Integrating trophic importance into conservation of terrestrial vertebrates

Abstract

There is global consensus on the need to prioritize conservation efforts to prevent biodiversity loss and defaunation. Most current conservation initiatives focus on areas with high species diversity or many threatened species, treating species independently and neglecting trophic interactions. To address these oversights, we developed a framework to quantify species’ roles along continuums of trophic importance (TI) and global endangerment (GE), estimated from a global terrestrial meta-food web of over 25,000 vertebrate species. We combined TI with IUCN Red List categories to create a Trophic Importance Global Endangerment (TIGE) index, integrating TI and extinction risk. Our analysis revealed that the TI index provides distinct and complementary insights beyond species endangerment. Systematic conservation planning indicated that prioritizing areas based on TIGE shows significant spatial inconsistency compared to traditional taxonomic approaches. Our findings emphasize the value of incorporating species trophic network importance into conservation strategies to reconcile species ecosystem functioning and biodiversity conservation.