Biological and extrinsic correlates of extinction risk in Chinese lizards

China is a country with one of the most species-rich reptile faunas in the world.However,nearly a quarter of Chinese lizard species assessed by the China Biodiversity Red List are threatened.Nevertheless,to date,no study has explicitly examined the pattern and processes of extinction and threat in Chinese lizards.In this study,we conducted the first comparative phylogenetic analysis of extinction risk in Chinese lizards.We addressed the following 3 questions:(1)What is the pattern of extinction and threat in Chinese lizards?(2)Which species traits and extrinsic factors are related to their extinction risk?(3)How can we protect Chinese lizards based on our results?We collected data on 10 species traits(body size[BS],clutch size,geographic range size,activity time,reproductive mode,habitat specialization[HS],habitat use,leg development,maximum elevation,and elevation range)and 7 extrinsic factors(mean annual precipitation(MAP),mean annual temperature,mean annual solar insolation,normalized difference vegetation index(NDVI),human footprint,human population density,and human exploitation).After phylogenetic correction,these variables were used separately and in combination to assess their associations with extinction risk.We found that Chinese lizards with a small geographic range,large BS,high HS,and living in high MAP areas were vulnerable to extinction.Conservation priority should thus be given to species with the above extinction-prone traits so as to effectively protect Chinese lizards.Preventing future habitat destruction should also be a primary focus of management efforts because species with small range size and high HS are particularly vulnerable to habitat loss.

Latent extinction risk of soil fauna in Beijing:a 4-year study from 2013 to 2016

Soil ecosystems are far more functionally valuable than previously thought,but soil animals are less visible and often overlooked.Here,we surveyed population sizes of different animal orders in both urban and rural Beijing from 2013 to 2016,to study the impact of increasing urbanization on the ecology of soil fauna.We found 10 orders had less than 1%of soil-animal population in both urban and rural areas.Populations of 6 orders in urban areas were far smaller than those in rural areas.Between 2013 and 2016,both urban and rural areas had experienced a substantial long-term population decrease,and soil animals in Beijing suffered a 52.8%loss of population.Our study indicates 45.5%of orders may be in danger of local extinction,and 27.3%of orders seem highly susceptible to urbanization.Over just four years the soil-animal population in Beijing is shrinking fast thanks largely to increasing urbanization.This raises the worrying prospect of a future soil fauna that may be at risk of local extinction in cities.It is therefore necessary to provide a pragmatic approach to soil-animal diversity conservation.Moreover,the deeper understanding of soil extinction ecology opens up an exciting frontier of opportunities for future research.

Genetic adaptation as a biological buffer against climate change:Potential and limitations

Climate change profoundly impacts ecosystems and their biota,resulting in range shifts,novel interactions,food web alterations,changed intensities of host–parasite interactions,and extinctions.An increasing number of studies have documented evolutionary changes in traits such as phenology and thermal tolerance.In this opinion paper,we argue that,while evolutionary responses have the potential to provide a buffer against extinctions or range shifts,a number of constraints and complexities blur this simple prediction.First,there are limits to evolutionary potential both in terms of genetic variation and demographic effects,and these limits differ strongly among taxa and populations.Second,there can be costs associated with genetic adaptation,such as a reduced evolutionary potential towards other(human-induced)environmental stressors or direct fitness costs due to tradeoffs.Third,the differential capacity of taxa to genetically respond to climate change results in novel interactions because different organism groups respond to a different degree with local compared to regional(dispersal and range shift)responses.These complexities result in additional changes in the selection pressures on populations.We conclude that evolution can provide an initial buffer against climate change for some taxa and populations but does not guarantee their survival.It does not necessarily result in reduced extinction risks across the range of taxa in a region or continent.Yet,considering evolution is crucial,as it is likely to strongly change how biota will respond to climate change and will impact which taxa will be the winners or losers at the local,metacommunity and regional scales.