Mechanisms of extinction in birds: phylogeny, ecology and threats

doi:10.1017/CBO9780511614927.014

14 - Mechanisms of extinction in birds: phylogeny, ecology and threats

Published online by Cambridge University Press: 04 December 2009

Peter M. Bennett ,

Ian P. F. Owens ,

Daniel Nussey ,

Stephen T. Garnett and

Gabriel M. Crowley

Edited by

Andrew Purvis ,

John L. Gittleman and

Thomas Brooks

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Peter M. Bennett: Affiliation:
Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, Regent's Park, London NW1 4RY, UK
Ian P. F. Owens: Affiliation:
Department of Biological Sciences, Imperial College London, Silwood Park Campus, Ascot, Berks SL5 7PY, UK
Daniel Nussey: Affiliation:
Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, Regent's Park, London NW1 4RY, UK School of Biology, University of Edinburgh, The King's Buildings, West Mains Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JT, UK
Stephen T. Garnett: Affiliation:
Institute of Advanced Studies, Charles Darwin University, Northern Territory 0909, Australia
Gabriel M. Crowley: Affiliation:
Institute of Advanced Studies, Charles Darwin University, Northern Territory 0909, Australia
Andrew Purvis: Affiliation:
Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, London
John L. Gittleman: Affiliation:
University of Virginia
Thomas Brooks: Affiliation:
Conservation International, Washington DC

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Summary

INTRODUCTION

Effective conservation action and biodiversity management requires an understanding of the mechanisms that cause extinction (Caughley 1994). Theoretical treatments have suggested that these mechanisms are complex. They emphasise the interactions among factors such as the intrinsic biology of species, phylogeny, ecological relationships, environmental variation, human influences and chance catastrophes (see, for example, Diamond 1989; Pimm 1991; Lande 1998). Most conservation projects focus on protecting particular species or particular areas. This focus on the specific problems of particular species or areas can be successful in identifying the idiosyncratic extinction mechanisms operating at a local scale; however, much can also be learned by using comparative methods to synthesise information across taxa and regions. The major strength of formal comparative methods is that they allow us to test whether there are general processes that determine interspecific variation in vulnerability to extinction (Bennett & Owens 1997, 2002).

In this chapter we present a framework for investigating variation in extinction risk that emphasises the interactions between evolutionary history, ecological processes and contemporary threats. We will illustrate this framework by using our work on birds, which are arguably the best-studied vertebrate class and are therefore highly suitable for large-scale comparative analyses (Bennett & Owens 2002). We will discuss how the main extrinsic causes of extinction risk to birds, such as habitat loss and human persecution, have predictable outcomes due to differences between species in intrinsic biological attributes, such as life history and ecology.

Type: Chapter
Information: Phylogeny and Conservation , pp. 317 - 336

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511614927.014 [Opens in a new window]

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Print publication year: 2005

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14 - Mechanisms of extinction in birds: phylogeny, ecology and threats

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