It is no surprise to anyone that terrestrial life on earth is in decline, especially the populations of  vertebrate species. At this point modern science has a detailed knowledge about direct threats to species, but less attention has been paid to indirect threats arising specifically from species interactions. 

A new study, supported by OBSGESSION, investigates these indirect impacts by analysing food web data for over 800 terrestrial vertebrate species across Europe. Researchers combined information on trophic (feeding) interactions with six key anthropogenic (human-induced) threats:

• Pollution

• Agricultural intensification

• Climate change

• Direct exploitation

• Urbanisation

• Invasive alien species and diseases
  
  

The findings reveal that direct exploitation and agricultural growth pose the greatest threats, directly affecting over 30% of species and also jeopardise a large part of species interactions in Europe. This means the broader food web structure is at substantial risk.

By integrating network ecology with threat assessments, this study offers new insights into the cascading effects of human activities on biodiversity, emphasising the urgent need to consider indirect effects in conservation strategies.

Read the full article here and in the Library of the website.