The DOI matches its Crossref record; 164 of the 164 references it cites were found in a registry or an index; 6 of the 136 sources its claims cite were checked for support.
Defaunation in the Anthropocene
Open accessAbstract
We live amid a global wave of anthropogenically driven biodiversity loss: species and population extirpations and, critically, declines in local species abundance. Particularly, human impacts on animal biodiversity are an under-recognized form of global environmental change. Among terrestrial vertebrates, 322 species have become extinct since 1500, and populations of the remaining species show 25% average decline in abundance. Invertebrate patterns are equally dire: 67% of monitored populations show 45% mean abundance decline. Such animal declines will cascade onto ecosystem functioning and human well-being. Much remains unknown about this “Anthropocene defaunation”; these knowledge gaps hinder our capacity to predict and limit defaunation impacts. Clearly, however, defaunation is both a pervasive component of the planet’s sixth mass extinction and also a major driver of global ecological change.
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Claims the paper makes
64 Sources not found · 25 Own interpretation · 18 No full text of the sources · 14 Not checked yet · 4 No basis given · 3 Supported · 3 Own result · 2 Partly supported · 1 Supported so far · accuracy not yet measured
The cited sources support only part of this claim — read each source’s verdict below.
In the paper
“Across vertebrates, 16% to 33% of all species are estimated to be globally threatened or endangered (17,18)”
§ Defaunation in the Anthropocene > Defaunation: a pervasive phenomenon
What the sources say
- Not matchedcites [17] 17. IUCN, The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species <www.iucnredlist.org> (2013)
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
- Supportedcites [18] 18. M. Hoffmann et al., Science 330, 1503 (2010). source
The “Status, trends, and threats” section states that, accounting for uncertainty from Data Deficient species, between 16% and 33% of all vertebrate species are classified as Threatened. This directly supports the cited estimate. (LLM, conf=0.95)
hedged- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: unclear — It is unclear whether the paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
- Not matched
Every source the paper cites for this claim was checked and supports it.
In the paper
“The long-established major proximate drivers of wildlife population decline and extinction in terrestrial ecosystems, namely overexploitation, habitat destruction, and impacts from invasive species remain pervasive (18).”
§ Defaunation in the Anthropocene > Multiple, unaddressed drivers of defaunation
What the sources say
- Supportedcites [18] 18. M. Hoffmann et al., Science 330, 1503 (2010). source
The opening summary (p. 1503) identifies agricultural expansion, logging, overexploitation, and invasive alien species as main drivers of biodiversity loss among mammals, birds, and amphibians. The “Confronting threats” section adds that conservation has not yet offset any major driver of increased extinction risk. Agricultural expansion and logging substantiate the claim’s reference to habitat destruction. (LLM, conf=0.93)
boosteddirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
- Supported
The sources with a verdict support this claim; the rest weren’t checked yet, have no full text we could read, or their verdicts aren’t rated yet.
In the paper
“None of these major drivers have been effectively mitigated at the global scale (14,18).”
§ Defaunation in the Anthropocene > Multiple, unaddressed drivers of defaunation
What the sources say
- Not checked — no full text of the sourcecites [14] 14. S. H. Butchart et al., Science 328, 1164 (2010). source
- Supportedcites [18] 18. M. Hoffmann et al., Science 330, 1503 (2010). source
In “Confronting threats” (page not supplied), the paper says that deteriorations outnumber improvements for every threat assessed and concludes that conservation has not yet offset any major driver of increased extinction risk. This supports the claim at the global scale, within the paper’s scope of vertebrate extinction risk. (LLM, conf=0.93)
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
The cited sources support only part of this claim — read each source’s verdict below.
In the paper
“the effects of defaunation will be much less about the loss of absolute diversity than about local shifts in species compositions and functional groups within a community (80).”
§ Defaunation in the Anthropocene > Synthesis and ways forward
What the sources say
- Partly supportedcites [80] 80. M. Dornelas et al., Science 344, 296 (2014). sourceExperimental — accuracy not yet measured
The Conclusions (page not available) describe the replacement of large herbivores by smaller mammals and arthropods, and the ‘Effects of large mammals on small mammals’ section reports changes in vegetation and consumer abundance. These support local shifts in the community, but the paper does not establish that such shifts matter more than losses of absolute diversity or make a general comparison of the two effects of defaunation. (LLM, conf=0.83)
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
- Partly supported
Every source the paper cites for this claim was checked and supports it.
In the paper
“and few major human pathogens seem to fit the criteria that would make such a relationship pervasive (71).”
§ Defaunation in the Anthropocene > Water quality.
What the sources say
- Supportedcites [71] 71. C. L. Wood, K. D. Lafferty, G. DeLeo, H. S. Young, A. M. Kuris, Ecology 95, 817http://dx.doi.org/10.1890/13-1041.1 (2014). source
In “Predicting the Biodiversity–Disease Relationship” (page not available), the authors project that biodiversity would reduce the prevalence of only 12% of the infectious disease species they assessed. They conclude that negative biodiversity–disease relationships may be relatively uncommon, supporting the citing sentence’s hedged claim. Their assessment covers common pathogenic human protozoan and metazoan parasites, not viruses or bacteria. (LLM, conf=0.90)
hedged- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: unclear — It is unclear whether the paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
- Supported
Every source the paper cites for this claim was checked and supports it.
In the paper
“However, the impacts of defaunation on disease are far from straightforward (71)”
§ Defaunation in the Anthropocene > Water quality.
What the sources say
- Supportedcites [71] 71. C. L. Wood, K. D. Lafferty, G. DeLeo, H. S. Young, A. M. Kuris, Ecology 95, 817http://dx.doi.org/10.1890/13-1041.1 (2014). source
The Introduction says that biodiversity loss is likely to produce both “winners and losers” among parasites. “Where Do We Go From Here?” adds that the biodiversity–disease relationship may be nonlinear and either positive or negative. These passages support the claim that the disease effects of defaunation are not straightforward; page numbers were not provided. (LLM, conf=0.92)
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: unclear — It is unclear whether the paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
- Supported
None of the sources cited for this claim could be matched to a paper in Crossref, so there is nothing to check it against.
In the paper
“Of a conservatively estimated 5-9 million animal species on the planet, we are likely losing ~11,000 to 58,000 species annually (15,16).”
§ Defaunation in the Anthropocene > Defaunation: a pervasive phenomenon
What the sources say
- Not matchedcites [15] 15. C. Mora, A. Rollo, D. P. Tittensor, Science 493, 295 (2013).
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
- Not matchedcites [16] 16. B. R. Scheffers, L. N. Joppa, S. L. Pimm, W. F. Laurance, Trends Ecol. Evol. 27, 501 (2012).
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
hedged- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: unclear — It is unclear whether the paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
- Not matched
In the paper
“with populations of many iconic species such as elephant (Fig S1B) rapidly declining towards extinction (19).”
§ Defaunation in the Anthropocene > Defaunation: a pervasive phenomenon
What the sources say
- Not matchedcites [19] 19. Materials and methods are available in the Supplementary Materials.
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: unclear — It is unclear whether the paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
- Not matched
None of the sources cited for this claim could be matched to a paper in Crossref, so there is nothing to check it against.
In the paper
“Among terrestrial vertebrates 322 species have become extinct since 1500, while populations of the remaining species show 25% average decline in abundance.”
- Also stated in: § Defaunation: a pervasive phenomenon · plain
“Across vertebrates, 16% to 33% of all species are estimated to be globally threatened or endangered (17,18), and at least 322 vertebrate species have become extinct since 1500 (a date representative of onset of the recent wave of extinction, as formal definition of the start of the Anthropocene still being debated) (17,19,20) (Table S1).”
§ Defaunation in the Anthropocene > Abstract
What the sources say
- Not matchedcites [17] 17. IUCN, The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species <www.iucnredlist.org> (2013)
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
- Not matchedcites [19] 19. Materials and methods are available in the Supplementary Materials.
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
- Not matchedcites [20] 20. G. Ceballos, A. García, P. R. Ehrlich, J. Cosmol. 8, 1821 (2010).
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
- Rests on an assumption: The year 1500 is a representative starting point for the recent wave of extinction.
- Also stated in: § Defaunation: a pervasive phenomenon · plain
The paper states this without a source or data behind it here, so there is nothing to check it against. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Invertebrate patterns are equally dire: 67% of monitored populations show 45% mean abundance decline.”
§ Defaunation in the Anthropocene > Abstract
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: unclear — It is unclear why the paper says it holds.
- It may state two separate claims as one. 24
- Probably not a substantial claim. 8
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“In our evaluation of mammals (1437 species) and birds (4263 species), the number of species per 10,000 km 2 in decline (IUCN population status “decreasing”) varied across regions from a few to 75 in mammals and 125 in birds (Fig 2), with highest numbers in tropical regions.”
§ Defaunation in the Anthropocene > Patterns of defaunation
plaincorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
In the paper
“Of all insects with IUCN documented population trends, 33% are declining, with strong variation among Orders 19).”
§ Defaunation in the Anthropocene > Synthesis and ways forward
What the sources say
- Not matchedcites [19] 19. Materials and methods are available in the Supplementary Materials.
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: unclear — It is unclear whether the paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
- Not matched
In the paper
“counts of threatened species do not necessarily translate into extinction risk, much less ecological impact (13).”
§ Defaunation in the Anthropocene > Abstract
What the sources say
- Not matchedcites [13] 13. A. Ø. Mooers, D. P. Faith, W. P. Maddison, PloS one 3, e3700 (2008).
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
- Not matched
None of the sources cited for this claim have been checked yet.
In the paper
“These extinctions altered ecosystem processes and disturbance regimes at continental scales, triggering cascades of extinction thought to still reverberate today (3,4).”
§ Defaunation in the Anthropocene > Abstract
What the sources say
- Not matchedcites [3] 3. C. E. Doughty, A. Wolf, Y. Malhi, Nat. Geosci. 6, 761 (2013).
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
- Not checked — no full text of the sourcecites [4] 4. J. L. Gill et al., Science 326, 1100 (2009). source
hedgedconditional- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: unclear — It is unclear whether the paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
- Not matched
In the paper
“Similar to other mass extinction events, the effects of this”
§ Defaunation in the Anthropocene > Abstract
What the sources say
- Not matchedcites [2] 2. M. Cardillo et al., P. Roy. Soc. Lond. B. Bio. 275, 1441 (2008).
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
plaindirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: unclear — It is unclear whether the paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
- Not matched
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Clearly, however, defaunation is both a pervasive component of the planet's sixth mass extinction, and also a major driver of global ecological change.”
§ Defaunation in the Anthropocene > Abstract
boosteddirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Much remains unknown about this”
§ Defaunation in the Anthropocene > Abstract
plaindirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
The paper states this without a source or data behind it here, so there is nothing to check it against. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Loss of invertebrate biodiversity has received much less attention and data are extremely limited.”
§ Defaunation in the Anthropocene > Defaunation: a pervasive phenomenon
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: unclear — It is unclear whether the paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“We live amidst a global wave of anthropogenically driven biodiversity loss: species and population extirpations and, critically, declines in local species abundance.”
§ Defaunation in the Anthropocene > Abstract
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
The paper states this without a source or data behind it here, so there is nothing to check it against. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“some animal species are able to persist in highly modified habitats”
§ Defaunation in the Anthropocene > Abstract
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: fails — The paper may give no reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper may give no reason why it holds.
In the paper
“Moreover, several newer threats have recently emerged, most notably anthropogenic climate disruption, which will likely soon compete with habitat loss as the most important driver of defaunation (44).”
§ Defaunation in the Anthropocene > Multiple, unaddressed drivers of defaunation
What the sources say
- Not checked — no full text of the sourcecites [44] 44. O. E. Sala et al., Science 287, 1770 (2000). source
hedgedconditional- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: unclear — It is unclear whether the paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
None of the sources cited for this claim have been checked yet.
In the paper
“While most declining species are affected by multiple stressors, we still have a poor understanding of the complex ways in which these drivers interact, and of feedback loops that may exist (7,11).”
§ Defaunation in the Anthropocene > Multiple, unaddressed drivers of defaunation
What the sources say
- Not checked — no full text of the sourcecites [7] 7. A. D. Barnosky et al., Nature 486, 52 (2012). source
- Not matchedcites [11] 11. B. W. Brook, N. S. Sodhi, C. J. Bradshaw, Trends Ecol. Evol. 23, 453 (2008).
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
In the paper
“While defaunation is a global pattern, geographic distribution patterns are also decidedly non-random (28).”
§ Defaunation in the Anthropocene > Patterns of defaunation
What the sources say
- Not checked — no full text of the sourcecites [28] 28. S. Pimm et al., Science 344, 1246752 (2014). source
plaincorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: unclear — It is unclear whether the paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
None of the sources cited for this claim could be matched to a paper in Crossref, so there is nothing to check it against.
In the paper
“However, increasingly sophisticated approaches help to predict which species are likely to be at risk, and to map latent extinction risk (38), holding great promise both for managing defaunation and identifying likely patterns of ecological impact (39).”
§ Defaunation in the Anthropocene > Patterns of defaunation
What the sources say
- Not matchedcites [38] 38. M. Cardillo, G. M. Mace, J. L. Gittleman, A. Purvis, P. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 103, 4157 (2006).
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
- Not matchedcites [39] 39. H. Hillebrand, B. Matthiessen, Ecol. Lett. 12, 1405 (2009).
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
plaincorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: unclear — It is unclear whether the paper’s conclusions depend on it.
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It may state two separate claims as one.
- Not matched
In the paper
“For instance, among vertebrates, more amphibians (41%) are currently considered threatened than birds (17%), with mammals and reptiles experiencing intermediate threat levels (27).”
§ Defaunation in the Anthropocene > Patterns of defaunation
What the sources say
- Not checked — no full text of the sourcecites [27] 27. J. Schipper et al., Science 322, 225 (2008). source
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: unclear — It is unclear whether the paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
In the paper
“However, these 'extinction models' have made little impact on conservation management, in part because trait correlations are often idiosyncratic and context dependent (31).”
§ Defaunation in the Anthropocene > Patterns of defaunation
What the sources say
- Not matchedcites [31] 31. M. Cardillo, E. Meijaard, Trends Ecol. Evol. 27, 167 (2012).
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
plaindirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: unclear — It is unclear whether the paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
- Not matched
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Ironically, the cryptic nature of defaunation has strong potential to soon become very non-cryptic, rivaling the impact of many other forms of global change in terms of loss of ecosystem services essential for human well-being.”
§ Defaunation in the Anthropocene > Synthesis and ways forward
boostedconditional- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: fails — It may be too vague to check against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: fails — The paper may give no reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. It may be too vague to check against evidence. The paper may give no reason why it holds.
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“we need to focus on predicting the systematic patterns of winners and losers in the Anthropocene and identify the traits that characterize them, as this will provide information on the patterns and the links to function that we can then act upon.”
§ Defaunation in the Anthropocene > Synthesis and ways forward
plaindirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: fails — It may be too vague to check against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. It may be too vague to check against evidence.
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“we emphasize that defaunation is about much more than species loss.”
§ Defaunation in the Anthropocene > Synthesis and ways forward
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: fails — It may be too vague to check against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. It may be too vague to check against evidence.
None of the sources cited for this claim have been checked yet.
In the paper
“However, most efforts to quantify this relationship have focused largely on effects of reduced producer diversity, which may typically have much lower functional impacts than does consumer loss (49,50).”
§ Defaunation in the Anthropocene > Consequences of defaunation
What the sources say
- Not matchedcites [49] 49. J. Reiss, J. R. Bridle, J. M. Montoya, G. Woodward, Trends Ecol. Evol. 24, 505 (2009).
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
- Not checked — no full text of the sourcecites [50] 50. B. J. Cardinale et al., Nature 486, 59 (2012). source
hedgedconditional- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
- Not matched
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Ongoing declines in populations of animals such as nematodes, beetles, or bats, are considerably less evident to humans”
§ Defaunation in the Anthropocene > Synthesis and ways forward
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: fails — It may be too vague to check against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: fails — The paper may give no reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. It may be too vague to check against evidence. The paper may give no reason why it holds.
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Ultimately, both reduced and more evenly distributed global resource consumption will be necessary to sustainably change ongoing trends in defaunation and, hopefully, eventually open the door to refaunation.”
§ Defaunation in the Anthropocene > Synthesis and ways forward
plaindirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: fails — It may be too vague to check against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. It may be too vague to check against evidence. It may state two separate claims as one.
- Rests on an assumption: Continued human population growth and increasingly uneven per-capita consumption ultimately drive all these threats.
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“yet arguably are more functionally important”
§ Defaunation in the Anthropocene > Synthesis and ways forward
hedged- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: fails — It may be too vague to check against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: fails — The paper may give no reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. It may be too vague to check against evidence. The paper may give no reason why it holds.
In the paper
“One recent study in Madagascar suggested that loss of wildlife as a food source will increase anemia by 30%, leading to increased mortality, morbidity and learning difficulties (66).”
§ Defaunation in the Anthropocene > Water quality.
What the sources say
- Not matchedcites [66] 66. C. D. Golden et al., P. Natl. Acad. Sci. 108, 19653 (2011).
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
hedgeddirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: fails — The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. It may state two separate claims as one.
- Rests on an assumption: In many parts of the world, wild animal food sources are a critical part of the diet, particularly for the poor.
- Not matched
In the paper
“Insect pollination, needed for 75% of all the world's food crops, is estimated to be worth ~10% of the economic value of the world's entire food supply (52).”
§ Defaunation in the Anthropocene > Impacts on ecosystem functions and services
What the sources say
- Not matchedcites [52] 52. N. Gallai, J.-M. Salles, J. Settele, B. E. Vaissière, Ecological Economics 68, 810 (2009).
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
hedgeddirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
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- Not matched
In the paper
“Similarly, declines in bird pollinators in New Zealand led to strong pollen limitation, ultimately reducing seed production and population regeneration (55) (Fig 5H).”
§ Defaunation in the Anthropocene > Impacts on ecosystem functions and services
What the sources say
- Not checked — no full text of the sourcecites [55] 55. S. H. Anderson et al., Science 331, 1068 (2011). source
boosteddirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: unclear — It is unclear whether the paper’s conclusions depend on it.
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It may state two separate claims as one.
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“This review indicates that a widespread and pervasive defaunation crisis, with farreaching consequences, is upon us.”
§ Defaunation in the Anthropocene > Synthesis and ways forward
hedged- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
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In the paper
“Large animals, including ungulates, hippos, and crocodiles, prevent formation of anoxic zones through agitation and affect water movement through trampling (64).”
§ Defaunation in the Anthropocene > Water quality.
What the sources say
- Not matchedcites [64] 64. J. P. Wright, C. G. Jones, A. S. Flecker, Oecologia 132, 96 (2002).
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
plaindirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
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- Load-bearing: unclear — It is unclear whether the paper’s conclusions depend on it.
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It may state two separate claims as one.
- Not matched
In the paper
“For instance, global declines in amphibian populations increase algae and fine detritus biomass, reduce nitrogen uptake, and greatly reduce whole stream respiration (Fig 5E; (63)).”
§ Defaunation in the Anthropocene > Water quality.
What the sources say
- Not checked — no full text of the sourcecites [63] 63. M. Whiles et al., Ecosystems 16, 146 (2013). source
plaindirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
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- Load-bearing: unclear — It is unclear whether the paper’s conclusions depend on it.
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In the paper
“Large wildlife removal also causes major effects on ecosystem functions and services (Panel D), including changes to fire intensity (Fi); cattle production in both dry (C-D) and wet seasons (C-W); disease prevalence (D); infectivity of arbuscular mycorrhizae fungi (AMF); photosynthetic rates (Ph); and transpiration rates (TR).”
§ Defaunation in the Anthropocene > Synthesis and ways forward
What the sources say
- Not matchedcites [81] 81. F. Keesing, T. P. Young, Bioscience 64, 487 (2014).
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
plaindirectSingle case- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
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- Not matched
The paper relies on this without support.
The year 1500 is a representative starting point for the recent wave of extinction.
“(a date representative of onset of the recent wave of extinction, as formal definition of the start of the Anthropocene still being debated)”
The paper relies on this without support.
In many parts of the world, wild animal food sources are a critical part of the diet, particularly for the poor.
“In many parts of the world, wild animal food sources are a critical part of the diet, particularly for the poor.”
The paper relies on this without support.
The indirect evolutionary effects of defaunation on species not directly impacted by human defaunation are still poorly studied.
“Still poorly studied are the indirect evolutionary effects of defaunation on other species, not directly impacted by human defaunation.”
The paper relies on this without support.
Arthropod pests are responsible for 8-15% of the losses in most major food crops.
“For example, arthropod pests are responsible for 8-15% of the losses in most major food crops.”
The paper relies on this without support.
Continued human population growth and increasingly uneven per-capita consumption ultimately drive all these threats.
“continued human population growth and increasingly uneven per-capita consumption, which ultimately drive all these threats”
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
The source backs part of the claim, not all of it — or backs it for a different population, condition or comparison.
In the citing paper
“the literature reflects broad agreement among environmental scientists that biases lead to underestimating the number of species that have gone extinct in the past few centuries”
From Accelerated modern human–induced species losses: Entering the sixth mass extinction (2015) · cites this paper as [8]
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe source backs part of the claim, not all of it — or backs it for a different population, condition or comparison.
In the citing paper
“Hundreds of species and myriad populations are being driven to extinction every year (1–8).”
From Biological annihilation via the ongoing sixth mass extinction signaled by vertebrate population losses and declines (2017) · cites this paper as [2]
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe cited source says what the claim attributes to it.
In the citing paper
“A growing body of evidence indicates that current species extinction rates are higher than the pre-human background rate (8–15)”
From Accelerated modern human–induced species losses: Entering the sixth mass extinction (2015) · cites this paper as [8]
The cited source says what the claim attributes to it.
In the citing paper
“This suggests that, even if there was not ample sign that the crisis extends far beyond that group of animals, today’s planetary defaunation of vertebrates will itself promote cascading catastrophic effects on ecosystems, worsening the annihilation of nature (2, 3, 46).”
From Biological annihilation via the ongoing sixth mass extinction signaled by vertebrate population losses and declines (2017) · cites this paper as [2]
The cited source says what the claim attributes to it.
In the citing paper
“In sum, by losing populations (and species) of vertebrates, we are losing intricate ecological networks involving animals, plants, and microorganisms (e.g., refs. 2, 8, 18, 45, 46).”
From Biological annihilation via the ongoing sixth mass extinction signaled by vertebrate population losses and declines (2017) · cites this paper as [2]
The cited source says what the claim attributes to it.
In the citing paper
“However, given that such medium and large species are the most seriously threatened by the predominant proximate drivers of defaunation (2, 3), the likely bias against small-sized species should not affect our overall interpretation of results.”
From Biological annihilation via the ongoing sixth mass extinction signaled by vertebrate population losses and declines (2017) · cites this paper as [2]
In the citing paper
“Fourth, species at the brink have been pushed to a critical conservation status because of human activities, where habitat loss and fragmentation, illegal trade, overexploitation, introduced domestic and wild species, toxification, and pollution have played a major role (10, 13–15, 30, 46, 52, 53).”
From Vertebrates on the brink as indicators of biological annihilation and the sixth mass extinction (2020) · cites this paper as [14]
In the citing paper
“They occur mostly in heavily populated regions such as tropical Asia, where major ongoing biodiversity losses are well known (10, 13–15, 30, 46, 52, 53).”
From Vertebrates on the brink as indicators of biological annihilation and the sixth mass extinction (2020) · cites this paper as [14]
In the citing paper
“More recently, climate disruption is becoming a major cause of species endangerment (10, 11, 14–17).”
From Vertebrates on the brink as indicators of biological annihilation and the sixth mass extinction (2020) · cites this paper as [14]
In the citing paper
“Thus, moving onto the brink is an important part of the process of defaunation (14).”
From Vertebrates on the brink as indicators of biological annihilation and the sixth mass extinction (2020) · cites this paper as [14]
In the citing paper
“However, the number of studies on insect trends with sufficient replication and spatial coverage are limited [10, 23–25] and restricted to certain well-studied taxa.”
From More than 75 percent decline over 27 years in total flying insect biomass in protected areas (2017) · cites this paper as [24]
In the citing paper
“Many top predators are both overexploited and strong controllers of nutrient cycling, water quality and other ecosystem services9,77,80–82.”
From Linking the influence and dependence of people on biodiversity across scales (2017) · cites this paper as [82]
In the citing paper
“Increasingly, the simple theoretical prediction that fragmentation reduces species richness is being modified to account for species identity through models that focus on how species vary in their traits (4, 21, 36, 48, 57, 58).”
From Habitat fragmentation and its lasting impact on Earth’s ecosystems (2015) · cites this paper as [58]
In the citing paper
“Most forms of global change known to reduce population sizes and biodiversity will be exacerbated by fragmentation (58, 60), including climate change (61), invasive species (62, 63), hunting (64), pollution [including light, noise, and chemicals (65)], and altered disturbance regimes (66).”
From Habitat fragmentation and its lasting impact on Earth’s ecosystems (2015) · cites this paper as [58]
Citations
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Cited by
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A magyarországi földikutya-áttelepítések értékelése
Ruzsa, J., Schneider, V., Farkas, J., et al. (2020) · Természetvédelmi Közlemények · doi:10.20332/tvk-jnatconserv.2020.26.70 · Cited by 6
Fruit traits of tree species in lower montane rainforest at Doi Suthep–Pui, northern Thailand
Rueangket, A., Duengkae, P., Thinkampheang, S., et al. (2021) · Journal of Tropical Ecology · doi:10.1017/s0266467421000377 · Cited by 6
Rust, N. A. (2015) · Kent Academic Repository (University of Kent) · doi:10.31235/osf.io/2kdfy · Cited by 6
“, 2011), but that our actions are the primary drivers (Ceballos et al., 2015; Dirzo et al., 2014).”
BackgroundMorphological structure of ant assemblages in tropical and temperate forestsPreprint
da Silva, R. R., Toro, I. D., Brandão, C. R. F., et al. (2016) · bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) · doi:10.1101/065417 · Cited by 6
IMPACTS TO BIODIVERSITY AND ECOSYSTEM SERVICES FROM BIOENERGY DEVELOPMENT: A PAN AMERICAN EXPERIENCE
Phifer, C. C. (2017) · doi:10.37099/mtu.dc.etdr/533 · Cited by 6
“Global demand for agricultural goods and forest products are growing [1,2], and much of the world’s landscapes have already been altered by human activity for human needs [3,4], with major losses for biodiversity [5,6].”
BackgroundPreface: Mechanistic links between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning
Eisenhauer, N., Bohan, D. A., & Dumbrell, A. J. (2019) · Advances in ecological research/Advances in Ecological Research · doi:10.1016/s0065-2504(19)30044-3 · Cited by 6
Mapping extinction risk in the global functional spectra across the tree of lifePreprint
Carmona, C. P., Tamme, R., Pärtel, M., de Bello, F., Brosse, S., Capdevila, P., González‐M., R., González‐Suárez, M., Salguero‐Gómez, R., Vásquez‐Valderrama, M., et al. (2020) · bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) · doi:10.1101/2020.06.29.179143 · Cited by 6
Effective Biodiversity Assessment and Monitoring
Schipper, J., & Rovero, F. (2017) · Elsevier eBooks · doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-809665-9.09844-x · Cited by 6
The origin and early evolution of arthropodsPreprint
Aria, C. (2021) · PaleoRxiv (OSF Preprints) · doi:10.31233/osf.io/4zmey · Cited by 6
A standard protocol for harvesting biodiversity data from FacebookPreprint
Chowdhury, S., Ahmed, S., Alam, S., Callaghan, C. T., Das, P., Marco, M. D., Minin, E. D., Jarić, I., Labi, M. M., Rokonuzzaman, M., et al. (2023) · doi:10.32942/x2xs4f · Cited by 6
Clucas, G. V., Stillman, A. N., & Craig, E. C. (2024) · bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) · doi:10.1101/2024.03.22.586275 · Cited by 6
“Introduction Species extinctions and population declines continue at alarming rates (Barnosky et al., 2011; Ceballos et al., 2017; Dirzo et al., 2014; Pimm et al., 2014; Rosenberg et al., 2019), and addressing these declines requires a mechanistic understanding of the complex drivers and…”
BackgroundA multicontinental dataset of butterfly thermal physiological traits
Diamond, S. E., da Silva, C. R. B., & Medina‐Báez, O. A. (2024) · Scientific Data · doi:10.1038/s41597-024-04191-2 · Cited by 6
Illuminating patterns of firefly abundance using citizen science data and machine learning models
McNeil, D. J., Goslee, S., Kammerer, M. A., Lower, S. E., Tooker, J. F., & Grozinger, C. M. (2024) · The Science of The Total Environment · doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.172329 · Cited by 5
Native fish assemblages in natural lakes across Japan: Endemism deterioration lasting centuries
Dai, B., Matsuzaki, S. S., Negishi, J. N., et al. (2024) · Diversity and Distributions · doi:10.1111/ddi.13850 · Cited by 5
“…accelerated since the mid-20th century (Steffen et al., 2015), when pollution, habitat destruction and fragmentation, invasive species, overexploitation and climate change became more pronounced (Dirzo et al., 2014; Foley et al., 2005; Haddad et al., 2015; Noyes et al., 2009; Pecl et al., 2017).”
BackgroundJunior, A. B. V., Silva, L. F. S., Pinheiro‐Júnior, E. C., Santos, E. K. D. N., Araújo, M. C., Alves, Í. E. C., Martins, B. D. S., Pereira, J. D. S., Santos, R. S., Santos, B. A., et al. (2024) · Insect Conservation and Diversity · doi:10.1111/icad.12795 · Cited by 5
“Habitat loss through the conversion of natural environments into farmland, pasture and cities is consistently cited as the dominant cause of wildlife loss in the context of terrestrial ecosystems (Collen et al., 2014; Dirzo et al., 2014; Michalko et al., 2023).”
Tsunoda, H., Peeva, S. P., Raichev, E. G., & Kaneko, Y. (2025) · Diversity · doi:10.3390/d17020108 · Cited by 6
Romero‐Muñoz, A., Bleyhl, B., Benítez‐López, A., Camino, M., Decarre, J., Nanni, A. S., Noss, A. J., Giordano, A. J., Quiroga, V. A., Torres, R. M., et al. (2025) · Diversity and Distributions · doi:10.1111/ddi.70003 · Cited by 6
“While much research focuses on these extinction events (e.g., Ceballos, Ehrlich, and Dirzo 2017; Wolf and Ripple 2017), it is crucial to recognise that populations decline gradually well before extinction occurs (Dirzo et al. 2014).”
What do we know about seed dispersal by Carnivorans in Brazil?
Calixto, A. Z., Silveira, F. A. O., & Massara, R. L. (2025) · Acta Oecologica · doi:10.1016/j.actao.2025.104073 · Cited by 5
Fire effects on floral abundance of bumble bee host plants in mixed-oak forests
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“These declines are ecologically significant as insects are estimated to pollinate 75% of crops, globally, providing critical ecosystem services (Klein et al. 2007; Potts et al. 2010; Dirzo et al. 2014; Requier et al. 2023).”
Apex predator loss drives trophic downgrading in China’s protected areas
Liu, J., Kang, Y., Jensen, A. J., Kays, R., & Jiang, A. (2025) · Current Biology · doi:10.1016/j.cub.2025.05.016 · Cited by 6
Global decline of apex scavengers threatens human health
Sonawane, C., Xu, M., Ward, N., du, A. C., Kamets, B., & Dirzo, R. (2025) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.2417328122 · Cited by 8
Self-citationO’Hanlon, J. C., Khan, M. K., Griffith, S. C., Chown, S. L., Cooper, C. E., Duursma, D. E., Gallagher, R. V., Sgrò, C. M., While, G. M., & Herberstein, M. E. (2025) · Behavioral Ecology · doi:10.1093/beheco/araf073 · Cited by 5
Recent extinctions of plant and animal genera are rare, localized, and decelerated
Wiens, J. J., & Saban, K. E. (2025) · PLoS Biology · doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.3003356 · Cited by 10
Saban, K. E., & Wiens, J. J. (2025) · Proceedings of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences · doi:10.1098/rspb.2025.1717 · Cited by 9
“Recent human activities have led to the extinction of hundreds of species of plants and animals [2,3].”
Wahle, A., Graßmann, C., Zell, E., Leiss, L., Marcordes, B., Pagel, T., & Ziegler, T. (2025) · Integrative Conservation · doi:10.1002/inc3.70043 · Cited by 5
“Yet the global biodiversity crisis is not only a problem of threatened animal and plant species but eventually also has a large impact on human well ‐ being in terms of health, wealth, and security (Dirzo et al. 2014; WWF 2020).”
Biodiversity conservation depends on the expansion of taxonomy and systematics research
Ruedas, L. A., & Gardner, S. L. (2025) · Journal of Mammalogy · doi:10.1093/jmammal/gyaf067 · Cited by 8
Guerra, D., Cabral, A., Paetzolt, M., et al. (2025) · Ecology Letters · doi:10.1111/ele.70274 · Cited by 5
“As large animals continue to decline in abundance and diversity (Dirzo et al. 2014; Ripple et al. 2019)—reminiscent of the extinction waves seen during the Late Quaternary—many large-fruited plants are at risk of losing their primary seed dispersal interaction partners, with detrimental…”
The diel niche of brown bears: constraints on adaptive capacity in human‐modified landscapes
Donatelli, A., Ćirović, D., Haroldson, M. A., et al. (2025) · Ecography · doi:10.1002/ecog.07979 · Cited by 5
Predator-prey temporal niche partitioning under human disturbance: a meta-analysis
Wooster, E. I. F., Lundgren, E. J., Nimmo, D. G., Cowan, M. A., Fricke, E. C., Frank, A. S. K., Carthey, A. J. R., Grabowski, K., Green, J. R., Linley, G. D., et al. (2026) · Nature Communications · doi:10.1038/s41467-026-69113-9 · Cited by 5
“Data extraction was conducted by E.I.F.W. and E.J.L.”
InfluentialHajkova, K., Grill, S., Bartoňová, A. S., et al. (2023) · Journal for Nature Conservation · doi:10.1016/j.jnc.2023.126445 · Cited by 5
DOS-REIS, C., Zarucki, M., Delabie, J. H. C., et al. (2023) · International Journal of Tropical Insect Science · doi:10.1007/s42690-023-01106-3 · Cited by 5
“Such anthropic processes generally generate a replacement of naturally complex environments with high habitat heterogeneity and diversity, by much simpler agroecosystems with low habitat availability (Matson et al. 1997; Rice and Greenberg 2000; Sala et al. 2000; Dirzo et al. 2014 ).”
Emer, C., Villar, N., Melo, N., Zipparro, V. B., Nazareth, S., & Galetti, M. (2024) · Journal of Ecology · doi:10.1111/1365-2745.14273 · Cited by 5
“As such, the current rate of large herbivores defaunation, particularly acute in tropical forests (Benítez-López et al., 2017; Dirzo et al., 2014 ; Galetti et al., 2021 ), can also simultaneously affect small (pathogenic) consumers, which play a critical functional role in the maintenance of forest…”
BackgroundSelf-citationHabitat loss and degradation reduce the abundance of the glossy grass skink, Pseudemoia rawlinsoni
FARQUHAR, J. F. C., Wotherspoon, L., Porter, H., et al. (2024) · Wildlife Research · doi:10.1071/wr23102 · Cited by 5
Losapio, G., Moraes, C. Μ. D., Dirzo, R., Tscheulin, T., Zouros, N., & Mescher, M. C. (2024) · Conservation Science and Practice · doi:10.1111/csp2.13111 · Cited by 5
Self-citationCarter, B. E., & Alroy, J. (2024) · Frontiers of Biogeography · doi:10.21425/f5fbg62724 · Cited by 5
Heat resistance variability in the Lebanese bee fauna
Boustani, M., Martinet, B., Michez, D., Nemer, N., & Rasmont, P. (2024) · Apidologie · doi:10.1007/s13592-024-01070-y · Cited by 6
“Extinctions already occurred for a part of the species diversity (Parmesan 2006; Dirzo et al. 2014), while a minority of species seem able to adapt and/or migrate (Lenoir et al. 2008).”
Aligning paleobiological research with conservation priorities using elasmobranchs as a model
Dillon, E., & Pimiento, C. (2024) · Paleobiology · doi:10.1017/pab.2024.11 · Cited by 5
“These anthropogenic impacts have accelerated since the 1950s (Steffen et al. 2015) and have potentially triggered a sixth mass extinction event comparable in magnitude to the other five that shaped the history of life (Barnosky et al. 2011; Dirzo et al. 2014; Ceballos et al. 2015).”
Wildflower strips enhance pest regulation services in citrus orchards
Mockford, A., Urbaneja, A., Ashbrook, K., & Westbury, D. B. (2024) · Agriculture Ecosystems & Environment · doi:10.1016/j.agee.2024.109069 · Cited by 5
Móré, A., Üveges, B., Simics, J., et al. (2024) · Rangeland Ecology & Management · doi:10.1016/j.rama.2024.04.007 · Cited by 5
Deboutte, W., Smet, L. D., Brunain, M., Basler, N., Rycke, R. M. D., Smets, L., de Graaf, D. C., & Matthijnssens, J. (2024) · Microbiology Spectrum · doi:10.1128/spectrum.03581-23 · Cited by 5
“Recent studies have shown that honey bee populations face the same threats that also lead to a decline of other insect species over the last years (4, 5).”
BackgroundSherman, W. C., Terry, A. J. A., & Bowers, A. W. (2024) · Curator The Museum Journal · doi:10.1111/cura.12635 · Cited by 5
Proudman, N. J., & Allen, M. L. (2024) · Acta Oecologica · doi:10.1016/j.actao.2024.104012 · Cited by 5
Cyanobacteria in the Anthropocene: Synanthropism forged in an era of global change
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“The Anthropocene epoch is defined by the pervasive influence of human actions on Earth's biosphere, with synanthropic organisms among the beneficiaries of this transformation (Dirzo et al., 2014; Guette et al., 2017; Lewis & Maslin, 2015).”
BackgroundSobral‐Souza, T., Bosco, N. S., Candelária, L. P., Collevatti, R. G., Layme, V. M. G., & Rodrigues, D. D. J. (2024) · Perspectives in Ecology and Conservation · doi:10.1016/j.pecon.2024.07.004 · Cited by 8
Zhu, Y., Li, X., Tu, X., Risch, A. C., Wang, Z., Ma, Q., Jiang, M., Zou, Y., Wang, D., Inbar, M., et al. (2024) · Proceedings of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences · doi:10.1098/rspb.2024.1112 · Cited by 4
Species-specific loss of genetic diversity and inbreeding following agricultural intensification
Nolen, Z. J., Jamelska, P., Lara, A. S. T., Wahlberg, N., & Runemark, A. (2026) · Genome Biology and Evolution · doi:10.1093/gbe/evag235 · Cited by 6
Lamperty, T., Diaz‐Martin, Z., Swamy, V., et al. (2024) · Molecular Ecology · doi:10.1111/mec.17620 · Cited by 5
“…with decreases in the abundance of large-bodied animals and increases in smaller-bodied vertebrates that benefit from release from predators and competition as well as supplementary resources from nearby human settlements (Dirzo et al. 2014; Peres and Dolman 2000; Pires and Galetti 2023).”
Wang, Z.-B., Cui, N., Hung, C.-M., Li, S., & Dong, F. (2024) · Conservation Letters · doi:10.1111/conl.13078 · Cited by 4
“This period marks a major inflection point over the long history of anthropogenic effects on the environment, followed by rapid human population growth, agricultural expansion, extensive deforestation, and defaunation, all of which can exert profound effects on biodiversity (Dirzo et al. 2014).”
Mammal Diversity on Conservation Islands in Protected Areas in Oaxaca, Mexico
Padilla-Gómez, E., Galindo-Aguilar, R. E., & Briones-Salas, M. A. (2025) · Diversity · doi:10.3390/d17010055 · Cited by 5
“This negatively impacts the composition and structure of vegetation by disrupting the biological interactions that maintain their stability [10].”
Sinovas, P., Smith, C., Sophorn, K., Chantha, N., Kaden, J. C., Ith, S., & Ball, A. D. (2025) · PeerJ · doi:10.7717/peerj.18932 · Cited by 6
“Defaunation, the decline or extinction of animal populations or species, is a major driver of global ecological change ( Dirzo et al., 2014 ).”
Snaring and wildlife wastage in Africa: drivers, scale, impacts, and paths to sustainability
Denny, S., Coad, L., Jones, S. C. Z., & Ingram, D. J. (2025) · BioScience · doi:10.1093/biosci/biaf014 · Cited by 7
“This has caused widespread declines in wildlife populations, including regional and global extinctions (Dirzo et al. 2014 , Benítez-López et al. 2017 ).”
The importance of being heterogeneous: the complex phase behaviour of insect cuticular hydrocarbons
Huthmacher, S., Abou, B., & Menzel, F. (2025) · Journal of The Royal Society Interface · doi:10.1098/rsif.2025.0099 · Cited by 7
New Records of Two Agarics: Galerina sideroides and Gymnopus luxurians in South Korea
Jang, S., & Jang, Y. (2015) · The Korean Journal of Mycology · doi:10.4489/kjm.2015.43.2.88 · Cited by 5
“Climate change has also accelerated the loss of biodiversity [1].”
BackgroundGood, C., Tyrrell, P., Zhou, Z., et al. (2019) · Biodiversity and Conservation · doi:10.1007/s10531-019-01735-6 · Cited by 5
Declines in an Augur Buzzard Buteo augur Population in a Region of Increasing Human Development
Eichenwald, A. J., Amar, A., Tyrrell, P., Buechley, E. R., & Virani, M. Z. (2021) · Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution · doi:10.3389/fevo.2021.590073 · Cited by 5
Coupled effects of environment, space and ecological engineering on seafloor beta‐diversity
Brustolin, M. C., Gladstone‐Gallagher, R. V., Kraan, C., et al. (2021) · Ecography · doi:10.1111/ecog.05440 · Cited by 5
“…filtering, estuaries, macrofauna, spatial constraints Introduction Human activities are transforming the biosphere and in the last 180 years ecosystem degradation and species extinctions are accelerating in an unprecedented way (HoeghGuldberg and Bruno 2010, Dirzo et al. 2014, McGill et al. 2015).”
BackgroundMineral lick distribution modeling and NW Amazon conservation planning alternatives
Molina, E., Henríquez, W. A., & Armenteras, D. (2021) · Biodiversity and Conservation · doi:10.1007/s10531-021-02253-0 · Cited by 5
Dietary composition and overlap among small‐ and medium‐sized carnivores in Flanders, Belgium
Berge, K. V. D., der Veken, T. V., Gouwy, J., Verschelde, P., & Eeraerts, M. (2021) · Ecological Research · doi:10.1111/1440-1703.12276 · Cited by 5
Distinct Community-Wide Responses to Forecasted Climate Change in Afrotropical Forests
Núñez, C. L., Poulsen, J. R., WHITE, L. J. T., Medjibe, V. P., & Clark, J. S. (2022) · Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution · doi:10.3389/fevo.2021.742626 · Cited by 5
Gallina, S., Contreras, A., Álvarez-Peredo, C., Saucedo-Castillo, E., García-Feria, L. M., Flores-Romero, C., Tejeda-Cruz, C., Ortega‐Argueta, A., & Pineda-Vázquez, M. (2022) · Mammalian Biology · doi:10.1007/s42991-021-00220-4 · Cited by 7
Gonzalez-Velez, J. C., Martinez-Vargas, J. D., & Torres-Madronero, M. C. (2022) · Communications in computer and information science · doi:10.1007/978-3-030-99170-8_22 · Cited by 5
Chaudhuri, S., Bandyopadhyay, M., Rajaraman, R., Kalyanasundaram, S., Sathyakumar, S., & Krishnamurthy, R. (2022) · Frontiers in Conservation Science · doi:10.3389/fcosc.2022.850309 · Cited by 5
Rubin, J. A., & Görres, J. H. (2022) · Restoration Ecology · doi:10.1111/rec.13671 · Cited by 5
Allen, R. B., Forsyth, D. M., MacKenzie, D. I., & Peltzer, D. A. (2022) · New Zealand Journal of Ecology · doi:10.20417/nzjecol.47.3503 · Cited by 5
Ortiz-Sepulveda, C., Genête, M., Blassiau, C., Godé, C., Albrecht, C., Vekemans, X., & Bocxlaer, B. V. (2022) · Molecular Ecology Resources · doi:10.1111/1755-0998.13735 · Cited by 5
Baeza, J. A., Prakash, S., Frolová, P., et al. (2022) · Coral Reefs · doi:10.1007/s00338-022-02317-9 · Cited by 5
da Silva, L. B. (2023) · Ornithology Research · doi:10.1007/s43388-023-00118-4 · Cited by 5
Prehistoric pathways to Anthropocene adaptation: Evidence from the Red River Delta, Vietnam
Rabett, R., Morimoto, R., Kahlert, T., Stimpson, C., O'Donnell, S., Nguyễn, H., Bùi, M., Holmes, R., Phạm, K. S., Trần, V. T., et al. (2023) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0280126 · Cited by 6
Temporal Trends in Skull Morphology of the European Bison from the 1950s to the Present Day
Szara, T., Klich, D., Wójcik, A. M., & Olech, W. (2023) · Diversity · doi:10.3390/d15030377 · Cited by 5
Tosetto, L., McNab, J. M., Hutchings, P., Rodríguez, J., & Williamson, J. E. (2023) · Diversity · doi:10.3390/d15030393 · Cited by 5
Effects of human disturbance on risk‐taking behavior in painted turtles
Turcotte, A., Garant, D., & Blouin‐Demers, G. (2023) · Ethology · doi:10.1111/eth.13377 · Cited by 5
“persistence of wild populations (Dirzo et al., 2014).”
Xia, W., Grueter, C. C., Zhang, C., Zhuang, H., Hu, J., Krzton, A., & Li, D. (2023) · Global Ecology and Conservation · doi:10.1016/j.gecco.2023.e02499 · Cited by 5
Bookwalter, J. D., Niyas, A. M. M., Caballero‐López, B., Villari, C., & López, B. C. (2023) · Journal of Insect Conservation · doi:10.1007/s10841-023-00479-7 · Cited by 5
“Recent studies have shown an alarming decline in terrestrial insect populations in the past half century (Dirzo et al. 2014; Sánchez-Bayo and Wyckhuys 2019; Møller 2020).”
BackgroundSiame, L. L., Rosa, L. E., Cherem, L. F. S., de Oliveira, J. G., Evrard, O., Barhoumi, H., Léanni, L., Duvivier, A., Blard, P., Bourlès, D. L., et al. (2023) · Earth s Future · doi:10.1029/2022ef003297 · Cited by 6
“losses of biodiversity (Dirzo et al., 2014; Le Tourneau, 2019), which now severely threaten eco-systemic services as well as the well-being of billions of people worldwide (IPCC, 2019).”
BackgroundHeavy metals in hair of small mammals from the cacao agroforestry and Brazilian Atlantic Forest
da Costa, L. S., de Souza, A. P., & Bovendorp, R. S. (2023) · Global Ecology and Conservation · doi:10.1016/j.gecco.2023.e02620 · Cited by 5
de Oliveira, M. E., Saranholi, B. H., Miotto, R. A., Souza, A. S. M. D. C. E., Dirzo, R., & Galetti, P. M. (2023) · European Journal of Wildlife Research · doi:10.1007/s10344-023-01726-7 · Cited by 5
“Anthropogenic impacts on landscapes, including habitat loss and fragmentation, are recognized as major threats to the long-term persistence of numerous populations worldwide (Dirzo et al. 2014; Haddad et al. 2015; Tilman et al. 2017; Ceballos et al. 2017).”
BackgroundSelf-citationMorpho‐ecospaces, or how to measure biodiversity in a different way
Haug, J. T., BARANOV, V. A., Braig, F., & Haug, C. (2023) · Acta Zoologica · doi:10.1111/azo.12486 · Cited by 5
Bazzi, G., Galimberti, A., Foglini, C., Bani, L., Bazzi, L., Bonvicini, P., Brembilla, R., Brigo, M., Cavenaghi, A., Colombo, G., et al. (2023) · Biodiversity Data Journal · doi:10.3897/bdj.11.e111358 · Cited by 5
Prasniewski, V. M., González-Daza, W., Alvarenga, G. D. V., Santos-Silva, L., Teixido, A. L., & Izzo, T. J. (2024) · Acta Amazonica · doi:10.1590/1809-4392202301922 · Cited by 9
Species diversity and extinction risk of vertebrate pollinators in India
Kallivalappil, R., Grattarola, F., Pitts, D. D. A., Cotter, S. C., & Pincheira‐Donoso, D. (2024) · Biodiversity and Conservation · doi:10.1007/s10531-024-02848-3 · Cited by 5
“…of the human industrial footprint has degraded environments globally, triggering an alarming erosion of biodiversity from across the tree of life (Parme-san 2006; Davidson et al. 2009; Hoffmann et al. 2010; Stork 2010; Dirzo et al. 2014; Urban 2015; Ripple et al. 2016, 2017; Finn et al. 2023).”
Zhang, C., Wang, Y., Chang, J., Li, J., Pan, S., Yang, B., Zhan, X., & Dai, Q. (2024) · Conservation Biology · doi:10.1111/cobi.14279 · Cited by 6
“…driven biodiversity loss (Barnosky et al., 2011; Ceballos et al., 2015) that is so severe that Earth’s biota is experiencing a sixth mass extinction (Barnosky et al., 2011; Ceballos et al., 2015; Dirzo et al., 2014), which may further damage this life-support system humans depend on.”
Moleón, M., Graciá, E., García, N., Gil‐Sánchez, J. M., Godinho, R., Beja, P. R., Palma, L., Real, J. L. P., Hernández‐Matías, A., Muñoz, A., et al. (2024) · People and Nature · doi:10.1002/pan3.10642 · Cited by 5
Meath, C., Newey, L. R., & Griffiths, A. (2024) · Business Strategy and the Environment · doi:10.1002/bse.3836 · Cited by 5
Sartor, C. C., Kaszta, Z. M., Kamler, J. F., et al. (2024) · Biodiversity and Conservation · doi:10.1007/s10531-024-02902-0 · Cited by 5
Mosquera-Guerra, F., Moreno‐Niño, N., Barreto, J. S., et al. (2024) · Mammal Research · doi:10.1007/s13364-024-00750-5 · Cited by 5
“In this context, the implementation of ecosystem-based adaptation strategies for the savanna native landscape of eastern Colombia to global change could be limited by the local or functional extinction of wildlife populations, mainly large mammals such as T. terrestris (Dirzo et al. 2014).”
González-Morales, J. C., Rivera-Rea, J., Suárez-Varón, G., Bastiaans, E., & Zarza, H. (2024) · Integrative Zoology · doi:10.1111/1749-4877.12908 · Cited by 5
“As urbanization persists as an irreversible trend, it is imperative to understand its impact on the organisms persisting in these environments (McKinney 2008; Dirzo et al. 2014).”
Chapman, O. S., & McLean, B. S. (2024) · Ecology · doi:10.1002/ecy.4454 · Cited by 5
“Coupled with an insect apocalypse (Goulson, 2019), accelerated drought and desertification in some regions (Han et al., 2021), defaunation (Dirzo et al., 2014; Galetti et al., 2015), and phenological shifts of plant or animal prey species (Damien & Tougeron, 2019), populations may be increasingly…”
Suresh, M. D., Xin, T., Cook, S. M., & Evans, D. M. (2024) · Agricultural and Forest Entomology · doi:10.1111/afe.12667 · Cited by 7
“…species have been assessed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), but of those that have (cid:1) 40% are considered threatened, with terrestrial insect abundances in particular undergoing significant declines in recent years (Dirzo et al., 2014; van Klink et al., 2023).”
کیلک, ش. ح., Alavi, S. J., & Esmailzadeh, O. (2025) · Earth Science Informatics · doi:10.1007/s12145-024-01646-3 · Cited by 5
“Global environmental changes have resulted in the change and reduction of biological diversity of biological communities (Pereira et al. 2012; Dirzo et al. 2014).”
Qudrat‐Ullah, H. (2025) · Advances in Environmental and Engineering Research · doi:10.21926/aeer.2502016 · Cited by 4
Between hype and hope: De-extinction is a tool, not a panacea for the biodiversity crisis
Carvalho, R. B. (2025) · Biological Conservation · doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2025.111307 · Cited by 5
Urbanization and climate drive long‐term bird community trends across a desert city ecosystem
Haight, J. D., de Albuquerque, F. S., Bateman, H. L., Frazier, A. E., & Larson, K. L. (2025) · Ecological Applications · doi:10.1002/eap.70063 · Cited by 5
Flower color preferences of insects and livestock: effects on Gentiana lutea reproductive success
Sobral, M., Losada, M., Veiga, T., Guitián, J., Guitián, J., & Guitián, P. (2016) · PeerJ · doi:10.7717/peerj.1685 · Cited by 5
“Human activities are known to have many effects on biodiversity (for example, Dirzo et al., 2014).”
BackgroundReif, J., & Štěpánková, K. (2016) · European Journal of Ecology · doi:10.1515/eje-2016-0003 · Cited by 5
“From this information, we can infer relative importance of particular threatening factors and, based on this assessment, we can set conservation priorities, which is essential for the development of successful strategies to mitigate threatening agents (Cardillo & Meijaard 2012; Dirzo et al. 2014).”
BackgroundWhat future for primates? Conservation struggles in the forests of Cross River State, Nigeria
Krause, T., Nielsen, T. D., Diaz, L. G., Lehsten, V., Olsson, O., & Zelli, F. (2019) · Sustainability Science · doi:10.1007/s11625-019-00667-y · Cited by 9
“Neglecting this undermines effective and equitable forest conservation in the long run, since the disappearance of forest fauna has often unknown cascading ecological impacts (Dirzo et al. 2014).”
BackgroundRoque, F. D. O., Valente‐Neto, F., Rodrigues, M. É., et al. (2019) · Aquatic Insects · doi:10.1007/978-3-030-16327-3_15 · Cited by 5
Magalhães, M. G. P., Moreira, D. A., Furtado, C., & Parente, T. E. (2019) · Genomics · doi:10.1016/j.ygeno.2019.06.013 · Cited by 4
Lewis, L. S., & Smith, J. (2019) · Marine Ecology Progress Series · doi:10.3354/meps13038 · Cited by 5
Climate Change Impact at the Genetic Level: Patterns in the Couesi’s Rice Rat (Oryzomys couesi)
Vázquez‐Domínguez, E., Garrido-Garduño, T., & Calixto-Pérez, E. (2020) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-030-33334-8_14 · Cited by 5
Falconer, S., & Ford, A. T. (2020) · Canadian Journal of Zoology · doi:10.1139/cjz-2019-0178 · Cited by 5
Metadata
- Authors
- Dirzo, R., Young, H. S., Galetti, M., Ceballos, G., Isaac, N. J. B., & Collen, B.
- Affiliations
- Stanford University (US)
- University of California, Santa Barbara (US)
- Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp) (BR)
- Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (MX)
- Natural Environment Research Council (GB)
- University College London (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Dirzo, Rodolfo
- Venue
- Science
- Published
- 2014-07-25
- Volume
- 345
- Issue
- 6195
- Pages
- 401-406
- ISSN
- 0036-8075 (ISSN-L)
- 1095-9203
- OpenAlex
- W2100135944
- Cited by
- 4,474
- References
- 164
- Citations by year
- 2026: 382 · 2025: 425 · 2024: 397 · 2023: 475 · 2022: 501 · 2021: 494 · 2020: 416 · 2019: 411 · 2018: 294 · 2017: 280 · 2016: 189 · 2015: 167 · 2014: 39
- FWCI
- 16.67
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- discovery.ucl.ac.uk
- Locations
- Science (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- UCL Discovery (University College London) (submittedVersion)
- Acervo Digital da Universidade Estadual Paulista (Universidade Estadual Paulista) (submittedVersion)
- UNESP Institutional Repository (São Paulo State University) (submittedVersion)
- Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
- Funders
- Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo
- Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico
- Natural Environment Research Council (CEH010010)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Nature and Landscape Conservation › Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Ecology › Wildlife Ecology and Conservation
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics › Plant and animal studies
- Keywords
- defaunation, biodiversity loss, species abundance decline, extinction, invertebrates, terrestrial vertebrates, sixth mass extinction, ecosystem functioning, Anthropocene
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Birds, Humans, Human Activities, Insecta, Invertebrates, Mammals, Pest Control, Population, Biodiversity, Extinction, Biological, Pollination, Endangered Species
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
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