelihoods and economic development2, but are under substantial stress3. To date, comprehensive global assessments of extinction risk have not included any speciose groups primarily living in freshwaters. Consequently, data from predominantly terrestrial tetrapods4,5 are used to guide environmental policy6 and conservation prioritization7, whereas recent proposals for target setting in freshwaters use abiotic factors8–13. However, there is evidence14–17 that such data are insufficient to represent the needs of freshwater species and achieve biodiversity goals18,19. Here we present the results of a multi-taxon global freshwater fauna assessment for The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species covering 23,496 decapod crustaceans, fishes and odonates, finding that one-quarter are threatened with extinction. Prevalent threats include pollution, dams and water extraction, agriculture and invasive species, with overharvesting also driving extinctions. We also examined the degree of surrogacy of both threatened tetrapods and freshwater abiotic factors (water stress and nitrogen) for threatened freshwater species. Threatened tetrapods are good surrogates when prioritizing sites to maximize rarity-weighted richness, but poorer when prioritizing based on the most range-restricted species. However, they are much better surrogates than abiotic factors, which perform worse than random. Thus, although global priority regions identified for tetrapod conservation are broadly reflective of those for freshwater faunas, given differences in key threats and habitats, meeting the needs of tetrapods cannot be assumed sufficient to conserve freshwater species at local scales.
Details
| Type | A1: Web of Science-artikel |
|---|---|
| Categorie | Onderzoek |
| Tijdschrift | Nature: International Weekly Journal of Science |
| Issns | 0028-0836|1476-4687 |
| Uitgeverij | Nature Publishing Group |
| Taal | Engels |
Bibtex
@misc{8337dbb2-fce6-48a3-9a3e-bbb1539fa778,
title = "One-quarter of freshwater fauna threatened with extinction",
abstract = "Freshwater ecosystems are highly biodiverse1 and important for livelihoods and economic development2, but are under substantial stress3. To date, comprehensive global assessments of extinction risk have not included any speciose groups primarily living in freshwaters. Consequently, data from predominantly terrestrial tetrapods4,5 are used to guide environmental policy6 and conservation prioritization7, whereas recent proposals for target setting in freshwaters use abiotic factors8–13. However, there is evidence14–17 that such data are insufficient to represent the needs of freshwater species and achieve biodiversity goals18,19. Here we present the results of a multi-taxon global freshwater fauna assessment for The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species covering 23,496 decapod crustaceans, fishes and odonates, finding that one-quarter are threatened with extinction. Prevalent threats include pollution, dams and water extraction, agriculture and invasive species, with overharvesting also driving extinctions. We also examined the degree of surrogacy of both threatened tetrapods and freshwater abiotic factors (water stress and nitrogen) for threatened freshwater species. Threatened tetrapods are good surrogates when prioritizing sites to maximize rarity-weighted richness, but poorer when prioritizing based on the most range-restricted species. However, they are much better surrogates than abiotic factors, which perform worse than random. Thus, although global priority regions identified for tetrapod conservation are broadly reflective of those for freshwater faunas, given differences in key threats and habitats, meeting the needs of tetrapods cannot be assumed sufficient to conserve freshwater species at local scales.",
author = "Catherine A. Sayer and Eresha Fernando and Randall R. Jimenez and Nicholas B. W. Macfarlane and Giovanni Rapacciuolo and Monika Böhm and Thomas M. Brooks and Topiltzin Contreras-MacBeath and Neil A. Cox and Ian Harrison and Michael Hoffmann and Richard Jenkins and Kevin G Smith and Jean-Christophe Vié and John C. Abbott and David J. Allen and Gerald R. Allen and Violeta Barrios and Jean-Pierre Boudot and Savrina F. Carrizo and Patricia Charvet and Viola Clausnitzer and Leonardo Congiu and Keith A. Crandall and Neil Cumberlidge and Annabelle Cuttelod and James Dalton and Adam G. Daniels and Sammy De Grave and Geert De Knijf and Klaas-Douwe B. Dijkstra and Rory A. Dow and Jörg Freyhof and Nieves García and Joern Gessner and Abebe Getahun and Claudine Gibson and Matthew J. Gollock and Michael I. Grant and Alice E. R. Groom and Michael P. Hammer and Geoffrey A. Hammerson and Craig Hilton-Taylor and Laurel Hodgkinson and Robert A. Holland and Rima W. Jabado and Diego Juffe Bignoli and Vincent J. Kalkman and Bakhtiyor K. Karimov and Jens Kipping and Maurice Kottelat and Philippe A. Lalèyè and Helen K. Larson and Mark Lintermans and Federico Lozano and Arne Ludwig and Timothy J. Lyons and Laura Máiz-Tomé and Sanjay Molur and Heok Hee Ng and Catherine Numa and Amy F. Palmer-Newton and Charlotte Pike and Helen E. Pippard and Carla N. M. Polaz and Caroline M. Pollock and Rajeev Raghavan and Peter S. Rand and Tsilavina Ravelomanana and Roberto E. Reis and Cassandra L. Rigby and Janet A. Scott and Paul H. Skelton and Matthew R. Sloat and Jos Snoeks and Melanie L. J. Stiassny and Heok Hui Tan and Yoshinori Taniguchi and Eva B. Thorstad and Marcelo F. Tognelli and Armi G. Torres and Yan Torres and Denis Tweddle and Katsutoshi Watanabe and James R. S. Westrip and Emma G. E. Wright and E. Zhang and William R. T. Darwall",
year = "2025",
month = jan,
day = "08",
doi = "https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-08375-z",
language = "Nederlands",
publisher = "Nature Publishing Group",
address = "België,
type = "Other"
}
Auteurs
Catherine A. SayerEresha Fernando
Randall R. Jimenez
Nicholas B. W. Macfarlane
Giovanni Rapacciuolo
Monika Böhm
Thomas M. Brooks
Topiltzin Contreras-MacBeath
Neil A. Cox
Ian Harrison
Michael Hoffmann
Richard Jenkins
Kevin G Smith
Jean-Christophe Vié
John C. Abbott
David J. Allen
Gerald R. Allen
Violeta Barrios
Jean-Pierre Boudot
Savrina F. Carrizo
Patricia Charvet
Viola Clausnitzer
Leonardo Congiu
Keith A. Crandall
Neil Cumberlidge
Annabelle Cuttelod
James Dalton
Adam G. Daniels
Sammy De Grave
Geert De Knijf
Klaas-Douwe B. Dijkstra
Rory A. Dow
Jörg Freyhof
Nieves García
Joern Gessner
Abebe Getahun
Claudine Gibson
Matthew J. Gollock
Michael I. Grant
Alice E. R. Groom
Michael P. Hammer
Geoffrey A. Hammerson
Craig Hilton-Taylor
Laurel Hodgkinson
Robert A. Holland
Rima W. Jabado
Diego Juffe Bignoli
Vincent J. Kalkman
Bakhtiyor K. Karimov
Jens Kipping
Maurice Kottelat
Philippe A. Lalèyè
Helen K. Larson
Mark Lintermans
Federico Lozano
Arne Ludwig
Timothy J. Lyons
Laura Máiz-Tomé
Sanjay Molur
Heok Hee Ng
Catherine Numa
Amy F. Palmer-Newton
Charlotte Pike
Helen E. Pippard
Carla N. M. Polaz
Caroline M. Pollock
Rajeev Raghavan
Peter S. Rand
Tsilavina Ravelomanana
Roberto E. Reis
Cassandra L. Rigby
Janet A. Scott
Paul H. Skelton
Matthew R. Sloat
Jos Snoeks
Melanie L. J. Stiassny
Heok Hui Tan
Yoshinori Taniguchi
Eva B. Thorstad
Marcelo F. Tognelli
Armi G. Torres
Yan Torres
Denis Tweddle
Katsutoshi Watanabe
James R. S. Westrip
Emma G. E. Wright
E. Zhang
William R. T. Darwall