Biological traits and threats interact to drive extinctions in a simulation study

Abstract

How a particular threat influences extinction risk may depend on biological traits. Empirical studies relating threats and traits are needed, but data are scarce, making simulations useful. We implemented an eco-evolutionary model to analyse how five threat types influence the extinction risk of virtual organisms differing in body size, maturity age, fecundity, and dispersal ability. Results show that direct killing mostly affected slow-living and low dispersal organisms. Habitat loss and fragmentation both affected larger and less fecund organisms, but drove contrasting responses according to dispersal ability. Habitat degradation and the introduction of invasive competitors had similar effects, mostly affecting large, fast-living, and highly fecund organisms. Many of the reported results confirm previous studies, while others were never tested, creating new hypotheses for future empirical work. Statement of authorshipFC, LC and PC designed the study, FC implemented the model and ran the statistical analyses. FC and PC wrote the first draft, and all authors contributed substantially to further revisions.