Title |
The World's Rediscovered Species: Back from the Brink?
|
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Published in |
PLOS ONE, July 2011
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DOI | 10.1371/journal.pone.0022531 |
Pubmed ID | |
Authors |
Brett R. Scheffers, Ding Li Yong, J. Berton C. Harris, Xingli Giam, Navjot S. Sodhi |
Abstract |
Each year, numerous species thought to have disappeared are rediscovered. Yet, do these rediscoveries represent the return of viable populations or the delayed extinction of doomed species? We document the number, distribution and conservation status of rediscovered amphibian, bird, and mammal species globally. Over the past 122 years, at least 351 species have been rediscovered, most occurring in the tropics. These species, on average, were missing for 61 years before being rediscovered (range of 3-331 years). The number of rediscoveries per year increased over time and the majority of these rediscoveries represent first documentations since their original description. Most rediscovered species have restricted ranges and small populations, and 92% of amphibians, 86% of birds, and 86% of mammals are highly threatened, independent of how long they were missing or when they were rediscovered. Under the current trends of widespread habitat loss, particularly in the tropics, most rediscovered species remain on the brink of extinction. |
X Demographics
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
United States | 2 | 18% |
India | 1 | 9% |
Unknown | 8 | 73% |
Demographic breakdown
Type | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Members of the public | 6 | 55% |
Science communicators (journalists, bloggers, editors) | 2 | 18% |
Scientists | 1 | 9% |
Unknown | 2 | 18% |
Mendeley readers
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Brazil | 7 | 5% |
Germany | 2 | 1% |
Colombia | 1 | <1% |
Austria | 1 | <1% |
Italy | 1 | <1% |
Australia | 1 | <1% |
United States | 1 | <1% |
Unknown | 131 | 90% |
Demographic breakdown
Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Researcher | 43 | 30% |
Student > Master | 25 | 17% |
Student > Ph. D. Student | 24 | 17% |
Student > Bachelor | 15 | 10% |
Student > Postgraduate | 8 | 6% |
Other | 20 | 14% |
Unknown | 10 | 7% |
Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Agricultural and Biological Sciences | 83 | 57% |
Environmental Science | 35 | 24% |
Earth and Planetary Sciences | 4 | 3% |
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology | 3 | 2% |
Economics, Econometrics and Finance | 2 | 1% |
Other | 3 | 2% |
Unknown | 15 | 10% |