Study of global primate populations reveals predictors of extinction risk

An international team of biologists, planetary scientists and conservationists has conducted a large-scale study of non-human primate populations around the world to gauge their risk of extinction due to climate change.

In their paper published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, the group describes how they collected and analyzed data from the four major regions that serve as home to primates. They then combined what they found with primate characteristics to develop a means for calculating their extinction risk as the environment in which they are living changes in the years ahead.

Prior research has shown that as the planet grows warmer, different parts of the Earth will experience different changes—some will see more rain, others less, resulting in changes to vegetation and the animals that rely on such sources of food to survive. In this new study, the research team linked changes to the places where primates live with their ability to survive.

In all, the research team obtained and analyzed data for 22,705 places where primates live, from Madagascar, to Asia, Africa, and South and Central America and also the Caribbean.

As part of their analysis, the researchers attempted to estimate changes in rainfall amounts and vegetation and determine how quickly conditions might change. They also looked at attributes of the primates, such as their body size, their range, whether they slept in the day or at night, their predators, and their evolutionary distinctiveness.

The research team found that impacts are likely to vary by both region and primate species. As one example, they noted that unstable amounts of rainfall in the Neotropics would put many species at risk, whereas it likely would decrease the risk for primates living in Madagascar and Africa.

Still, many such primates would be at risk from other sources, such as deforestation, mining, and pollution. The team found 33 primate species that hadn’t been previously identified as having a high extinction risk. They suggest these species have a latent extinction risk and should be further evaluated.

The researchers conclude by suggesting that their work highlights the risk primate species around the world will be facing as the planet continues to warm if efforts are not made to mitigate either climate change or the conditions where the creatures live.

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