Are snake populations in widespread decline?
Are snake populations in widespread decline?
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DOI：
10.1098/rsbl.2010.0373
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发表时间：
2010-12-23
期刊：
影响因子：
3.3
通讯作者：
Rugiero, L.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Reading, C. J.;Luiselli, L. M.;Rugiero, L.
长期研究表明，鱼类、两栖动物、爬行动物、鸟类和哺乳动物的数量都在下降。在鸟类，尤其是两栖动物中，这种下降是一种全球现象，其原因往往不清楚。在爬行动物中，蛇是头号捕食者，因此它们数量的减少可能会对许多生态系统的功能产生严重影响。我们的结果表明，在来自英国、法国、意大利、尼日利亚和澳大利亚的17种蛇(8种)中，11种在相同的相对较短的时间内急剧下降，5种保持稳定，1种显示出轻微增加的迹象。虽然这些下降的原因目前尚不清楚，但我们怀疑它们是多方面的(如栖息地质量恶化、猎物可获得性)，并有一个共同的原因，如全球气候变化。
Long-term studies have revealed population declines in fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals. In birds, and particularly amphibians, these declines are a global phenomenon whose causes are often unclear. Among reptiles, snakes are top predators and therefore a decline in their numbers may have serious consequences for the functioning of many ecosystems. Our results show that, of 17 snake populations (eight species) from the UK, France, Italy, Nigeria and Australia, 11 have declined sharply over the same relatively short period of time with five remaining stable and one showing signs of a marginal increase. Although the causes of these declines are currently unknown, we suspect that they are multi-faceted (such as habitat quality deterioration, prey availability), and with a common cause, e.g. global climate change, at their root.