科研之友
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摘要
Most extinction literature focuses on prevention and prediction, not assessment. Determination of extinction can be surprisingly complicated, with diverse approaches and terminology, leading to a gray area within extinction assessment. A series of five gray-extinction categories (mitigated, regional, native range, wild, and apparent) are provided to address these ambiguities and highlight how extant lineages may be effectively extinct. For reference, we use freshwater fishes, a group in serious decline throughout the world. Categories are interwoven into a decision tree to ensure a practical assessment of extinction and maximize conservation effectiveness. To prevent premature declarations, a waiting period based on generation time (versus a fixed number of years) is proposed. We also explain how extinction is tied to multilineage and lineage-specific anthropogenic effects and how dependence on artificial selection equates to a form of extinction. Finally, we touch on the resurrection of lineages and the impact of artificial hybridization and propagation on the extinction process.
- 出版日期2017-4
