Herbivorous animals are at a greater risk of extinction than predators and omnivores, according to a study published Wednesday in the journal Science Advances . The risk is particularly high for herbivorous reptiles (turtles) and large herbivores (elephants).
But the trend is true whatever the habitat and the class of species. According to the study, which is based on the analysis of more than 24,500 living and extinct species, predators are often perceived as more vulnerable, due to their large territories and the slow rate of growth of their populations.
100% of herbivorous reptiles are threatened
However, "the trophic level and the size are important factors in the risk of extinction", explain the researchers. The trophic level is the level of animals in the food chain, with predators at the top. “There is so much published data that sometimes you just need someone to organize it,” says Trisha Atwood, lead author of the study.
The data compiled looks at both the past (11,000 years ago), the recent (500 years) and the present, with similar conclusions. About a quarter of the herbivorous species studied here are now threatened with extinction, according to the classification of the International Union for the Protection of Nature (IUCN), and among them 100% of herbivorous reptiles. Herbivores are also over-represented among extinct species.
There are exceptions: piscivorous species and scavengers are also more at risk. And in the oceans, even predators are very threatened. To explain the greater risk to herbivores, the researchers cite a hypothesis. Invasive species (rats, insects or plants) would disproportionately affect herbivorous reptiles, compared to omnivores and predators.
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