Desert diversity cut by 'human activities'

Humans may be destabilising desert ecosystems across the world, according to a new study.

Analysis of the human impact on dryland ecosystems suggests it is "drastically changing" mammal communities.

The scientists believe that activities such as overgrazing livestock lie behind increasing local extinctions and a reduction in diversity.

The work will help to inform future conservation efforts, said lead author Ms Maria Veronica Chillo.

The findings are published in the Journal of Arid Environments and assess how man-made disturbances affect the role of mammals in the ecosystem.

"We report for the first time that in drylands, the effect of human-induced disturbances on mammal functional diversity is negative," said Ms Chillo, a biologist in the Biodiversity Research Group at the Argentinian Institute of Arid Lands Research.

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