Journal article 374 views 64 downloads
Aligning paleobiological research with conservation priorities using elasmobranchs as a model
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Catalina Pimiento
Paleobiology, Volume: 51, Issue: 1, Pages: 112 - 131
Swansea University Author:
Catalina Pimiento
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© The Author(s), 2024. This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives licence.
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DOI (Published version): 10.1017/pab.2024.11
Abstract
Humans have dramatically transformed ecosystems over the previous millennia and are potentially causing a mass extinction event comparable to the others that shaped the history of life. However, only a fraction of these impacts has been directly recorded, limiting conservation actions. Conservation...
| Published in: | Paleobiology |
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| ISSN: | 0094-8373 1938-5331 |
| Published: |
Cambridge University Press (CUP)
2025
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| Online Access: |
Check full text
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| URI: | https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa66304 |
| Abstract: |
Humans have dramatically transformed ecosystems over the previous millennia and are potentially causing a mass extinction event comparable to the others that shaped the history of life. However, only a fraction of these impacts has been directly recorded, limiting conservation actions. Conservation paleobiology leverages geohistorical records to offer a long-term perspective on biodiversity change in the face of anthropogenic stressors. Nevertheless, the field's on-the-ground contributions to conservation outcomes are still developing. Here, we present an overview of directions in which paleobiological research could progress to aid conservation in the coming decades using elasmobranchs (sharks, rays, and skates)—a highly threatened group with a rich fossil record—as a model. These research directions are guided by areas of overlap between an expert-led list of current elasmobranch conservation priorities and available fossil and historical records. Four research topics emerged for which paleobiological research could address open questions in elasmobranch science and conservation: (1) baselines, (2) ecological roles, (3) threats, and (4) conservation priorities. Increasingly rich datasets and novel analytical frameworks present exciting opportunities to apply the elasmobranch fossil record to conservation practice. A similar approach could be extended to other clades. Given the synthetic nature of these research topics, we encourage collaboration across timescales and with conservation practitioners to safeguard the future of our planet's rapidly disappearing species. |
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| Item Description: |
Invited Article |
| College: |
Faculty of Science and Engineering |
| Funders: |
E.M.D. is supported by an Earl S. Tupper Postdoctoral Fellowship from the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. C.P. is funded by a PRIMA grant (no. 185798) from the Swiss National Science Foundation. |
| Issue: |
1 |
| Start Page: |
112 |
| End Page: |
131 |