Rare species play a much more important, and even unique, role in ecosystems than was previously thought, according to new research from the University of Montpellier 2. The research has found that many of the rarest species in the world, most of which are rapidly going extinct, play very important roles in many ecosystems and support unique ecological functions that aren’t provided by other species.
What the research has demonstrated, and what is so important, is that it’s “primarily the rare species, rather than the more common ones, that have distinct traits involved in unique ecological functions.” With the disappearance of these species, and the overall decline in biodiversity, these unique ecological features are themselves likely to disappear.
“These unique features are irreplaceable, as they could be important for the functioning of ecosystems if there is major environmental change,” explained Dr Mouillot.
“Rare species are not just an ecological insurance,” he said. “They perform additional ecological functions that could be important during rapid transitions experienced by ecosystems. The vulnerability of these functions, in particular biodiversity loss caused by climate change, highlights the underestimated role of rare species in the functioning and resilience of ecosystems.
[From the journal article itself at http://www.plosbiology.org/article/info:doi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pbio.1001573 ]
"Humans appear to be the cause of the impending sixth mass extinction of life on Earth (the fifth was most likely at the hands of an asteroid crashing to Earth 65 million years ago, causing the extinction of the dinosaurs and around 75% of other plant and animal species). As awareness of this impending biodiversity crisis has grown, a burgeoning literature examining the relationship between biodiversity and the functions of ecosystems (e.g., biomass production, nutrient cycling) has emerged, typically showing a positive relationship. The value of biodiversity, it is surmised, is that the functioning of entire ecosystems would collapse if the impending biodiversity crisis is not curtailed."