Peer-reviewed Journal Articles

The Moore Center for Science at Conservation International is one of the world’s premier conservation research institutes, producing and applying groundbreaking and policy-relevant research to help decision-makers protect nature. To date, Conservation International has published more than 1,100 peer-reviewed articles, many in leading journals including Science, Nature and the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

On average, each of our scientific papers is cited more than 45 times by other scholars — a rate exceeding that of any other U.S. conservation organization as well as leading universities.

Here is an archive of our most recent research.

Genetic and demographic consequences of range contraction patterns during biological annihilation

Jordan E. Rogan, Mickey Ray Parker, Zachary B. Hancock, Alexis D. Earl, Erin K. Buchholtz, Kristina Chyn, Jason Martina, Lee A. Fitzgerald

Scientific Reports, 13

January 30, 2023

Species range contractions both contribute to, and result from, biological annihilation, yet do not receive the same attention as extinctions. Range contractions can lead to marked impacts on populations but are usually characterized only by reduction in extent of range. For effective conservation, it is critical to recognize that not all range contractions are the same. We propose three distinct patterns of range contraction: shrinkage, amputation, and fragmentation. We tested the impact of these patterns on populations of a generalist species using forward-time simulations. All three patterns caused 86–88% reduction in population abundance and significantly increased average relatedness, with differing patterns in declines of nucleotide diversity relative to the contraction pattern. The fragmentation pattern resulted in the strongest effects on post-contraction genetic diversity and structure. Defining and quantifying range contraction patterns and their consequences for Earth’s biodiversity would provide useful and necessary information to combat biological annihilation.

CITATION

Rogan, J. E., Parker, M. R., Hancock, Z. B., Earl, A. D., Buchholtz, E. K., Chyn, K., Martina, J., & Fitzgerald, L. A. (2023). Genetic and demographic consequences of range contraction patterns during biological annihilation. Scientific Reports, 13(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-28927-z