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
6 of 136 cited sources checked · 5 supported · 0 flagged · 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)
Strength:hedged· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes? Load-bearing: unclear✓ Based: passes- 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)
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passes- 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)
Load-bearingStrength:plain· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passesThe 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)
Load-bearingStrength:plain· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passes- 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)
Strength:hedged· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes? Load-bearing: unclear✓ Based: passes- 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)
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes? Load-bearing: unclear✓ Based: passes- 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.
Strength:hedged· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes? Load-bearing: unclear✓ Based: passes- 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.
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes? Load-bearing: unclear✓ Based: passes- 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.
Load-bearingStrength:plain· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passes- 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
Load-bearingStrength:plain· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes? Based: unclear
- 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
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passesIt 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.
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes? Load-bearing: unclear✓ Based: passesIt 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.
Load-bearingStrength:plain· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passesIt 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
Strength:hedged· not yet calibratedCausal:conditional· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes? Load-bearing: unclear✓ Based: passesIt 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.
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedCausal:direct· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes? Load-bearing: unclear✓ Based: passesIt 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
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passesIt 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
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passesIt 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
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes? Load-bearing: unclear✓ Based: passesIt 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
Load-bearingStrength:plain· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passesIt 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
Load-bearingStrength:plain· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✗ Based: failsProbably 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
Strength:hedged· not yet calibratedCausal:conditional· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes? Load-bearing: unclear✓ Based: passesIt 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.
Load-bearingStrength:plain· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passesIt 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
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedCausal:correlational· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes? Load-bearing: unclear✓ Based: passesIt 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.
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedCausal:correlational· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes? Load-bearing: unclear✓ Based: passesIt 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
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes? Load-bearing: unclear✓ Based: passesIt 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.
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedCausal:direct· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes? Load-bearing: unclear✓ Based: passesIt 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
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✗ Checkable: fails✓ Load-bearing: passes✗ Based: failsProbably 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
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✗ Checkable: fails✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passesProbably 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
Load-bearingStrength:plain· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✗ Checkable: fails✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passesProbably 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
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passesIt 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
Load-bearingStrength:plain· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✗ Checkable: fails✓ Load-bearing: passes✗ Based: failsProbably 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
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✗ Checkable: fails✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passesProbably 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
Load-bearingStrength:hedged· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✗ Checkable: fails✓ Load-bearing: passes✗ Based: failsProbably 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.
Strength:hedged· not yet calibratedCausal:direct· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✗ Load-bearing: fails✓ Based: passesProbably 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.
Strength:hedged· not yet calibratedCausal:direct· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes? Load-bearing: unclear✓ Based: passesIt may state two separate claims as one.
- 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
Strength:boosted· not yet calibratedCausal:direct· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes? Load-bearing: unclear✓ Based: passesIt 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
Load-bearingStrength:hedged· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passesIt may state two separate claims as one.
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.
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedCausal:direct· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes? Load-bearing: unclear✓ Based: passesIt 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
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedCausal:direct· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes? Load-bearing: unclear✓ Based: passesIt may state two separate claims as one.
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.
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passesIt may state two separate claims as one.
- 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
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“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]
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“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]
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“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]
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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]
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Items 801–900 of 4,205
Seed-dispersal ecology of tropical montane forests
Chapman, H., Cordeiro, N. J., Dutton, P., et al. (2016) · Journal of Tropical Ecology · doi:10.1017/s0266467416000389 · Cited by 44
Children’s attitudes towards animals are similar across suburban, exurban, and rural areas
Schuttler, S., Stevenson, K. T., Kays, R., & Dunn, R. R. (2019) · PeerJ · doi:10.7717/peerj.7328 · Cited by 48
“While many conservation biologists focus on challenges associated with the health of an ecosystem such as habitat loss, declines in native biodiversity, increases in invasive species, and pollution (Aronson et al., 2014; Dirzo et al., 2014), challenges that relate to societal perceptions are equally important.”
BackgroundAbarca, M. (2019) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0222227 · Cited by 42
The role of the brown bear Ursus arctos as a legitimate megafaunal seed disperser
García‐Rodríguez, A., Albrecht, J., Szczutkowska, S., et al. (2021) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/s41598-020-80440-9 · Cited by 43
Ong, L., McConkey, K. R., & Campos‐Arceiz, A. (2021) · Journal of Ecology · doi:10.1111/1365-2745.13809 · Cited by 43
Herbivore size matters for productivity–richness relationships in A frican savannas
Burkepile, D. E., Fynn, R. W. S., Thompson, D. I., Lemoine, N. P., Koerner, S. E., Eby, S. L., Hagenah, N., Wilcox, K. R., Collins, S. L., Kirkman, K. P., et al. (2016) · Journal of Ecology · doi:10.1111/1365-2745.12714 · Cited by 43
Extended dispersal kernels in a changing world: insights from statistics of extremes
García, C., & Borda‐de‐Água, L. (2016) · Journal of Ecology · doi:10.1111/1365-2745.12685 · Cited by 43
“…mutualisms for plant species Different dispersal vectors generate contrasted dispersal kernels (Nathan 2007); therefore, a loss of mutualistic dispersal interactions may have profound demographic and genetic effects on plants that they feed upon (Dirzo et al. 2014; P erez-M endez et al. 2016).”
BackgroundInteraction strength promotes robustness against cascading effects in mutualistic networks
Gaiarsa, M. P., & Guimarães, P. R. (2019) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/s41598-018-35803-8 · Cited by 40
Gebert, F., Njovu, H. K., Treydte, A. C., Steffan-Dewenter, I. D., & Peters, M. K. (2019) · Journal of Animal Ecology · doi:10.1111/1365-2656.13074 · Cited by 43
Regional context and dispersal mode drive the impact of landscape structure on seed dispersal
San‐José, M., Arroyo‐Rodríguez, V., & Meave, J. A. (2019) · Ecological Applications · doi:10.1002/eap.2033 · Cited by 43
Cruaud, A., Delvare, G., Nidelet, S., Sauné, L., Ratnasingham, S., Chartois, M., Blaimer, B. B., Gates, M. W., Brady, S. G., Faure, S., et al. (2020) · Cladistics · doi:10.1111/cla.12416 · Cited by 48
“At a time when biodiversity studies are of critical importance (Dirzo et al. 2014, Hallmann et al. 2017), efforts made to solve the tree of life are unequal between the different groups of organisms.”
BackgroundEnvisioning a biodiversity science for sustaining human well-being
Bawa, K. S., Nawn, N., Chellam, R., et al. (2020) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.2018436117 · Cited by 43
Condro, A. A., Prasetyo, L. B., Rushayati, S. B., Santikayasa, I. P., & Iskandar, E. (2021) · Biology · doi:10.3390/biology10020154 · Cited by 50
“In line with the previous study, our results indicate that most species (~86% of the Indonesian primate species used in this study) would exhibit range contractions that lead to extinction [107].”
ResultThe neonicotinoid thiamethoxam impairs male fertility in solitary bees, Osmia cornuta
Strobl, V., Albrecht, M., Villamar‐Bouza, L., Tosi, S., Neumann, P., & Straub, L. (2021) · Environmental Pollution · doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2021.117106 · Cited by 44
Reversing tree expansion in sagebrush steppe yields population‐level benefit for imperiled grouse
Olsen, A. C., Severson, J. P., Maestas, J. D., et al. (2021) · Ecosphere · doi:10.1002/ecs2.3551 · Cited by 42
“However, we provide evidence of the potential for spatially targeted tree removal to benefit an imperiled species and shrubland ecosystem in North America, encouraging findings during an epoch defined by unprecedented extirpations and loss of biodiversity (Dirzo et al. 2014).”
BackgroundWan, X., Yan, C., Wang, Z., et al. (2022) · BMC Ecology and Evolution · doi:10.1186/s12862-022-02056-z · Cited by 42
Li, W., Zhu, C., Graß, I., Vázquez, D. P., Wang, D., Zhao, Y., Zeng, D., Kang, Y., Ding, P., & Si, X. (2022) · Communications Biology · doi:10.1038/s42003-022-04198-8 · Cited by 45
Impact of Human Activities on Disease-Spreading Mosquitoes in Urban Areas
Duval, P., Antonelli, P., Aschan-Leygonie, C., & Moro, C. V. (2023) · Journal of Urban Health · doi:10.1007/s11524-023-00732-z · Cited by 58
Poachers and Snobs: Demand for Rarity and the Effects of Antipoaching Policies
Chen, F. (2015) · Conservation Letters · doi:10.1111/conl.12181 · Cited by 41
“Habitat loss, climate change, and overexploitation are threatening a large number of animal populations and driving the dramatic loss of biodiversity around the world (Dirzo et al. 2014).”
BackgroundLi, G., Yin, B., Wan, X., et al. (2015) · Oecologia · doi:10.1007/s00442-015-3455-7 · Cited by 42
“As human populations grow, anthropogenic disturbances are imposing increasing threats to biodiversity and ecosystem functioning (Dirzo et al. 2014; Zhang et al. 2014).”
BackgroundMeat from the Wild: Extractive Uses of Wildlife and Alternatives for Sustainability
van Vliet, N., Cornélis, D., Beck, H., Lindsey, P. A., Nasi, R., Lebel, S., Moreno, J., Fragoso, J. M. V., & Jori, F. (2016) · Wildlife research monographs · doi:10.1007/978-3-319-27912-1_10 · Cited by 46
Kirkpatrick, L., Maher, S. J., Lopez, Z., et al. (2016) · Biological Conservation · doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2016.11.018 · Cited by 42
Ibarra, J. T., Martin, M., Cockle, K. L., & Martin, K. (2017) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/s41598-017-04733-2 · Cited by 42
van der Valk, T., Sandoval‐Castellanos, E., Caillaud, D., Ngobobo, U., Binyinyi, E., Nishuli, R., Stoinski, T. S., Gilissen, E., Sonet, G., Semal, P., et al. (2018) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/s41598-018-24497-7 · Cited by 42
Zeng, D., Swihart, R. K., Zhao, Y., Si, X., & Ding, P. (2018) · Journal of Ecology · doi:10.1111/1365-2745.13122 · Cited by 43
“Defaunation, the loss of animal species from natural communities (Dirzo & Miranda, 1991), often is linked to habitat loss and fragmentation (Corlett, 2007; Dirzo et al., 2014; Wright, 2003).”
BackgroundLinking colony size with quantitative estimates of ecosystem services of African fruit bats
van Toor, M. L., O’Mara, M. T., Abedi‐Lartey, M., et al. (2019) · Current Biology · doi:10.1016/j.cub.2019.02.033 · Cited by 42
Insect biomass is not a consistent proxy for biodiversity metrics in wild bees
Vereecken, N. J., Weekers, T., Leclercq, N., Greef, S. D., Hainaut, H., Molenberg, J., Martin, Y., Janssens, X., Noël, G., Pauly, A., et al. (2020) · Ecological Indicators · doi:10.1016/j.ecolind.2020.107132 · Cited by 43
Strong impacts of signal crayfish invasion on upland stream fish and invertebrate communities
Galib, S. M., Findlay, J. D., & Lucas, M. C. (2020) · Freshwater Biology · doi:10.1111/fwb.13631 · Cited by 43
“Due to the potential for reaching tipping points due to biodiversity loss (Dirzo et al., 2014), determining the extent of ecological impact due to species invasion should also measure the response of multiple taxa such as plants, invertebrates, and fishes.”
BackgroundGeyle, H. M., Braby, M. F., Andren, M., BEAVER, E. P., Bell, P., Byrne, C., Castles, M., Douglas, F., Glatz, R., Haywood, B. T., et al. (2021) · Austral Entomology · doi:10.1111/aen.12525 · Cited by 42
Evolutionary causes and consequences of ungulate migration
Abraham, J. O., Upham, N. S., Damian‐Serrano, A., & Jesmer, B. R. (2022) · Nature Ecology & Evolution · doi:10.1038/s41559-022-01749-4 · Cited by 45
Towards image-based animal tracking in natural environments using a freely moving camera
Haalck, L., Mangan, M., Webb, B., & Risse, B. (2020) · Journal of Neuroscience Methods · doi:10.1016/j.jneumeth.2019.108455 · Cited by 41
“Most behavioural quantifications for these studies are still done manually; the need for novel automatic method-15 ologies is emphasised in multiple publications [1, 7, 8, 9].”
BackgroundDavis, C. L., Guralnick, R., & Zipkin, E. F. (2022) · Journal of Animal Ecology · doi:10.1111/1365-2656.13763 · Cited by 42
“Of particular concern is the apparent decline of various insect taxa worldwide (Cardoso & Leather, 2019; Dirzo et al., 2014; Hallmann et al., 2017; Wagner et al., 2021; Wepprich et al., 2019).”
BackgroundAnalysis of the Scale of Global Human Needs and Opportunities for Sustainable Catalytic Technologies
Taseska, T., Yu, W., Wilsey, M. K., Cox, C. P., Meng, Z., Ngarnim, S. S., & Müller, A. M. (2023) · Topics in Catalysis · doi:10.1007/s11244-023-01799-3 · Cited by 52
BioDeepTime: A database of biodiversity time series for modern and fossil assemblages
Smith, J. A., Rillo, M. C., Kocsis, Á. T., Dornelas, M., Fastovich, D., Huang, H. M., Jonkers, L., Kiessling, W., Li, Q., Liow, L. H., et al. (2023) · Global Ecology and Biogeography · doi:10.1111/geb.13735 · Cited by 40
Mutualistic strategies minimize coextinction in plant–disperser networks
Fricke, E. C., Tewksbury, J. J., Wandrag, E. M., et al. (2017) · Proceedings of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences · doi:10.1098/rspb.2016.2302 · Cited by 41
“Ecosystems around the world are experiencing unprecedented rates of species loss [52].”
Rewilding defaunated Atlantic Forests with tortoises to restore lost seed dispersal functions
Sobral‐Souza, T., Lautenschlager, L., Morcatty, T. Q., Bello, C., Hansen, D. M., & Galetti, M. (2017) · Perspectives in Ecology and Conservation · doi:10.1016/j.pecon.2017.08.005 · Cited by 41
Self-citationGrazing networks promote plant functional connectivity among isolated grassland communities
Plue, J., Aavik, T., & Cousins, S. A. O. (2018) · Diversity and Distributions · doi:10.1111/ddi.12842 · Cited by 39
Fricke, E. C., Bender, J., Rehm, E. M., et al. (2018) · Journal of Ecology · doi:10.1111/1365-2745.13108 · Cited by 41
“However, hundreds of thousands of plant–frugivore species interactions occur in nature and many are threatened by global change drivers such as defaunation (Aslan et al., 2013; Dirzo et al., 2014), making it impractical to measure these effect sizes directly.”
BackgroundBack to the future: conserving functional and phylogenetic diversity in amphibian-climate refuges
Lourenço‐de‐Moraes, R., Campos, F. S., Ferreira, R. B., Solé, M., Beard, K. H., & Bastos, R. P. (2019) · Biodiversity and Conservation · doi:10.1007/s10531-019-01706-x · Cited by 42
Natural habitat increases natural pest control in olive groves: economic implications
Paredes, D., Karp, D. S., Chaplin‐Kramer, R., Benítez, E., & Campos, M. (2019) · Journal of Pest Science · doi:10.1007/s10340-019-01104-w · Cited by 42
Rogosch, J. S., Tonkin, J. D., Lytle, D. A., et al. (2019) · Ecosphere · doi:10.1002/ecs2.2681 · Cited by 41
“Mounting evidence suggests that novel assemblages do not arise from a random reshuffling of species, but from heterogeneous rates of species losses and gains over time and space (Zavaleta et al. 2009, Dirzo et al. 2014, Moore and Olden 2017).”
BackgroundThe Natura 2000 network and the ranges of threatened species in Greece
Spiliopoulou, K., Dimitrakopoulos, P. G., Brooks, T. M., Kelaidi, G., Paragamian, K., Kati, V. I., Oikonomou, A., Vavylis, D., Trigas, P., Lymberakis, P., et al. (2021) · Biodiversity and Conservation · doi:10.1007/s10531-021-02125-7 · Cited by 46
The geography of diet variation in Neotropical Carnivora
Cruz, L. R., Muylaert, R. L., Galetti, M., & Pires, M. M. (2021) · Mammal Review · doi:10.1111/mam.12266 · Cited by 45
Self-citationBibliometric analysis of human–wildlife conflict: From conflict to coexistence
Su, K., Zhang, H., Lin, L., Hou, Y., & Wen, Y. (2021) · Ecological Informatics · doi:10.1016/j.ecoinf.2021.101531 · Cited by 47
Evans, M. J., Batson, W. G., Gordon, I. J., et al. (2021) · Biodiversity and Conservation · doi:10.1007/s10531-021-02166-y · Cited by 40
Olea, P. P., Iglesias, N., & Mateo-Tomás, P. (2022) · Basic and Applied Ecology · doi:10.1016/j.baae.2022.01.008 · Cited by 27
Food biodiversity: Quantifying the unquantifiable in human diets
Hanley‐Cook, G., Daly, A. J., Remans, R., Jones, A. D., Murray, K. A., Huybrechts, I., Bernard De Baets, C., & Lachat, C. K. (2022) · Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition · doi:10.1080/10408398.2022.2051163 · Cited by 45
“…Slow Food’s Ark of Taste) (Hanley-Cook, Kennedy, and Lachat 2019) escalating human stressors continue to drive extinctions, wild species population declines, and habitat destruction continues at large scales (Maxwell et al. 2016; Tittensor et al. 2014; Dirzo et al. 2014; Pimm et al. 2014).”
BackgroundBaumsteiger, J., & Moyle, P. B. (2017) · BioScience · doi:10.1093/biosci/bix001 · Cited by 41
Where wolves were: setting historical baselines for wolf recovery in Spain
Clavero, M., García-Reyes, A., Fernández‐Gil, A., Revilla, E., & Fernández, N. (2022) · Animal Conservation · doi:10.1111/acv.12814 · Cited by 45
Climate change should drive mammal defaunation in tropical dry forests
Moura, M. R., da Silva, G. A. O., Paglia, A. P., Pires, M. M., & Santos, B. A. (2023) · Global Change Biology · doi:10.1111/gcb.16979 · Cited by 40
Global impoverishment of natural vegetation revealed by dark diversity
Pärtel, M., Tamme, R., Carmona, C. P., Riibak, K., Moora, M., Bennett, J. A., Chiarucci, A., Chytrý, M., de Bello, F., Eriksson, O., et al. (2025) · Nature · doi:10.1038/s41586-025-08814-5 · Cited by 45
“Aerial pollution is often deposited several hundreds of kilometres from its source 35 , and land use can change local climate over similar scales 38 .”
Introduced birds incompletely replace seed dispersal by a native frugivore
Pejchar, L. (2015) · AoB Plants · doi:10.1093/aobpla/plv072 · Cited by 40
“Ecosystem processes are increasingly disrupted by the loss and functional extinction of ecologically important species (Anderson et al. 2011; Dirzo et al. 2014).”
BackgroundSaving two birds with one stone: solving the quandary of introduced, threatened species
Gibson, L., & Yong, D. (2017) · Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment · doi:10.1002/fee.1449 · Cited by 40
Ibarra-Cerdeña, C. N., Valiente‐Banuet, L., Sánchez-Cordero, V. M., Stephens, C. R., & Ramsey, J. M. (2017) · PeerJ · doi:10.7717/peerj.3152 · Cited by 40
“Contemporary patterns of land use and global climate change modify regional species pools in multiple ways: on the one hand species interactions are being lost via local extinctions, and on the other they are gained via invasions which have as yet unknown net effects on ecosystem functioning (Dirzo et al., 2014).”
Fungal diversity at fragmented landscapes: synthesis and future perspectives
Grilli, G., Longo, S., Huais, P. Y., Pereyra, M., Verga, E. G., Urcelay, C., & Galetto, L. (2017) · Current Opinion in Microbiology · doi:10.1016/j.mib.2017.09.003 · Cited by 39
Livingstone, S. W., Cadotte, M. W., & Isaac, M. E. (2018) · Ecosystem Services · doi:10.1016/j.ecoser.2018.02.006 · Cited by 40
“A troubling consequence of this alteration is the staggering decline in biodiversity around the globe (Ceballos et al., 2015; Dirzo et al., 2014).”
BackgroundTrajectories of rewilding: A taxonomy of wildland management
Deary, H., & Warren, C. R. (2018) · Journal of Environmental Planning and Management · doi:10.1080/09640568.2018.1425134 · Cited by 40
“Rewilding represents a dramatic up-scaling of conservation’s vision and ambition in response to the scale and urgency of the biodiversity crisis during the current Sixth Great Extinction (Dirzo et al. 2014).”
BackgroundSchweiger, A., & Svenning, J. (2018) · Oikos · doi:10.1111/oik.04995 · Cited by 41
One size does not fit all: European bison habitat selection across herds and spatial scales
Kuemmerle, T., Levers, C., Bleyhl, B., Olech, W., Perzanowski, K., Reusch, C., & Kramer‐Schadt, S. (2018) · Landscape Ecology · doi:10.1007/s10980-018-0684-2 · Cited by 40
Risks and opportunities of trophic rewilding for arthropod communities
van Klink, R., & WallisDeVries, M. F. (2018) · Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences · doi:10.1098/rstb.2017.0441 · Cited by 41
Lüddecke, T., Vilcinskas, A., & Lemke, S. (2019) · Toxins · doi:10.3390/toxins11090488 · Cited by 37
Moderately common plants show highest relative losses
Jansen, F., Bonn, A., Bowler, D. E., Bruelheide, H., & Eichenberg, D. (2019) · Conservation Letters · doi:10.1111/conl.12674 · Cited by 40
“A discussion about the probability of a sixth mass extinction on Earth, induced by humans, is ongoing (Dirzo et al., 2014).”
BackgroundModeling the effects of grassland management intensity on biodiversity
Klein, N., Theux, C., Arlettaz, R., Jacot, A., & Pradervand, J. (2020) · Ecology and Evolution · doi:10.1002/ece3.6957 · Cited by 40
“This has caused massive losses of biodiversity in various ecosystems, with dramatic negative effects on ecosystem functions and services that are essential for human well-being (Dirzo et al., 2014).”
BackgroundChen, Y.-F., Luo, Y., Mammides, C., Cao, K., Zhu, S., & Goodale, E. (2021) · Ecological Indicators · doi:10.1016/j.ecolind.2021.107942 · Cited by 40
Hedberg, C. P., Lyons, S. K., & Smith, F. A. (2021) · Global Ecology and Biogeography · doi:10.1111/geb.13428 · Cited by 40
The effect of past defaunation on ranges, niches, and future biodiversity forecasts
Sales, L. P., Galetti, M., Carnaval, A. C., Monsarrat, S., Svenning, J., & Pires, M. M. (2022) · Global Change Biology · doi:10.1111/gcb.16145 · Cited by 39
“Anthropogenic impacts on large- bodied animals have led to massive and ongoing range contractions across the globe (Ceballos et al., 2020; Dirzo et al., 2014; Faurby & Svenning, 2015).”
BackgroundSelf-citationGlobal progress in climate change and biodiversity conservation research
Farooqi, T. J. A., Irfan, M., Portela, R., et al. (2022) · Global Ecology and Conservation · doi:10.1016/j.gecco.2022.e02272 · Cited by 40
Humanity’s diverse predatory niche and its ecological consequences
Darimont, C. T., Cooke, R., Bourbonnais, M., Bryan, H. M., Carlson, S. M., Estes, J. A., Galetti, M., Levi, T., MacLean, J. L., McKechnie, I., et al. (2023) · Communications Biology · doi:10.1038/s42003-023-04940-w · Cited by 42
“We also note that our contemporary ‘ snapshot ’ of IUCN assessments cannot capture the exploitation-related loss of species (i.e., ‘ defaunation ’ ) that has already occurred over previous centuries 13 and millennia 14 of predation by humans.”
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“In many regions, this extinction is still progressing at an alarming pace (Dirzo et al. 2014; Ripple et al. 2015), but there are also examples of recovering wildlife, in particular in Europe and North America (Apollonio et al. 2010; Deinet et al. 2013; Brown 2013; Chapron et al. 2014).”
BackgroundQin, Y., Nyhus, P. J., Larson, C. L., Carroll, C. J. W., Muntifering, J. R., Dahmer, T. D., Jun, L., & TILSON, R. L. (2014) · Biological Conservation · doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2014.10.036 · Cited by 39
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“Comprehensive descriptions of the structure and dynamics of these communities are critical to mitigate processes such as defaunation (Dirzo et al., 2014).”
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Human Impact on Biodiversity, Overview
Sponsel, L. E. (2013) · Elsevier eBooks · doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-384719-5.00250-1 · Cited by 44
Hunting and Forest Modification Have Distinct Defaunation Impacts on Tropical Mammals and Birds
Osuri, A. M., Mendiratta, U., Naniwadekar, R., Varma, V., & Naeem, S. (2020) · Frontiers in Forests and Global Change · doi:10.3389/ffgc.2019.00087 · Cited by 47
“There are numerous drivers of Anthropocene defaunation, operating across a variety of scales, ranging from global (e.g., climate change, environmental pollution) to local or regional (e.g., direct harvest) scales (Young et al., 2016).”
BackgroundInfluentialBen‐Dor, M., & Barkai, R. (2020) · Journal of Anthropological Archaeology · doi:10.1016/j.jaa.2020.101192 · Cited by 40
Franchini, M., Corazzin, M., Bovolenta, S., & Filacorda, S. (2021) · Animals · doi:10.3390/ani11061735 · Cited by 41
“In areas where human activities continue, wildlife and livestock activities overlap geographically, and such co-occurrence may lead either to positive or negative interactions [13,14].”
BackgroundVillon, S., Iovan, C., Mangeas, M., & Vigliola, L. (2022) · Sensors · doi:10.3390/s22020497 · Cited by 43
“In the age of climate change and anthropogenic defaunation [1,2] innovative methodology is needed to monitor ecosystems at large-spatial scales and high-temporal frequencies.”
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“As a result, this has led to an acceleration in the loss of biodiversity (Dirzo et al. 2014, Pievani 2014, Ceballos et al. 2017, Rosenberg et al. 2019).”
BackgroundBeyond the “empty forest”: The defaunation syndromes of Neotropical forests in the Anthropocene
Pires, M. M., & Galetti, M. (2022) · Global Ecology and Conservation · doi:10.1016/j.gecco.2022.e02362 · Cited by 46
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“Human-induced declines in biodiversity and biomass raise concerns about the deterioration of ecosystem functions and associated ecosystem services (Dirzo et al. 2014; Young et al. 2016).”
BackgroundA review of recent and future marine extinctions
del Monte‐Luna, P., Nakamura, M., Vicente, A., Pérez-Sosa, L. B., Yáñez-Arenas, A., Trites, A. W., & Lluch-Cota, S. E. (2023) · Cambridge Prisms Extinction · doi:10.1017/ext.2023.11 · Cited by 39
“Such irreversible “ tipping points ” in marine biodiversity will have undesirable consequences on basic goods and services that support human wellbeing (McCauley et al., 2010, 2015), as has been observed in terrestrial ecosystems (Dirzo et al., 2014).”
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“The defaunation of ecosystems continues unabated with larger animals at the highest risk of overexploitation and, ultimately, extinction (Dirzo et al. 2014, McCauley et al. 2015).”
BackgroundThe landscape ecology of pollination
Betts, M. G., Hadley, A. S., & Kormann, U. G. (2019) · Landscape Ecology · doi:10.1007/s10980-019-00845-4 · Cited by 37
Turtle biogeography: Global regionalization and conservation priorities
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Long-term effects of cultural filtering on megafauna species distributions across China
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BackgroundInfluentialStructural forecasting of species persistence under changing environments
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Chimpanzees balance resources and risk in an anthropogenic landscape of fear
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“We tested the following hypotheses: (1) chimpanzees and humans overlap in space use but chimpanzees maximize spatial partitioning preferring the forest block to the agroforest matrix, indicating a chimpanzee home range use strategy largely driven by spatial risk-avoidance; (2) chimpanzee spatiotemporal home range use…”
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Community‐based citizen science projects can support the distributional monitoring of fishes
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The silent extinction of freshwater mussels in Portugal
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Megaherbivores provide biotic resistance against alien plant dominance
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Identifying regime shifts, transients and late warning signals for proactive ecosystem management
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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
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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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