对鼬科动物保护威胁和状况的全球审查,Mammal Review
INTRODUCTION
Many carnivores (here defined as Carnivora) have undergone substantial declines in their populations and geographical ranges around the world (Ripple et al. 2014). As predators, typically at or near the top of their food chains, carnivores play an important role in ecosystems (Ritchie et al. 2012). The Mustelidae is the largest and most diverse family within the order Carnivora, comprising 63 extant species as reported by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. Mustelids vary greatly in size, lifestyles, and life-history traits, and have adapted to all types of climates and habitats throughout all continents, with the exception of Antarctica and Australasia. They often occupy regions with highly seasonal environments and have relatively large home ranges and therefore lower population densities than many other carnivores (Ferguson & Larivière 2005). Mustelids have had a long association with humans, and many species hold cultural or economic significance, with particular value as furbearers and in rodent (pest) control (Schreiber et al. 1989).
Some mustelids are highly vulnerable to impacts from anthropogenic activities and have already undergone numerical or distributional declines (Chanin & Jefferies 1978, Thompson 1991, Finch 1992, Ruggiero et al. 1994, Wilson et al. 2000). In the case of the sea mink Neovison macrodon, overhunting for fur led to its extinction by the late 19th century (Campbell 1988). The sea otter Enhydra lutris was also heavily hunted for fur in the 18th and 19th centuries. Local extinctions led to huge increases in numbers of sea urchins Mesocentrotus franciscanus, the main prey of Enhydra lutris, which in turn resulted in the loss of kelp (Laminariales) beds that the sea urchins consumed. After concerted conservation efforts, Enhydra lutris recovered in the second part of the 20th century.
Although we may know a great deal about the threats and risk of extinction of certain members of the mustelid family (Bright 2000), the naturally low densities, cryptic appearance, behaviour, and lack of study of others mean that little is known about many, particularly the smaller mustelids (Westra 2019). Therefore, there is a very real danger that some species could be in danger of extinction before it is realised. Increasing concern around certain mustelids (Croose et al. 2018, Coomber et al. 2021, Jachowski et al. 2021, Marneweck et al. 2021) makes the assessment of the conservation status and an analysis highlighting the major threats and knowledge gaps facing the Mustelidae family important.
In this study, we investigated the conservation status (IUCN category), population trends, and threats to mustelids as reported by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Then, we conducted a systematic review of the mustelid-related scientific literature aiming to identify: (1) the primary threats and subthreats reported in the literature, (2) the regions where these threats are reported, and (3) which species and subfamilies are the most studied.