Human‐induced globalization of insular herpetofaunas

Abstract

Aim: The aim was to document the impact of the globalization of human activity on the biodiversity and biogeographical patterns of reptilian and amphibian faunas across islands worldwide. Location: Islands worldwide. Time period: From the 15th century to the present time. Major taxa studied: Reptiles and amphibians. Methods: We compiled lists of the reptilian and amphibian species that occurred on islands before the 15th century and of those that occur currently. For each species group, we calculated differences in species richness and in compositional similarities among islands, between the two periods. Regression models were used: (a) to associate the observed differences with spatial patterns of geographical, climatic, biotic and human factors; and (b) to quantify changes in the relative importance of non-human factors in explaining the spatial patterns of species richness and compositional similarity. Results: The richness of reptile and amphibian species increased consistently across islands worldwide. Hotspots of increase were detected in the Caribbean and the Indian Ocean. The composition of species assemblages was substantially homogenized; this was particularly true for amphibians within the Caribbean Sea and for reptiles within the Caribbean Sea and Indian Ocean and between the Indian and the Pacific Oceans. Our results showed that spatial patterns of change in species richness and compositional similarity are driven by human and natural factors. The driving role of mean annual temperature is particularly consistent, and current reptile richness and compositional similarity patterns for both species groups are increasingly being shaped by the global temperature gradient. Main conclusions: The globalization of human activity is eroding the regionalized character of insular herpetofaunas and leading to the emergence of global-scale gradients of taxonomic composition and species richness. Projections of increasing rates of biological invasions, extinctions and climate change suggest that these changes are likely to be aggravated even further in the coming decades