A new University of Michigan study has found that higher levels of biodiversity—the enormous variety of life on Earth and the species, traits and evolutionary history they represent—appear to reduce extinction risk in birds.
A new University of Michigan study has found that higher levels of biodiversity—the enormous variety of life on Earth and the species, traits and evolutionary history they represent—appear to reduce extinction risk in birds.
Prior research has established that biodiversity is associated with predictable outcomes in the short term: diverse systems are less prone to invasion, have more stable productivity, and can be more disease resistant.
The new study, published online Feb. 24 in Ecology Letters and led by evolutionary biologist and ornithologist Brian Weeks of the U-M School for Environment and Sustainability, has revealed yet another positive outcome in potentially reduced extinction rates.
The study utilized a new dataset collected by researchers using natural history museum specimens that covers more than 99% of all species of birds in the world. While the practice of using natural history museum specimens is common, this is the first time that there has been a comprehensive dataset of the functional traits of all birds.
The researchers used the data to measure the diversity of birds around the world, including the species found in a community, their evolutionary relationships and their functional traits. They then used structural equation modeling to characterize the relationship between diversity and extinction risk.
Read more at: University of Michigan
Photo Credit: giani via Pixabay
