Biological traits interact with human threats to drive extinctions: A modelling study

How a particular threat influences extinction risk may depend on biological traits. Empirical studies relating threats and traits are needed, but data scarce, making simulations useful. We implemented an eco-evolutionary model to analyse how five types influence the of virtual organisms differing in body size, maturity age, fecundity, dispersal ability. The consisted observing evolutionary shift mean trait values assemblage when was added into world where they lived. If positive found values, we considered that negatively influenced with lower for trait. Direct killing mostly affected slow life cycles (slower-living) poorly dispersive organisms. Habitat loss caused reduction average ability fragmentation increase ability, had negative effect larger, less fecund degradation introduction invasive competitors similar effects, affecting large fast-living organisms, habitat also highly These results agree previous empirical which slower-lived, more vulnerable greater range threats. On other hand, our challenge two commonly seen hypotheses literature: high fare well under any scenarios, fast-living, always do during environmental change. Our study shows be losers removes continuous areas habitat, reproductive resources or energy availability dwindle very low levels. Most importantly, underpins importance considering type analysing relation between extinction. Even simple scenarios such as ones modelled here, different lead different, sometimes opposite, probabilities according