Silent species are at risk of extinction – JCU Australia

Jean-Paul Hobbs, senior research fellow at James Cook University and co-leader of the study, said that despite a 35-fold increase in the number of published research papers, conservation biology research still appeared to be biased towards favoring popular species and ecosystems and it appears that little attention has been paid to intra-species (genetic) diversity.

“It is important that we know why this is happening, because with significant biases remaining in conservation research, there is a risk of critical gaps in our understanding of how best to conserve biodiversity in global ecosystems,” Dr. Hobbs said.

The team analyzed trends over the past four decades in more than 17,500 research articles published in four leading conservation journals. Their work culminated in a new study titled “Global Trends and Biases in Biodiversity Conservation Research” examining the evolution of research efforts.

Dr Iain Caldwell, deputy principal investigator at JCU, who co-led the study, said the team found that biases in conservation biology research remained entrenched, with research efforts increasingly concentrated on the same species, with most of the most studied species presenting a low conservation risk.

“We also found that animals are generally strongly over-represented, while plants, fungi and freshwater ecosystems are under-represented in research, and that in terms of scale, genetic diversity within species receives the least attention overall,” Dr. Caldwell said.

“The results also showed that research focuses on terrestrial systems and underrepresents marine and freshwater ecosystems.”

Dr Hobbs said a growing bias in genetic studies towards non-threatened species means resources are being diverted from species that most need genetic research.

The study also examined trends in genetic research and found that although the proportion of genetic studies in conservation journals increased significantly between the years 1980 and 1996, it has declined since then.

“Threatened species are most vulnerable to reduced genetic diversity, which provides the basis for adaptation to future challenges,” Dr Hobbs said.

“Biases in research priorities will likely contribute to biases in extinction patterns.” It could also mean that population declines of poorly studied species go completely unnoticed, leading to silent extinctions, perhaps even before the species are discovered.

The study’s corresponding author and population geneticist Dr Áki Jarl Láruson of the Hafrannsóknastofnun Marine and Freshwater Research Institute in Iceland said that although efforts to conserve biodiversity are increasing, diversity within species seems to receive the least attention overall.

“This shift in research priorities may have critical implications for the long-term adaptive potential of vulnerable systems.”

Both Dr. Hobbs and Dr. Caldwell emphasized the need to shift research priorities.

“Our results suggest that biases in conservation research are deep-rooted and could lead to uneven loss of biodiversity and limited understanding of ecosystem dynamics,” Dr Caldwell said.

“Resolving this imbalance could lead to more comprehensive conservation strategies that take into account all levels of biodiversity.”

Dr Hobbs said biases could be reinforced by funding. When funding is limited, researchers may seek to maximize impact by returning to ongoing conservation efforts or focusing on high-profile species.

“Deliberate funding and targeted efforts are needed to study both understudied species and ecosystems.

“A broader, more inclusive approach will ensure more effective and equitable conservation efforts across multiple levels of biodiversity, mitigate barriers to biodiversity goals, and ultimately prevent further extinctions.” »