7,000 years of turnover: historical contingency and human niche construction shape the Caribbean’s Anthropocene biota

The human-mediated movement of species across biogeographic
boundaries—whether intentional or accidental—is dramatically reshaping the
modern world. Conservation biologists are grappling with the present-day
effects of these introductions, but humans have in fact been reshaping
ecosystems and translocating species for millennia. Acknowledging the
effects of human-mediated species introductions through time is important
for understanding present-day biodiversity loss, ecosystem functioning,
and management needs. Here, we present the first database of terrestrial
vertebrate species introductions spanning the entire anthropogenic history
of a system. This ~7,000 year Caribbean dataset allows us to assess the
roles of historical contingency and priority effects in shaping
present-day conservation outcomes. We analyzed the spatial and temporal
dynamics of species introductions in the context of cultural practices and
human population histories spanning Indigenous, colonial, and modern human
societies. We highlight how serial human colonization contributed to
habitat modifications and species extinctions that then shaped subsequent
species introductions by other human groups, altering ecosystem processes
dramatically. We quantify how the taxonomic and biogeographical diversity
of species introductions increases over time, reflecting diversifying
reasons for species introductions. Importantly, we use the record to
highlight gaps in the archaeological record, ongoing management
challenges, and research opportunities in today’s Caribbean biota.

物种经人类介导跨越生物地理边界的移动——无论有意或无意——正剧烈重塑着现代世界。保护生物学家正致力应对这些物种引入的当代影响，但事实上，数千年来人类一直在重塑生态系统并转移物种。正视人类介导的物种引入在历史长河中的影响，对理解当代生物多样性丧失、生态系统功能及管理需求至关重要。在此，我们发布首个涵盖某一系统整个人类活动历史的陆生脊椎动物（terrestrial vertebrate）物种引入数据库。这份跨度约7000年的加勒比数据集，使我们得以评估历史偶然性与优先效应在塑造当代保护成效中发挥的作用。我们结合原住民、殖民时代与现代人类社会的文化实践及人口历史背景，分析了物种引入的时空动态。我们阐明了连续性人类殖民活动如何推动生境改造与物种灭绝，进而影响了后续其他人类群体开展的物种引入活动，极大改变了生态系统过程。我们量化了物种引入的分类学与生物地理多样性随时间推移的增长趋势，这反映出物种引入的原因日益多样化。尤为重要的是，我们借助该数据集阐明了加勒比地区考古记录存在的空白、当前面临的管理挑战，以及当代加勒比生物区系的研究机遇。