Human-driven changes to landscapes worldwide are ‘thinning out’ the ecological services supplied by wild birds, eroding the functions that support stable and resilient ecosystems.
Birds have diversified into a multitude of forms adapted to particular feeding niches, so their changing abundance can help us to understand and predict human impacts on ecosystems. CREDIT: Joe Tobias.
A new study led by Imperial College London researchers, and involving scientists from London’s Natural History Museum, shows that land-use change is undermining ecosystem stability by reducing the functional diversity of bird communities.
Dr Patrick Walkden, PhD student at the Museum and co-author on the paper, said, “Our transformation of the natural world is stripping away the ‘insurance’ that comes from having many similar species performing key roles like pollinating crops, controlling pests and dispersing seeds. As that insurance disappears, the functions and services we rely on become increasingly vulnerable unless we reduce our impact on nature.”
Published in Nature, the research compiled data for nearly 3,700 bird species from 1,200 sites across the world, revealing that habitat modification, such as urbanisation and agricultural expansion, reduces the number of species performing vital ecological roles including pollination, seed dispersal and predation.
In natural communities, these essential services are performed by multiple different species, a concept known as functional redundancy. Redundancy provides crucial ‘insurance’ for ecosystems, offering back-up when individual species decline or are lost altogether. When ecosystems contain many species performing similar ecological roles, they are more resilient to disturbance.
Declining ecosystem resilience
Using computer-based extinction simulations, the team showed that land-use change removes this buffer, leaving ecosystems increasingly vulnerable to future biodiversity loss.
Lead author Thomas Weeks, a PhD student in the Department of Life Sciences, said: ‘The decline in bird diversity after land-use change is well known, but until now it was generally thought that enough different types of birds survived for those degraded ecosystems to continue functioning as required. Our analyses challenge that idea by showing that humans modify landscapes in a way that tends to remove all the slack in the system, meaning that any future environmental shocks can potentially cause a collapse of the essential services provided by wildlife.’
Measuring species ecology reveals human impacts
Drawing on detailed information about bird species, including diet, body size, beak shape and wing shape, the researchers assessed how birds contribute to ecological functions. They found that disturbed habitats tend to be dominated by relatively few disturbance-tolerant species occupying similar ecological niches. As a result, overall functional diversity declines and key roles may be left unfilled.
This simplification of ecological networks can trigger cascading effects, including reduced forest regeneration, diminished carbon storage and the proliferation of crop pests.
Importantly, the study shows that even when species richness and functional diversity remain relatively high, a loss of functional redundancy leaves ecosystems exposed to global change impacts. These patterns were consistent across the globe, from tropical forests to polar environments.
New tools for conservation policy
Senior author Professor Joseph Tobias, from Imperial College London, said: ‘With land-use change accelerating worldwide, our study highlights the urgency of managing and preserving functional diversity to ensure that future ecosystems continue to function in ways that help to support human life and economic stability.’
The study presents a new framework for assessing ecosystem fragility, offering techniques to guide conservation efforts. By focusing on the vital roles species play within ecosystems, policymakers can identify risks and safeguard ecological stability for the benefit of wildlife and people.
ENDS
To contact authors:
Dr Tom Weeks: t.weeks@kew.org
Prof Joseph Tobias: j.tobias@imperial.ac.uk; +44 7891429711
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