Unveiling Emerging Trends and Gaps in Scientific Research on Vertebrate Biodiversity in Tropical Savannahs

TL;DR

This paper highlights the lack of research on vertebrate biodiversity in tropical savannahs, especially in Africa, and identifies key gaps in understanding threats like invasive species and climate change.

Contribution

The study systematically identifies research gaps and trends in vertebrate biodiversity studies in tropical savannahs using a global analysis of scientific publications.

Findings

Africa has a significant deficit in research on terrestrial vertebrates compared to Oceania and South America.

Land use change and fire dynamics are the most studied drivers of biodiversity loss, while invasive species and climate change are under-researched.

Phylogenetic and functional diversity are the least studied aspects of vertebrate biodiversity in tropical savannahs.

Abstract

Savannahs are among the most threatened ecosystems in the world due to the rapid change in their land use for forestry, soybean cultivation, and pasture. However, savannahs are less studied than tropical forest ecosystems despite this intense anthropogenic pressure. As such, here we investigate the gaps and trends in scientific research on terrestrial vertebrates in tropical savannahs, via a systematic search for scientific articles on the Web of Science platform. Subsequently, to identify the geographic distribution of the studies, we divided the total number of articles by the area of the Savannah biome (in km2) that occurs in each country. Our results show that Africa has a deficit in scientific research on terrestrial vertebrates compared to Oceania and South America, and that this global trend in the distribution of studies is closely related to the Human Development Index. We also identified land use change and fire dynamics as the most studied drivers of biodiversity loss, while invasive species and climate change were the least well studied. Finally, our research revealed that about 80% of the articles focused on mammals and birds, and that phylogenetic and functional diversity were the least studied dimensions of vertebrate biodiversity in tropical savannahs. These results are concerning for conservation efforts, as they reveal not only a substantial geographic gap but also a limited and biased understanding of savannah biodiversity.

Savannahs are among the most threatened ecosystems in the world due to the rapid change in their land use for forestry, soybean cultivation, and pasture. However, Africa has a deficit in scientific research on terrestrial vertebrates compared to Oceania and South America, and this global trend in the distribution of studies is closely related to the Human Development Index. Also, about 80% of the articles focused on mammals and birds, and phylogenetic and functional diversity were the least studied dimensions of vertebrate biodiversity in tropical Savannahs.

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