Data from: Estimated six percent loss of genetic variation in wild populations since the industrial revolution

Genetic variation is fundamental to population fitness and adaptation to
environmental change. Human activities are driving declines in many wild
populations and could have similar effects on genetic variation. Despite
the importance of estimating such declines, no global estimate of the
magnitude of ongoing genetic variation loss has been conducted across
species. By combining studies that quantified recent changes in genetic
variation across a mean of 27 generations for 91 species, we
conservatively estimate a 5.4-6.5% decline in within-population genetic
diversity of wild organisms since the industrial revolution. This loss has
been most severe for island species, which show a 30% average decline. We
identified taxonomic and geographic gaps in temporal studies that must be
urgently addressed. Our results are consistent with single time-point
meta-analyses, which indicated that genetic variation is likely declining.
However, our results represent the first confirmation of a global decline,
and provide an estimate of the magnitude of the genetic variation lost
from wild populations.